Keeping the motivation to exercise

The Facts

There are two types of people: those who exercise too much and the others who don't do it at all or enough. As Evan Esar said "some people would never get any exercise at all if they didn't have to walk to their cars".

Most of us have tried to start a physical exercise plan but dropped it after a while... So how do you stay motivated to exercise for health and fitness?

Find the right reasons

To keep motivation from running away after a few sessions of hard work on yourself, find the right reasons why you should do it. Don't wait for others to tell you you need it, this will only lower your self-esteem and ruin any motivation later on. Take a piece of paper, make a list of why you should exercise: It could be to lose weight so that you have a better chance to see your grandkids growing, or simply because it makes you feel better everyday. For instance, you can decide to walk a mile or two every morning so that you feel more relaxed during the day and enjoy your other activities plainly.

Fighting excuses

It's always hard to start exercising, but once you are into it, you can clearly feel the benefits. Keep this in mind when you are about to make false excuses to avoid your daily training. Everybody can make some time to exercise, we all have our activities, worries and families to take care of, but you could see your training sessions as breaks you allow yourself to cool off.

Choose the right activity

People have different needs and tastes when it comes to choose an activity. The most energetic and calory-consuming ones are cardio (jogging, bicycle...) and fitness such as pilates. If you need something that brings you peace as well as health, you should try Qi Gong, Tai Chi or simply walking: these activities bring a dimension that goes beyond the physical exercise. Just pick the one you think would really do some good to you, don't do too long sessions and keep the pace. Exercising 10 minutes a day for ten years is still better than exercising three times a year.

Getting Support

If being with other people motivates you, find a club close by (you should be able to go there by feet), make some friends there so that you have a second reason to go. If you'd rather have more flexibility, find a DVD of the activity you are willing to do and exercise at home, be sure to get the right level of difficulty (beginner, intermediate, expert).