10 Ideas to Get You Exercising

By Jim F.

There a hundreds of reasons why we don't exercise - just read the excellent comments on the post Why Don't You Exercise.

Here are 10 different ideas or techniques to help you pursue a lifetime of health and fitness.

STOP

If - deep-down - you really don't want to exercise, then don't bother reading further. You will need to get to the bottom of those feelings before moving on. Ambivalence and double-mindedness will only lead to a constant cycle of disappointment. But - if you want to reap the many mental and physical benefits of exercise -- then read on.

1. Know Thyself - Time of Day
What's the point in aiming for fasted cardio (i.e. workouts before breakfast) when you are not a morning person? You might start with the best intentions - but it will probably not last. You must find the time that works best for you.

2. Know Thyself - Comfort Zone
When I exercise I sweat. Sometimes profusely. That may seem gross to some - and to be honest when I caught some people staring at my red sweating face - I was embarrassed. I've realized that public gym workouts are not always for me. I have a basic setup at home that I use instead. If going to the gym - aim for known quiet periods.

3. Boredom Busters
I feel bored just looking at the rows of poker-faced people sitting on their stationery bikes. I cannot do this. It bores me to tears. The personal trainer might prescribe 45 minutes of steady-state cardio - but it is most definitely not the only way. Personal Trainers for the most part are enthusiastic and helpful people -- but many seem to be stuck "in a box" when it comes to innovation. If you bore easily (like me) - then mix it up. The feeling of doing something new or different gets me interested again.

4. Structure and Planning
We have become a very time-poor people. Consequently if we want to accomplish anything we will need to plan it. Don't say "I'm going to exercise this week". Say "I'm going to exercise at 4.30pm on Wednesday for 30 minutes - and write it down. It might sound a bit obsessive but every Sunday I plan my whole week - what I aim to do at work, when I will exercise, etc. Without a structure things turn to chaos and I end the week feeling out-of-control and frustrated.

5. Surround yourself with like-minded people
It's tough enough to motivate yourself without having a bunch of couch potatoes pouring scorn on your intentions. Spend time with the right people (on-line or in the real world) and you'll find the motivation starts to come.

6. Focus on the feeling after the session
There's nothing better than blobbing out after a good exercise session. The feeling of satisfaction is something to be savored. Then there are the post-workout endorphins... and the good nights sleep...

7. Stop thinking: All or Nothing
"If I can't do this workout properly - then there is no point in working out". I used to think like this. Now I think that even a 5 minute walk is better than 5 minutes on the couch. Even 10 minutes of light weights is better than nothing. This is especially important when exercising after a period of sickness. You feel like you took one step forward but fell 3 steps backward. Go easy on yourself. Don't give up. Something is better than nothing.

8. What are your priorities?
When taking time to plan your week you will be forced to address priorities. If you are working 16 hours a day and (understandably) have no time for exercise - then you need to sit right back and take a long hard look at what you truly want out of life.

9. Remove the word "quit" from your mental vocabulary
Having goals is great. Lose x pounds of fat. Gain x pounds of muscle. Increased fitness. However there is something even deeper at play. If we lead sedentary lives then exercise simply must become a part of life. Period. Our bodies are made to be worked.

If I said to you "you must exercise for the rest of your life" -- how does that make you feel? Examine the feeling. If it feels like a prison sentence then perhaps you need to do some serious rewiring of your inner monologue. Imagine feeling vital, strong, and energized - into your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s -- wouldn't that be a good feeling?

10. It's not just about looks
The skinny girl down the street might look good to you -- but her size is no indication of her health or strength. She may have unseen visceral fat (see normal-weight obese) or, sadly, could be inviting osteoporosis to come early.

Exercise is just as much about a healthy body as it is about looking good. My wife has reversed a number of health issues with the assistance of exercise. She is not model-thin - but rather - exudes strength and life. Having a strong and useful body often goes hand in hand with emotional self-empowerment.

This has been a long post. Good on you for bothering to read it! I encourage you to add your own ideas to the comments.

126 Comments

RFR

7. Stop thinking: All or Nothing

My biggest fault. Great point.

Lose Weight With Me

For me, numbers 3 and 6 really hit home. It took me a little while to realize it, but exercise doesn't HAVE to be boring. In fact, the more fun you have with it, the more likely you are to stick with it.

