The Single Most Important Factor in Sticking with Exercise...

Make decisions, not wish lists.

This, to me, sums up why New Year's resolutions should work but don't.

In the past, I suffered from really poor self-esteem. When I exercised, I performed significantly better than now that I have better self-esteem!

Just do it! Simple, and everything else follows that action.

Many of the things we want must be earned, they are not given to us. The good news is we have the ability to earn them, one step at a time :-)

Can we get rid of the meat picture in the sidebar? We can be given ads without having to be shocked and disgusted daily for months, eh?

Good post on how to build exercise compliance. I would also suggest having public institutions sponsor affordable events. Long Beach had a Turkey Trot with 4000 runners and walkers in two waves yesterday at $35 per person. Might have had 2x that number for say $10. City of LA triathlon is $195 per person - why so high? If it was $30 per person it might get lots more participants. Getting adults in sports will reduce health care costs. Public funds could also be justified as adult education. By making the "tournaments" cheap we encourage folks to prepare for the events, spending more and more time swimming, riding bikes, running, etc.

Camp Pendleton subsidizes - triathlon there is $40. They sell out all their multi-sport events a day or two after they are open for sign ups, I hear.

Regarding the cost of the LA triathalon, some of the largest expenses go to such things as being required by local government to hire off duty police officers for traffic control, hiring ambulances and paramedics to be "standing by" in case of medical emergencies, renting trucks and other equipment to provide water and aid stations and much more. Paying permit fees and possibly even paying city staff to police/inspect the operation for compliance. The larger the event (in geography or time sense), the greater the costs. The costs are much greater than just buying a t-shirt!

"Use positive affirmations: "Today is a great day to be alive""

This is where the geek in me takes over. I read that and I hear the Klingon battle mantra. "Today is a good day to die!"

Oddly enough they mean the same thing. :)

Great post!

I ahve found number 7 "Take Action!" to be particularly effective.

Nothing succeeds like success.

The challenge to all progress is that we always shy away from doing things that we are not good at.

As we grow up we forget that we had to fall down a ton of times to finally learn to walk. When we fall down as adults we usually just give up after the first try.

Knowledge, practice, and courage can all improve self-esteem, but they are not always so easy to attain.

For many members of my health club, #1 is the toughest step. Once you're able to move past that barrier, the rest of the steps become much easier.

Yes, self-esteem is a very important factor, but I believe motivation of many forms are needed to stick with a workout.

A great way to improve self esteem is to using supportive people to work out with them. Having a workout partner is very helpful and a good one will really increase motivation to workout.

i moved away from very emotionally abusive surroundings and with a new type of diet( i am on the verge of diabetis I) and exercise, my body seems to be melting. my GP told me that 80% of overweight people have been either physically or emotionally abused, especially in their childhood. hence low self-esteem from abuse. weight shields you from nasty people. but then no self-esteem when you look at yourself; if you break the vicious cycle, and turn in into a virtuous cycle, bingo. i found the right psychiatrist which on top of that diagnosed me with PTSD from years of abuse (I'm 38). so before you're ever able to cure your body, make sure you have a few supportive friends to help you carry on, and heal your mind first.
good luck

That makes such sense Mike - frankly I think that low self-esteem is the basis for just about all our problems. If we took your 7 tips above and applied them to many other areas of our life, we'd be better off too.

Here are some other great self-esteem building exercises:
http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/activities-to-build-self-esteem.html

Before I started to exercise, I always thought it was something I couldn't do...something that was for people that were already in shape and at a healthy weight. But one day when I was walking, I decided to see if I could run 3/4 mile without stopping. I did it and I was very winded afterwards, but I proved to myself that I could do it, even though I was still pretty overweight. It changed my whole outlook on things...I really felt a lot better about my body. It became powerful and I was amazed that it could really run. From that point on, my self esteem went way up...I was motivated to continue with my healthy eating and exercise, increasing the amount I was able to run every day. And the weight continued to come off and I got better and faster as a runner.

I've been wondering if anyone else has considered self hypnosis as an option? As a new mom, I have a few pounds to shift, but with being so busy, and trying to get everything else sorted, I've found that I lack the will power I used to have to do the things I know I have to do! I have been following the discoverselfhypnosis blog, and I'm thinking of taking it further. Any ideas?

Love this post!! I totally believe in the POWER of positive thinking!!

"Comparison is the thief of joy," how true is that?? Thanks for sharing.

This is such a great post! I used all of the above this past weekend in Killington, VT when I went snowboarding for the first time in about ten months.

I took the lift to the top of the peak and proceeded down only to find out I had to go through a black diamond and numerous blues to get back to the bottom and I've only been on a board 4 times! I really freaked out that I was going to wrap myself around a tree and end up home in an ambulance.

What got me through the trails was me talking myself through it. I stopped saying to myself "I wish I was as good as those other guys" or "I'll never be that good".I kept telling myself I could "do this", "take it slow", "no time like now to get better", "Every best skier, snowboarder had to start somewhere",etc. And some how, by the grace of the snow gods and my ability to get back up every time I fell, I made it to the bottom, alive, with all my limbs attached.

The mind is an amazing thing and I think we all forget that. I certainly learned a lot about myself and what I, or any one else can do if they put their mind to.

yeah positivity is the good way to go. Especially for those people who are trying to loose some weight.

Love this post!! I totally believe in the POWER of positive thinking!!