HoodiaPharm HungerAway
Thursday, July 17, 2008 5 Tips for Getting Back to Exercise

You were doing so well with your exercise program, but then something happened. A bad cold, a few rainy days, and there went your motivation. You keep trying to get started again, but nothing works. When you can't seem to budge off the couch, use these ideas to jump-start yourself and get back into a routine.

1. Just do something, then you're started!
When your exercise program feels like a distant memory, tell yourself to "just do something, then you're started!" Even the smallest action can be enough to break through the inertia and get yourself unstuck. All you need is one positive step -- take one walk, eat one healthy meal -- then mentally acknowledge that you're over the hump.

2. Do it for three days
With whatever step you've taken, repeat it for a minimum of three days in a row. Once you sustain a positive action for at least three days, you'll regain your confidence and start feeling back in control. You can return to this concept and perk up your motivation again and again. Just take one step, stick with it for three days, and you'll be back in the groove.

3. 10-minute solution
Getting started is half the battle. But what if you don't "feel" like exercising again the next day? Any time your motivation lags, make a deal with yourself that you only have to exercise for 10 minutes, and after that, you can quit. Then go do it. Sometimes at the end of ten minutes, you'll be relieved it's over and you'll stop. But other times, you'll feel better and you might decide to keep going longer. Either way, you're a success!

4. Find new tricks
Instead of waiting for motivation to hit, learn how to build it yourself. To do this, invent new tricks and create fresh ideas that will inspire you toward action. For example, to boost your workout program, plan to set your alarm, lay out your exercise clothes, put a water bottle in the refrigerator and buy a new CD of energizing music. Anytime when you don't feel like exercising, reach for this list, and rev back up.

5. Do it anyway
You don't usually wait until you feel like going to work. You just go. The same thing is true for visiting your mother or changing dirty diapers. Because you consider these things to be important, you do them regardless of how you feel at the moment. In the same way, if you're not in the mood for exercising or eating right, tell yourself to do it anyway.

Then skip the leftover chocolate cake and eat your fruit instead. Get off the couch and put on your workout shoes. Each day, take a few steps that will move you forward, even if you don't feel like it. When you are truly committed to your goals, you can skip the excuses and do it anyway!

Posted by HoodiaPharm HungerAway :: 6:28 AM :: 0 comments

Post / Read Comments

---------------oOo---------------