Focusing on the feeling AFTER the exercise session has helped me to stay motivated to exercise on days when I'd rather stay in bed a little longer.

staci

Structure and planning are my pit-falls. i dont seem to dedicate a time- i keep saying, i'll make sure to squeeze in a jog after work. but after work, i feel like falling asleep! i should just go back to taking my hour lunch break for jogging and the 15 minutes i have left to eat a little snack before my actual lunch... you're very right, there should be no excuses, they aren't that good!

Yolanda

I have a friend who is in to body building. He's the reason why I started working out. Being around him makes me motivated to work out because of his positive attitude. It really nice to have someone telling you to keep on going in times of boredom.

Spectra

Whenever I get bored with my running routine, I definitely have to mix it up a bit. I take a day each week where I cut my run in half and jump rope for a while. It really helps with the monotony. I also bike in the summer to crosstrain, which definitely helps.

"If I said to you "you must exercise for the rest of your life" -- how does that make you feel? Examine the feeling. "

For me it's pretty much a "duh". If I didn't exercise for the rest of my life I'd feel like poo most of the time. It's not a "must" for me, but I'd really prefer to be able to stay active for the rest of my life... the idea that I might have to stop exercising is a lot more depressing.

And by the way... because of this, I'm really careful not to sustain an overuse injury. I have enough friends who've had knee and cartiledge problems, even fairly young. I'd rather exercise moderately for the rest of my life than beat my body up when I'm young and have to spend my golden years sitting on the couch.

Heather

Find something you love... The excuses will pop up sometimes, but as an overall excuse, they just melt away when you are happy to be doing it.

I think of my working out as "training" instead of exercising and participate in events as motivation. That helps as well.

Corakin

I do agree we need to do something we enjoy but there's something to be said for enjoying what we do! As a mother of two I have very little time for "myself". I think of my workout- as- literally my "pampering" session. It's my "me time" I guard jealously. No one's bugging me, my husband loves it that I work out and I can focus on ONE task. I do a combo of step videos and stationary biking as well as running in the summer. All these things I can choose to get bored of or choose to remind myself over and over how much I enjoy them, the feelings and health they bring as well as how blessed I am to have the strength and ability to do them!

RedPanda

This was a really great post! No. 8 really hit home for me. My weight ballooned (and my health deteriorated) when I was running my own business - lots of stress and 90 hour work weeks. Never again! I've actually turned down jobs because the hours wouldn't allow me to work out.

Ross

#'s 3 & 6 are the most important to me too. Boredom can really kill good exercise intentions! At the gym I go to now I'm never doing the same thing twice in a row - whether it is boxing, circuits, spin, running etc then always followed by a varied weights routine - it means that I am always up for whatever challenge is thrown to me next.

...and the post-exercise feeling is massively important. If my motivation to work out is ever low I always think back to how good i felt the last time I worked out and I always remind myself that I have never regretted doing it!

Great idea for a post Jim and great work from everyone who contributed.

Ross

Michael Carnell

Excellent points. I am particularly prone to the "all or nothing" syndrome. If I am supposed to exercise for an hour but only have 45 minutes I just won't do it because I don't have time. Very good point that I should use what time I do have. Sounds like a great rule to live your life by too.

Amy

7. Stop thinking: All or Nothing

I really need to work on this one. My problem is that once I start exercising, I push myself really hard. Even if I say "I'm just going to do a 10 minute light cycle on the bike" I know I'll end up doing a vigorous half hour. And sometimes I just don't wanna! So I do nothing. How stupid does that sound?!

I'm also not sure how to get around the timing. Unfortunately my favourite time to exercise is 10:30-11am - and I'm at work then! I start early and struggle to get up in the dark as it is, and by the time I get home (even though it's quite early) I just want to flop.

Jennifer

The boredom was definetely my problem. I get paralyzed by boredom. So I bought a video ipod to work out with. I know they aren't an option for everyone, but I put that thing in front of me on the treadmill and watch shows. I easily make it through a half hour episode or large portion of a movie before I realize how long I've been working out. Now that I'm ramping up to faster speeds, it is harder to watch a show, but the habits are now set to go to the gym.

All or nothing was my other thing. If I didn't get my 40 reps on so many machines, I felt like I failed. These negative feelings made my visits to the gym harder on me than it should have been. I didn't consciously realize I was thinking this way until reading this. Thanks!

tokyoer

I found a lot of free lose weight tips in the website http://www.slimdigg.com/

cutesox

boo hiss. this is not a weight loss site.

Patricia (Spain)

Oh this is funny:
.

when I caught some people staring at my red sweating face - I was embarrassed..[...]

Some people go to the public gym and are disgusted by sweating people?

