Hello, how are you doing? In my first post on this series, I covered some Rules for Eating Healthy. As promised, today i will
cover precisely twelve Rules for Healthy body Exercising. First, permit me to say; eating
healthy is a great foundation for getting fit and healthy, but exercise is what
will really get you there.
Actually,
you can do one and not the other, but you’ll only be halfway there. Thus, you
need both.
Rules for Exercising
So I’ve
learnt a lot about exercising in the last year. Not only am I learning by
doing, but I’ve learned from friends, books and websites that I have knowingly or unknowingly visited.
What
follows are some of the tips I have for those who want to begin and maintain a
healthy exercise program.
Exercise Rule 1: Start today, and just
do anything to get you going. It doesn’t matter what exercise you choose, just
start. I think walking and running are great ways to start, because you don’t
have to pay to use a body fitness centre or get fancy equipment. All you need
is a pair of shoes.
Exercise Rule 2: Stop making excuses.
We all have a million excuses: Not enough time. No place to work out. I’m
tired. I don’t have the money. These are all a load of crap. I don’t blame
anyone for making these excuses, because I made them myself, but the truth is,
we adopt this excuses so that we can continue to be lazy. It isn’t as hard as
you think. Just set a date with yourself, or your spouse, or a friend, to get
out for just 10 or 15 minutes today, and walk or jog. No! Stop making excuses!
Exercise Rule 3: Just put on your
running shoes, and get out of the door. That’s all you have to do. The rest
will be much easier than you think. It’s the initial unwillingness that we must
overcome. Once you’ve done that, it’s actually energizing and fun.
Exercise Rule 4: Start out small, and
slowly. You might start a program full of vigour and ready to run a marathon or
lift huge weights. Hold yourself back. The main reason is that if you start
slowly, you are more likely to succeed, and if you start by trying to do too
much, you will more likely burn out and fail. If you think you can run for 30
minutes, only run 10 or 15 to start with and slowly increase over a matter of
weeks. Try for 2-3 times a week at first, with the goal of exercising for at
least 30 minutes - five times a week, eventually. The side benefit is that if
you hold yourself back, you’ll be eager to get to your next workout, and that
eagerness is a tremendous boost.
Exercise Rule 5: Make your goal public.
Post it on your blog. Tell your family and friends. Positive public pressure
will keep you motivated for a sustained period — you won’t want to let people
down and look bad. Don’t let the pressure up — once you do, your motivation
will go away.
Exercise Rule 6: Reward yourself. Make
a list of mini goals, and next to each one, list an appropriate reward. For
example, if you just go out and jog today, get a gift for yourself. If you can
do it for two weeks, give yourself a nice treat. Whatever rewards work for you
— be it shoes, clothes, a massage, or whatever, let yourself have them after
reaching the mini goals.
Exercise Rule 7: Allow yourself
adequate rest. Some people try to run hard every day, or workout hard every
day. Just remember, your muscles need rest in order to recover. If you don’t
let them recover, you are just continually breaking them down. Follow the
hard-easy rule: after a day of hard exercise, go easy or rest the next day.
Also, you need at least a day of rest each week. Your body can only take so much
before it begins to break down. Don’t let it get to that point. According to a
Sage, rest is just as important as exercise when it comes to improving
performance.
Exercise Rule 8: Think positive. This
is probably the most important rule. Any time a negative thought comes into
your head (example; “I can’t do this!” “It’s too hard!” “I don’t feel like
working out now!” “I want to stop!” “I feel lazy today!”), just push it out.
Squash it. And then replace it with positive thoughts: I can do this! I am strong!
This isn’t too hard! Someone has done it before; I can do it! This is no
problem! I am AWESOME!!!!!! Positive thinking will get you past any exercise
barrier.
Exercise Rule 9: Don’t be motivated
only by weight loss goals. If you’re just trying to lose weight, you will
more than likely stop. Why? I have no idea, but it’s true. Try to adopt other
motivations like; do it to feel good, for the energy you get, to live longer,
to enjoy life more, to look better, to be stronger, to be healthier, to achieve
something worthwhile, and to overcome a challenge. Make a list of the reasons
you want to exercise and post them up somewhere. And yes, if possible, cut out
a picture from a magazine that will motivate you and post that up too. Losing
weight is a great goal, but don’t let it be your only one.
Exercise Rule 10: If
you fail, get up, brush yourself off, and start again. We all fail sometimes.
No matter how great we are, we fail. You can miss your workouts time, but don’t
let it stop you from continuing. Don’t let a bump in the road stop you from
continuing your journey.
Exercise Rule 11: If
you can, get a workout partner. It’s a great motivator. If you know you have to
meet someone to workout, you’re more likely to keep that appointment. However,
if your partner has to cancel for some reason, don’t let that stop you from
working out on your own.
Exercise Rule 12: Have
fun! Exercise can and should be fun. Don’t let it be painful. If it is, slow
down a bit, and enjoy the scenery. Exercise in a nice place, with water or
trees. Breathe deeply and enjoy the fresh air! Look at that sunrise or sunset!
The day is glorious, and you are partaking of it fully. Life is great!
Visitors
Corner: So glad you are here, were the tips helpful? Or you want to add to the
list. Don’t leave without dropping a comment. Enjoy the rest of your day.
