Tips for Staying With Any Exercise or Self-Improvement Program, Once You Have Started
So you have started an exercise program for a while now. You liked the fact that you have, at least, after all, started. You felt good that you have started but are unsure how to make it a lasting endeavor. You are fearful that you might not continue for a long time.
You might have started before and stopped and you are concerned that you might repeat your past failures. Not this time, though.
Because this time you’re going to be armed with the same tips, tricks, and secrets that others in the same situation have. It has worked for them and it should work for you too. So, give these tips a try and see if they don’t work for you too…
Don’t Exercise Alone
The first tip is to get a partner or partners. If possible, get a buddy or buddies. Having a partner or partner with you in any exercise or self-improvement program will be of tremendous benefit. First, going it alone is good but there will come some days that you need to be encouraged by others.
You might have discouragements that do not have anything to do with your fitness or exercise program. It may or may not have anything to do with your exercise and fitness program but you are discouraged nonetheless. That is why you need help in times that you are discouraged. You need someone who can lift up your spirit. You need someone who can pick you up when you are down.
Join A Gym
By joining a gym, you are making a monetary commitment in addition to your self-determination. Just by seeing others doing it, you are encouraged to time and again when you go to the gym. Your chances of continuing any exercise or self-improvement program increases when you join a gym.
The good news that most gyms cost, nowadays, is affordable enough not to bust your budget.
Also, you are more likely to make connections, which will be a good, unintended side-effect of your joining a gym. At the gym, you are also more likely to get a handle on how to exercise better for your goal. You might get advice from gym staff who can give you tips on how to quickly reach your goal. Also, most gyms have special classes that give out advice on how to better exercise and improve your health.
Don’t Overdo It
If you have to be overweight before you join a gym or start an excise program, you might be tempted to do too much at the beginning. You want to quickly compensate for your not being in shape. This will be a mistake. If you do too much at the beginning of your exercising and self-improvement program, you run the risk of not doing it for a long time.
One thing about our brains is that it hates’ pain. If you do too much at the beginning of any exercise program, you run the risk of not doing it for a long time. If you ‘inflict too much pain on your body at the beginning, your body will take notice and your brain will start giving you reasons why you cannot continue. In a way, the brain will start constructing excuses about not exercising. The brain will give reasons why it is too hard. And you will believe it. The resulting effect is that you will soon quit. So the word to the wise here is to start small. Trick your brain into accepting ‘pain’ but in small doses
Set A Time Limit
Another tip is to set a time limit. First, you need to determine how many days a week you are going to be doing your exercise program. Are you going to be exercising one day, two days, three days a week? Whatever your decision is, stick with it.
To go along with the days is the amount of time you are going to be exercising on the day that you have determined to exercise. Make a commitment to time. 10 minutes? 15 minutes? or whatever time but you need to be conscious of not overdoing it, especially at the beginning.
Reward your self
Try to reward yourself after each time or day or week that you completed your exercise program. Rewarding yourself will encourage you to go back again and again. But rewarding your self is not limited to when you completed your weekly or daily program. It should also include the day or days you might have missed not completing the exercise program. The reward in this instance is not to beat yourself up when you missed. Encourage yourself by focusing on the times you have succeeded. If you focus on your failure, you are feeding it. And, whatever you feed most wins.
In sum: starting and continuing on any exercise or self-improvement program is actually fairly simple when you apply the above suggestions.
