If exercise is so good for us – then why can it be so difficult to just go out and do it? Proper exercise is difficult. And if we don’t have the habit of doing it, we probably will find it very hard to start. Here are some ways to overcome those beginning obstacles to getting enough exercise.
Find the Motivation
This might be the hardest step of all. Even if you have the desire to exercise, or the desire to be healthy, you may find the motivation entirely absent when the moment comes to roll out of bed and go run. This is common! That does not, however, make it any easier. You need to devise a system to motivate yourself to at least begin – even if just exercising for fifteen minutes. Agreeing to exercise with a friend can be tremendously helpful because then you will have somebody to be accountable to. A self-imposed reward system can also do a lot. Remember: start with small steps in the right direction. All you have to do is start.
Do the Right Exercises
Even if you do start motivated, it can be easy to lose that motivation if your exercises are far beyond your ability level. This can be especially difficult for people who have chronically struggled to exercise and find themselves at a much lower point athletically than their peers. It might be easy to feel bad about yourself if you struggle to do exercises that appear basic to everybody else. That’s why you need to find the right exercises, at the right pace, for the right amount of time for you specifically. You can be creative with how you do cardio according to your needs. For example, swimming is a great activity for older adults because it’s easy on the joints.
Developing the Habit
The key is consistency. As hard as it is to get up and exercise once, the real difficulty is doing that same thing regularly until it becomes easier. And that’s the thing: it does become easier. Only a little bit at a time, and at first it might not feel like it. But every time you exercise, you are improving. If you can motivate yourself to do it multiple times a week, say, three weeks in a row – that’s a habit you’ve built up.
How many people do you know that commit to exercising every year as a new years’ resolution, and then waste money on a gym membership that they don’t use? You don’t have to be like that. It’s hard to get motivated and to get started, but once you do it once, twice, three times – it becomes more and more possible.
Check out these effortless steps you can take every day to stay healthier!
