We are all busy people and adding exercise into our already hectic schedule is a job in itself. Even if you work a full-time job, part-time job, or are a stay at home parent, you can fit exercise into your lifestyle. One of the most important first steps in adding more exercise to your life is by changing your attitude.
Unless you are an athelete in training, you are probably not exercising enough. Besides a hectic schedule, exercise is ranking low on your to-do list. From personal experience, I was busy, and down right lazy!
A shift in attitude is what helped to get me off the couch and into the gym. I began to focus on why exercise is so beneficial. I changed my thought pattern to exercise being a fun activity and not a chore. The more I kept telling myself these things, the easier it became to motivate myself to get into the gym. You also need to put the desire into your heart to want a healthier lifestyle and a more fit body. Once you know the reasons why you need to exercise, you begin planting the desire, and the next step is to take action.
Get Clearance – Before you begin adding exercise to your life, it would be best to consult with your doctor. Get your cholesterol checked along with your routine check-up and get the thumbs up from your doctor to begin a new exercise regimen. You can ask your doctor if you’re on the right path and find out what else you can do to be a healthier person.
Try a Personal Trainer – You get expert help all the time from professionals. You hire a mechanic to tune up your car or a plumber to fix that leaky faucet. Why not hire a professional for the most important thing of all? You can’t perform at your best without your health and your body requires fuel and maintenance. You need to know the right kind of fuel (nutrition) and maintenance (exercise) to help it run at its best. A personal trainer can provide this information and be your personal motivator.
Exercise with a Buddy – If a personal trainer is beyond your budget, get a buddy! You can find a friend or relative who needs to kick their exercise levels into high gear. You can work together as a team to motivate each other and keep each other in check. Having someone to workout with will add more fun to the mix.
Keep Learning – There are all kinds of health books and magazines on the market today that will help you keep up with health issues. Fitness magazines always provide great low-fat recipes and exercise routines that you can try. Remember, adding variety to your fitness routines will prevent you from becoming bored with it. You want fitness to be fun and something that you will enjoy doing often.
A little shift in attitude, your desire for better health, and knowing your reasons for adding more fitness to your life will set yourself up for success. You’ll take that first step of action and in time, fitness will become part of your lifestyle. Don’t give up! You can do it!
Eartha Haines is an editor for Trying Fitness [http://www.tryingfitness.com]. Trying Fitness [http://www.tryingfitness.com] is an almost daily journal of adding more fitness and better nutrition to her daily schedule. Visit [http://www.tryingfitness.com] for more information.
