Don't agonize over exercise --- just do it! The few minutes wasted wondering whether or not you have the time or energy for a walk can usefully be spent running in place. Leave this page open somewhere you will see it every day and use these motivators to help yourself get moving.
Marvelous Motivators
It's okay to goof sometimes. Don't feel a failure if you have a bad health day --- simply start again the following day. Don't set unrealistic goals and overdo exercise, or you will rick injuring yourself. You'll also get disheartened if you set yourself a pace you can't maintain. The key is patience and perseverance --- inch your way into fitness with just 10 minutes of activity a day.
You don't have to leave the house. If you feel reluctant to walk around the streets or to attend an exercise class, exercise at home. Choose a time when no one is around to comment on your shape and size. When you have gained enough confidence to go to a class, you'll find people there look at themselves much more than they look at you!
Give yourself aromatherapy treats. Inhale stimulating aromatherapy essential oils such as lemon, tangerine, mandarin, rosemary, or basil to help lift feeling of lethargy and fatigue. Apply the oils to a tissue and inhale to pep yourself up before taking a short brisk walk or doing 10-minute bursts of aerobic exercise.
Always eat well. The most common reasons for an energy low are either a lack of food or the consumption of too much sugary junk food. Eat regular meals that include plenty of starchy carbohydrate, such as rice cakes, or fresh vegetables and fruit instead of chocolate bars or pastries. Graze instead of bingeing.
Use your imagination. Picture yourself with toned, taut body your would like to have. As you do exercises for different parts of your body, imagine how you want that part of your body to look. See the muscles tightening and firming. Imagine yourself bursting with energy.
Don't worry about weight. Muscle weighs more than fat, so don't get disheartened if you are doing fat-busting exercises but not losing weight. You may be replacing "fat weight: with "muscle weight". It's better to judge your progress by the fit or your clothes.
Sleep well. Try to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time each day. Aim for at least seven hours' sleep. Get up when you wake up, even if your fell tired. Do some wake up stretches Research has shown that those who take regular exercise get better night's sleep --- so exercise will mean you wake up energetic, not lethargic.
Try something new. Vary the exercise you do. Nothing creates apathy more than boredom. If you can't bring yourself to exercise because you're fed up with doing the same activity, you simply won't do it. Try something different --- such as roller-blading, rowing, swimming, or bicycling --- when you feel bored with the exercise routines you normally do.
Make exercise a habit. Experts say you have to do something every day for a month for it to develop into a habit. Plan exercise into your routine --- write it in your schedule --- and don't let anyone steel that time.
Give me more! You'll soon get to the stage when you miss exercise if you don't do it. That's when you'll know you are truly motivated!
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JANUARY 24
