How to: Get Motivation and Start Exercising

Ah, exercise, my least favorite thing to do in the world, after eating vegetables. I’m gotta get a lot of laughs from my family and friends on this topic – seeing as I am LAZY. What really disgusts me is that I used to play sports and run track – in middleschool for gym class we would run around the school four times, and it was no problem for me! Ah, to be young again….

Regardless, I have been trying to clean up my act by getting more vegetables and fruits in my system, and now by moving my butt. Since I’m an ‘expert’ in all things lazy, I feel I have enough knowledge to write about this topic – because if I can get off my butt and start exercising, so can you!

1. Set a realistic goal. It would be very nice claiming you will swim the Atlantic ocean this year, however, setting ridiculous and large goals can leave you even more unmotivated! Not only that – imagine how bummed and burnt out you’ll feel when you can’t accomplish it! Try to set smaller, short term goals for now. For example, I have made it a point to take a nice 30 minute walk around my neighborhood every night. It’s a very small start, but, it’s doable! (Not to mention it’s a great stress-buster.)

2. Grab a companion. I really missed the days when my best friend lived across the road, because we used to be so active together: swim, the gym, walking our dogs, everything. Now that she’s moved half way across the world (sob) it seems reeeeeally boring doing all those things alone. So my advice is to do it with a friend! Take a class up together or enjoy some long walks or a nice swim together. Other companions could be your music, a podcast, your dog, etc.

And while we’re on the topic of a companion – upbeat music is a great one. I remember slaving away in the gym one day completely bored out of my mind – the TV wasn’t on and there was no music. Only glum faces all around me … how miserable! If you’re at a gym, don’t be afraid to turn on their TV or their stereo. And if you’re doing your own thing, bring your iPod.

3. Announce it. I find when you announce something to many people, you’re more likely to do it, since they may check up on you and ask how it’s going. How embarrassing, saying you’re going to run a marathon and then don’t bother to do it after! Say, “boyfriend, I’m going for a jog”, “Mom, I’m gonna take Spot for a walk”. You’ll find you will actually do it after saying it out loud as well.

4. Keep it fun! Running on a treadmill for 3 hours doesn’t seem like a lot of fun to me. There are plenty of activties to do that get you moving and are fun; here are some suggestions that even a lazy bum like me likes:

• cycling
• “long walks on the beach” ha!
• badminton
• hockey
• swimming
• Pilates

5. Keep an exercise log. Keeping a short list of what you’ve done and dates of when you last exercised will be a great motivator. I remember keeping one for awhile and looking back and seeing that I had done Pilates, swimming, and walked a few kilometers all in one week (hey, this is a A LOT for me) and I instantly felt good. An exercise log can also help you remember what days you’ve exercised, or when you need to next – not too frequent though, you don’t want to overdo it!

6. Reward yourself. Ah, the greatest motivator in life – something you want, pronto! Whether it’s telling yourself that after the gym you are going to treat yourself with a good foot massage, a new magazine, Ben& Jerry’s Cookie Dough (that would be me), you’d find that you’d be more than willing to do whatever is set in front of you.

If you can’t reward yourself, create anticipation. (Or if you’re like me, do both!) Go to the gym before a hot date. Go to the gym before meeting a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Go to the gym before a dinner party. Then tell yourself, “right, after this you get to see Johnny!”, “after this you can go to Sarah’s birthday party, how fun!” This should keep you going.

7. Remember why you’re doing this. Exercising is not to fit into a smaller jean size or trying to impress a man you like. It’s about you - you being healthy and happy. Not only will you look good, you’ll feel great and are preventing a lot of diseases to your body. As you feel yourself getting fitter and stronger, record it. A simple note on your fridge will be a constant reminder to the get thing you are doing to your body and spirit – exercising releases endorphins, the ‘happy’ chemicals in your brain. That’s why you feel so great after a good run!

I hope some of my tips have inspired some motivation to start getting fit yourself. Do let me know if you have any tips to add. And do share - are you currently doing some form of exercise? If so, what are you doing? I’d love to hear.