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As summer sets in, the urge to get outside and move can overtake
even the most exercise resistant among us. Just breathing
the fresh air revitalizes us. But as the heat begins to take
its toll, many of us find we need a bit more than fresh air
to motivate us to move our bodies. Take this short quiz to
measure your motivation quotient.
If you answered “That’s Me!” to more than a couple of these
commonly-heard statements, your motivation motor may need
to be jumpstarted! Consider these strategies from Green Mountain’s
health spa and weight loss program unparalleled fitness gurus
Stephanie and LynnAnn to help rev you. But remember, if you
haven’t exercised for a while, be sure to get your health
care providers’ approval, especially in any kind of extreme
weather.
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Keep it fun. Spending precious free
time doing something we enjoy – that's easy.
If you have a hard time finding fun physical activities,
or are challenged in overcoming
exercise fears, turn to games. Invite family and
friends to join you on the basketball court, baseball
field, tennis court. Even if you can't play, you'll
get lots of exercise chasing the ball!
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Tip: The
fun of physical activity often gets lost because we focus
too much on hitting target heart rates and burning calories.
Read through to the last point for more on that.
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Schedule activity. Use a calendar to
look at your week as a whole, then plan where you can
realistically fit in exercise. Because schedules can fluctuate
greatly through the year, an appropriate exercise plan
one week may not be feasible the next.
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Tip: Break
exercise bouts into smaller chunks of time if you don’t
have larger blocks to devote to it!
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Mix it up. If boredom strikes, change
where you do your exercise – take a SpriTube®
(order one online) to the park for some circuit training
-- walk five minutes, stop and do some biceps curls, walk
five more minutes, stop and do triceps extensions, and
so on. If you hate gyms, try outpatient cardiac rehabilitation
facilities – they’re thong-free and often have a staff
with a more medically-trained fitness background. Or change
the type of exercise – aquasize vs. speed walking. Change
when you do it – try two 15-minute walks instead of one
30-minute bike ride, or do interval training – alternating
short bouts of high intensity with lower intensity activities.
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Tip:
Remember that the activities of daily living – washing
your car by hand, standing instead of sitting while chatting
on the phone, walking to your co-worker’s office instead
of calling, mowing your own lawn – can all add up to significant
physical activity that’s not the ‘same ol’ stuff.’
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Be prepared. Don’t let a thunderstorm
or hot, humid weather stop you. Make a list of indoor
alternatives for outdoor activities. Try a workout on
FitBalls®
(order one online) – it’s great fun! Check out www.fitball.com
for videos that show how to get a great workout.
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Tip: Build a library
of fun exercise videos for unexpected snags, to help keep
you moving no matter what’s going on outside. Try yoga,
pilates, bellydancing, ballet, hip hop, and salsa videos
as well as more standard aerobic offerings. Be sure to
get beginner tapes when you’re a beginner!
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Buddy up. Partners make exercise so
much more fun; you’re done before you know it!
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Tip: Take turns
motivating each other during low-energy, stressful or
busy times.
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Get specific. Set short- and long-term
goals (see sidebar on Setting Exercise Goals). And remember
the many ways to measure success. Some are personal and
often have little to do with weight (yeah!), such as being
able to climb a flight of stairs while breathing easily,
running after your favorite kids in a fun chase across
the lawn, sleeping better, feeling more cheerful.
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Tip: Make a list
of your successes and keep them handy to remind yourself
how far you’ve come.
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Focus on how good physical activity makes us
feel. Sometimes we become so focused on achieving
healthier body weights, we neglect to notice how good
movement makes us feel day-to-day. Reflect on how your
energy has improved, your greater freedom of movement,
the improvement of your relationship with your body. Once
you realize that exercise is its own reward, you will
be much more likely to keep it in your life.
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Tip: Tuning in
to the feeling that regular physical activity gives us
is the best motivator there is. What could be more motivating
(and fun) than feeling great?
Finally, remember that everyone goes through inactive times.
These strategies can help keep those times to a minimum and
shorten their duration. Revisit your success by keeping a
fitness diary or file. You had exercise in your life before,
and it’s possible to have it in your life now. Once active,
always active!
For 37 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has
developed and refined a life-changing program exclusively
for women seeking permanent strategies for healthy weight
loss and health. More than just another weight
loss retreat and spa, Green Mountain combines proven
science with what works in the real world, to offer an innovative
non-diet lifestyle program. Our core weight
loss program offers an integrated curriculum of practical,
liveable techniques that helps women take charge of their
eating, their bodies and their health. Unlike health
spas or adult
weight loss camps, our approach is not focused on just
losing weight but on how to keep it off for a lifetime.
Our participants' long-term weight
loss success is among the highest of any program, as
documented in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Learn more about our women's weight loss program
©2007
Green Mountain at Fox Run, Ludlow, Vermont. This information
is the property of Green Mountain at Fox Run. Permission
to use single copies for personal, noncommercial use is
authorized. For all other purposes, please see details.
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