Mental Strength Steps For Consistent Exercise Habits
Every year millions of people “commit” to improving their fitness. And every year millions of people fail.
Despite the best of intentions, many fail to create a habit of fitness. Many excuses…er…reasons given by those that fail to create and keep up a fitness lifestyle. Some of them are:
- Work Schedule
- Family Responsibilities
- Lack of Training Experience
- Injury
- Lack of Support from Family or Friends
- Boredom
- Lack of Progress/Failure to Achieve Goals
For the sake if this post I’m going to refrain from discussing the mental weakness associated with these excuses. Instead, this will be a kinder and gentler post, proving some effective solutions to help those individuals that have fallen off, or about to fall of the fitness wagon.
Starr With Small Steps
All though I’m not the fond of The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), they’re a good place to start look at the minimum a person should do when it comes to fitness.
The CDC recommended baseline fitness levels and suggested exercise for children are:
- 60 minutes or more daily
- Either moderate or vigorous-intensity
- Moderate: fast walking
- Vigorous: running
- Strength Training Exercise
- Includes muscle strengthening exercises three days a week
The CDC recommended baseline fitness levels and suggested exercise for adults (ages 18 and older) are:
- Moderate Exercise:2.5 hours a week
- Moderate: bicycling, swimming
- Vigorous Exercise:1.25 hours a week
- Vigorous: running, sports competition, intense aerobic courses/activities
- Strength Training Exercise
- Include all major muscle groups
- Two or more days a week
Sure, injury, or a lack of time, may interfere with sticking to this recommendation and I’ll offer up that you use the excuse and turn it into a reason why you need to stick to your routines.
If you’re a beginner to fitness, it will seem “not normal” and your inner critic will create all sorts of stores why you can’t workout. This is time to apply what you’ve been reading in this blog, dig into your mental strength and suck it up princess and sweat.
To help you keep motivated so that you can look forward to your workout here a few mental strength steps you can take.
Mental Strength Steps for Developing Consistent Fitness Habits
Being aware of your common pitfalls and knowing the methods to counter before the critic speaks up will help you stay focused and motivated.
Before we get the specific steps, there is one all-encompassing step that when you really get this, all the others will be easy. This cornerstone step is to find your “why”. When you find your deep, compelling why you want to workout, getting it done will be easy.
If you need help in finding your deeper “why” contact a life coach or you can contact me for a Introductory Consultation.
OK…on to the other steps.
Step One: Dedicate a specific time each day to devote to your exercise routine.
Step Two: Realize that short periods of exercise are beneficial and will help ease an individual into a routine.
Again, the CDC suggests that even short bouts of moderate exercise, as short as 10 minutes, can be counted toward a minimum, weekly aerobic exercise goal of 2.5 hours (1).
Step Three: Finding a training partner. While having a training partner is not absolutely essential, having support from a friend or family member will increase your chances of sticking to your program.
Step Four: Is to simply listen to your body. Notice I said your body NOT your mind, i.e. he critic. It’s common to experience muscle soreness when starting a new exercise program.
Muscle soreness is associated with a good workout – this is different from pain. Muscle soreness will go away in a few days while pain is the result of an injury.
Step Five: The last step is to work with a professional certified personal trainer or strength and conditioning specialist who are trained to develop a unique and specific routine for your needs.
A few organizations that list certified trainers are:
OK….now you have NO excuse and all the reasons to get back on and stay on your fitness wagon.
Remember….start strong and finish stronger!
Reference
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical Activity for Everyone. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/index.html Accessed January 3, 2010.
