subject: 30 Days to Fitness Success [print this page] One of the hardest things to do is to get started with an exercise program. It seems so daunting because we know its something we have to do, but we keep putting it off, or making excuses. We tell ourselves that we will start fresh on Monday, or we can do it tomorrow but we never get around to it. And many times even if we get started we tend to some how stop which in turn makes it even harder to start again. Many people quit after 1 or 2 days of working out. They get tired or injured because they think they need to do a lot on the first day, which in reality is incorrect. These are all just excuses to not take the time to exercise regularly.
Professionals say that daily moderate exercise will help lose weight, maintain weight, decrease the risk of disease, increase energy, and increase overall health. Exercise should be done daily for about 20-30 minutes. This means that the heart rate is increased, allowing the muscles to work. Moderate exercise can be anything from a brisk walk or jog to lifting weights or even housework.
Usually people will quit an exercise program within the first week of starting. Well it usually takes 7-14 days for our body and mind to get used to a new pattern or program (whether it is exercise or any other types of patterns in our lives such as waking up early in the morning). We don't give our bodies to get used to the exercise before we quit and therefore our body hasn't become used to it. I know its hard but if we just stuck to it for another 7-10 days we can actually make our bodies need the exercise and make our minds become used to our new pattern.
Most people are intimidated by just the thought of working out or having to work out for the rest of their life. This type of thought pattern actually psyches out most people to the point where they just decide to not start a workout regimen. Unfortunately there are ways to change or trick your mind to stop avoiding exercise. The ultimate goal is to get your mind and body used to exercise. So here's how to do it. You always see those commercials that say "Try it before you buy it, with a 30 day trial." Well what if you decide to exercise with this same thought in mind, workout for 30 days. So in your mind you know that working out is a temporary activity. Start walking, running, take an aerobic class, play tennis, or do some type of physical activity for 30 days. At the end of 30 days you decide if you want to continue or not. At this point exercising would become a habit, therefore making it less likely to actually want to stop exercising.
Try this out! This can be your 30 days to success!