I thought 9 and 10 were particularily good. I found too, that changing my mind set to 'I want to be fit at 40, 50 60 etc makes a big difference.'

I am not a 'workout' person, but what I do do is optimal and concentrated for the relatively short periods of time involved (nordic walking, flexi-bar, sometimes powerball).

Jen

Number 10 is my biggest motivator. I've seen my blood pressure and cholesterol drop and have been able to regulate my hypothyroidism better, among many, many other health benefits.

Here's a new reason I just read about:

http://tinyurl.com/ynsy5u

Natasha

My husband and I both have a joint gym membership and recently he tends to motivate me to go by reminding me that we are paying for something we do not always use! These mini-guilt trips do work but it really comes down to setting aside a time or day when we will go to the gym and sticking to it.

When regular exercise becomes part of your routine it is harder to lapse.

Dr.J

Jen said:
Here's a new reason I just read about:[...]

That's great, Jen! Hopefully, those brain cells will be the new, improved version!Reply

Nimi

Start thinking non-negotiable. Your health is non-negotiable. Exercise and diet are non-negotiable.

georgette pann

Hi
Great post..as a trainer I found making things Fun has brought people to exercise who never would have or at best be doing a little less intense exercise. For example, my fitness bootcamps brought a lot of clients an alternative to gym and boring exercise...fun with fitness as a byproduct:)
Thank you

Stacy

#5 is my favourite. I truly believe surrounding yourself with people that have the similar goals and dreams will help you tremendously. I'm so grateful to have a husband who is very like minded to me. Check out our website and see if it helps you out. keep on keeping on! stacy www.thebestlifeever.com

Ivan Minic

some good ideas you got there ;)

Ken

I've just got back into working out full-time (3-days weights & 3-days running) after "taking a break" for a year. Working out with someone has been awesome (accountability) and listening to my iPOD (entertainment) is nice also. But, something that has always helped me was to think of the benefits I enjoy once I am back exercising regularly. Such as handling stress better, more energy, quicker thinking, better memory, better sleep, and a more positive attitude. Working out regularly really improves just about every area of my life.

Mike

My "all or nothing" mentality took me from working out and eating healthy religiously for 7 consecutive years, to letting my eating habits slip and working out sporadically for the past 3 years. The "all or nothing" thing is my biggest pitfall.
Great tips here! I'm going to print this out and keep it as a motivating reminder that something is better than nothing.

FitJames

If you're competative, it's nice to see how you're stacking up against others - I use http://fitoff.com to log my exercise and see how I'm doing. You wouldn't believe how motivated I am to "just do 10 more minutes" to jump ahead of a fellow boardmate! Helps with #3 - giving reason, #5, #7 - Just a little more will increase my score, and #10 - perhaps you're just the competative sort!

Pat

These are great ideas. I like the one with surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Based on other activities which requires a partner or a team, it is really a good motivation to have people you can interact with.

Mike

I would say I always fail on #4. I will have to do better planning my daily routines and pushing myself harder to do my runs.

Perry

Try an activity that is fun instead of one that is boring. My personal favorite is joggling...juggling while running.

http://justyouraveragejoggler.com

Angela

A motivational article. Thanks for sharing the advice. I'm all about the post-workout endophins. I'm also all about the pre-workout gitters.

perlpimp

staci said:
Structure and planning are my pit-falls. i dont seem to dedicate a time- i keep saying, i'll make sure to squeeze in a jog after work. but after work, i feel like falling asleep! i should just go back to taking my hour lunch break for jogging and the 15 minutes i have left to eat a little snack before my actual lunch... you're very right, there[...]

That means your diet isn't aligned. And maybe even sleep. I found after day of office like work, often stressful taking stress tabs and zinc + C supplements every other day with plenty of water helps. Sleep before 12, some days preferably before 10 is also super important. Taking sedatives before going to bed for faster sleep is alright as well, if you are a light sleeper, and to get yourself into patterns of a good sleep.

Excersize is only a small fraction of healthy living, and can do more damage if diet and rest aren't supporting your excersize.

JEMIMA JONES

AM DOWN TO 450 LBS HOPE TO GET TO 445 LBS BY END OF YEAR GOTTA STOP WATCHIN TV AND SMOKIN CURRENTLY SMOKE 5 PACKS OF CIGS A DAY HUBBY AINT INTO DOIN IT ANYMORE SO GOTTA WORK OUT AND LOSE FAT BUT DONT GOT ENOUGH MONEY FOR GYM SO GOTTA WORKOUT WATCHIN TV

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