Most of us promised ourselves we’d be more active about five months ago on a cold wet morning in the middle of winter when we were very hung over. News Years resolutions may come with the best of intentions but they don’t really come at the right time. No one wants to drag themselves out of bed when it’s cold, wet and miserable outside to go for that 5am run but it’s a whole different story now. The weather has picked up, it’s lighter sooner and you really don’t have an excuse anymore to put off getting into shape.
Don’t make it a chore
Start by finding something you’re going to enjoy doing, if the thought of running fills you with dread going for a jog every morning is not going to provide very good motivation. It might even be the thought of routine and repetition that puts you off, the idea of going down the gym every night and working out on the same pieces of equipment and doing the same movements might be enough to put you off before you’ve even started. If it is the idea of routine that’s putting you off ensure you keep it varied. Check your local gym for classes, a lot of larger parks will have classes on in summer evenings which would certainly keep the routine fun and varied. You could work out with a friend or a group sometimes to keep you company.
Give yourself a kick
If you wake up in the morning take one look at the alarm clock and decide ‘tomorrow’ will be the day you start, or, if you get home from a long day at the office and decide there’s no way you can manage an hour or two at the gym you need to give yourself a kick start. Taking out a gym membership might be one way to force yourself to go but you’re only going to notice this when you check your bank statements each month. Invest some cash in some new workout clothes, some good quality running shoes and some shorts and T Shirts could be one way to ensure you actually use them. Of you could invest in a piece of fitness equipment like a treadmill or exercise bike or something you can’t hide away in a cupboard somewhere. Every time you see it you’re going to feel guilty especially if it ends up spending more time as a clothes horse than an actual exercise machine.
Find your specific motivation
There’s no point in simply pinning pictures of stick thin models to the fridge or just refusing to buy any chocolate because for most people these things never work. The picture of the model is unrealistic and will make you feel worse and simply refusing to have any junk in the house will just make the cravings worse, plus unless you live alone this isn’t very achievable. If you’re trying to slim down try and pin point why. Maybe you’ve been invited to a special wedding in a couple of months and you want to look your best. Maybe you’ve just got some photos developed of your last holiday and the pictures of you in your beach clothes were a wake up call. Or maybe you just want to leave a healthier lifestyle so you can be more involved in your children’s life or do more active things with your partner. You need to have a very exact idea of what it is you’re looking to achieve and why you want it because this will be what keeps you going.
If swimming is your thing garden swimming pools can be a great way to get some regular exercise from the privacy of your own garden