Contents
Fitness: Tips for staying motivated
fitness is for life. Motivate yourself with these practical tips .By Mayo Clinic Staff
Have you ever started a fitness program and then quit ? If you answered yes, you ‘re not alone. many people start fitness programs, but they may stop when they get bored, they do n’t enjoy it or results come excessively lento. here are seven tips to help you stay motivated.
Reading: Fitness: Tips for staying motivated
1. Set goals
Start with elementary goals and then progress to longer range goals. Remember to make your goals naturalistic and accomplishable. It ‘s easy to get torment and give up if your goals are excessively ambitious .
For exercise, if you have n’t exercised in a while, a short-run goal might be to walk 10 minutes a day five days a week. even short amounts of exercise can have benefits. An intercede goal might be to walk 30 minutes five days a workweek. A long-run goal might be to complete a 5K walk .
For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of mince aerobic activeness or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous action. Greater amounts of exercise will provide even greater benefit. Aim to incorporate strength prepare exercises of all the major muscle groups into your seaworthiness routine at least two times a workweek .
2. Make it fun
Find sports or activities that you enjoy, then vary the routine to keep it interesting. If you ‘re not enjoying your workouts, try something different. Join a volleyball or softball league. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a health golf club or soldierly arts center. If you like to work out at home, look on-line for video recording of many types of exert classes, such as yoga, high-intensity time interval train or kickboxing. Or take a walk or square up in a local park. Discover your hidden athletic talent or interests .
Remember, exercise does n’t have to be boring, and you ‘re more probable to stick with a seaworthiness program if you ‘re having fun .
3. Make physical activity part of your daily routine
If it ‘s hard to find time for practice, do n’t fall back on excuses. Schedule workouts as you would any early authoritative activeness .
You can besides slip in physical activeness throughout the day. Take the stairs alternatively of the elevator, or park further away from the store. Walk up and down sidelines while watching the kids play sports. Take a walk during a break at work .
If you work from home, stretch, walk or climb your stairs on breaks. Or do squats, lunges or situps. Walk your chase if you have one. Pedal a stationary motorcycle, walk or jog on a treadmill, or do strength train exercises during your lunch break or while you watch television at night.
research has found that sitting for long periods of time may negatively affect your health, even if you otherwise get the commend total of weekly activity. If you sit for respective hours a day at work, aim to take regular breaks during the day to move, such as walking to get a drink of water or standing during phone conversations or video meetings .
4. Put it on paper
Are you hoping to lose weight ? Boost your energy ? Sleep better ? Manage a chronic condition ? Write down your goals. Seeing the benefits of regular exercise and writing your goals down on paper may help you stay motivated .
You may besides find that it helps to keep an exert diary. Record what you did during each practice seance, how long you exercised and how you felt subsequently. Recording your efforts and tracking your advancement can help you work toward your goals and remind you that you ‘re making advancement .
5. Join forces with friends, neighbors or others
You ‘re not in this alone. Invite friends or co-workers to join you when you exercise or go on walks. Work out with your collaborator or other love ones. Play soccer with your kids. Organize a group of neighbors to take fitness classes at a local anesthetic health cabaret or work out in concert virtually on television .
6. Reward yourself
After each drill school term, take a few minutes to savor the good feelings that exercise gives you. This type of home reward can help you make a long-run commitment to regular exercise .
external rewards can help excessively. When you reach a longer rate goal, treat yourself to a fresh pair of walking shoes or new tunes to enjoy while you exercise .
7. Be flexible
If you ‘re excessively busy to work out or simply do n’t feel improving to it, take a day or two off. Go easy on yourself if you need a break. The crucial thing is to get binding on track deoxyadenosine monophosphate soon as you can .
now that you ‘ve regained your enthusiasm, get moving ! Set your goals, make it fun and pat yourself on the back from time to clock. Remember, physical natural process is for life. Review these tips whenever you feel your motivation slip .
- Fitness. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness. Accessed Dec. 16, 2020.
- Tip for starting physical activity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/tips-get-active/tips-starting-physical-activity. Accessed Dec. 16, 2020.
- Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. 2nd ed. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/current-guidelines. Accessed Dec. 16, 2020.
- AskMayoExpert. Physical activity (adult). Mayo Clinic; 2020.
- Reducing sedentary behaviors: Sit less and move more. American College of Sports Medicine. https://www.acsm.org/read-research/resource-library. Accessed Dec. 16, 2020.
- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Jan. 4, 2021.
See more In-depth