If you've ever started an 'exercise program' for the purpose of relieving a health condition or losing weight and found it very difficult to stick with the program, there's probably a good reason why your determination didn't last. Your motivation failed because its source wasn't directly connected to the exercise. Simply put, in your mind the exercise was a chore rather than a pleasure.

The negative or positive consequences for doing 'chores' have to be fairly quick for humans, otherwise we usually don't continue with them. We'll do challenging things that give slow results only when there are inherent rewards. So if you would like to stick with it when you start an exercise program, you need first to find activities that are inherently pleasurable for you. Then, let the benefits of better health and lost weight come second.

I first took a serious interest in getting fit when I switched to a sedentary job and started gaining weight. I knew that I would have to get moving, so I tried some exercise videos. These work for many people, but they didn't work for me. The pacing, the repetition~ I just couldn't get into it. Next, I bought a rowing machine, thinking that the bigger investment would guilt me into working out. Not so. I played uplifting music and had a nice view out the window of my daylight basement, but it just seemed strange to me to be rowing continuously and going nowhere.

You Must Be Determined!

I didn't give up on my determination to lose the weight. I clearly understood the fact that physical activity was critical, that dieting by itself wouldn't lead to long-term fitness. I kept trying out new things. Yoga classes and membership in a gym are great choices for a lot of people, but they didn't work for me. They seemed like a hassle, the drive time and the scheduling that never fit with the rest of my life. By the way, these reasons sound like excuses because they are. People usually make excuses when faced with things we really don't want to do. There is no reason to dread exercise, though. Just keeping checking things out until you find what fits for you.

What finally got me in the groove was simply walking at a fast pace. It's naturally easy, and a perfect fit in retrospect. In my research about fitness, I read that the best activities for improving metabolism were those that are continuous and rhythmic and use the large muscles - especially the legs. For example, walking, swimming laps, cycling, and jogging. Once I established some good routes, I truly enjoyed my daily walk. I began to get fit by walking about an hour every day, and once I was in better condition, I had more fun doing activities like riding bike and playing racquetball. These were physical, and enjoyable. A lot more motivating to me than video workouts or time on the stair master, and therefore I'm inspired to continue them. They are play, not chores, and inherently rewarding. I've finally found an 'exercise program' I can stick with doing.

Something's Gotta Click

You will have to stay motivated until something clicks for you, but here's the mental difference. In your mind, you are in the process of finding something pleasurable, rather than in the process of completing an onerous daily task. This is not to say that there won't be times when you have to push yourself a little bit to get going. That is where routine and habit help you. If it is your routine to do something physically active each day, you will eventually feel strange when you have to skip it. Whatever physical activities you end up sticking with doing, they will likely involve pleasure and a sense of play and accomplishment. That's why you'll stick with them, fitness and losing weight are just bonuses.

About the Author:
Cheri Ellsworth is a frequent contributor to Atec Exercise Newsletter the best on-line exercise information resource. Cheri's archive of articles is found at http://www.atecexercise.com/



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