Let’s Get Physical—Tips to start exercising
(download pdf)How often have you started a stringent exercise plan only to fall off the wagon and give up? If you are like most of us, you will often through out your life! We all want the benefits of exercise and starting a new program seems so exciting. We imagine how we are going to look and feel, and then the painful reality hits! We are not as good as others in the gym or we begin to find body parts we didn’t even know existed that hurt/ache or we quite simply find after a few classes that we really don’t enjoy that particular form of exercise.
The best way to exercise is to find something that you love; not the latest fat-burning, muscle-rippling, easy-to-do-at-home plan, but something that you enjoy doing. And that, like anything else, is personal. The key to exercise is to move your body regularly. Over the years I have tried many different types of exercise, from swimming, all types of dance, going to the gym and even forking out a fortune for a personal trainer. Each type of exercise brought its own benefits. But I didn’t stay with them for one reason or another. The one thing that has been constant over the years is yoga. Why? Because I love how it makes me feel, I can do it anytime anywhere, I don’t need any special equipment and I don’t have to wear special clothes. That works for me! But maybe not for you, so read on.
Think back to a time in your life when you were doing regular exercise. How did it make you feel?
- Exercise improves your mood. When we exercise the body release endorphins, which are chemicals that actually lift our mood. Most medical doctors prescribe exercise for depression. When you feel better, the bonus is you start to look better too.
- Exercise gives your self-confidence a lift. By actually making the effort to exercise, we can start to feel that we are taking control of our lives and making positive changes to feel good and look good.
- Exercise improves strength and stamina. We feel more powerful when we exercise regularly. And that spills over into all aspects of our life. We feel more in control.
- Exercise helps you sleep well. Getting plenty of rest is important to health and well-being. So many of us don’t get quality sleep. A good exercise plan helps you get to sleep and the body shifts to rest and repair mode.
All types of exercise will help you feel better. The trick is to stay with something because of the other benefits it brings to you. I love to swim, but I hate having to scrub the chlorine out of my hair and off my body and after a while there seems to be a build up and I smell of chlorine. So, I find I’m less likely to go swimming as I don’t enjoy the smell of chlorine on my skin. Once a week doesn’t seem to be a problem, but that’s not enough. I know to feel my best I need to exercise more than once a week.
The personal trainer had me working my butt off and I loved it, but it was a weekly huge time commitment to get to the gym, work out, shower and back to the office. I needed to go more often but couldn’t take the time out of my schedule. Notice, I said my schedule, I know these exercise regimes work for others!
Over the years I have listened to hundreds of clients and students make excuses for not exercising—seriously, I think I’ve heard them all. And I always say ‘the key is finding something you love to do’. So today I’m going to share some of my tips to making exercise more fun:
Move it or lose it! Most importantly remember to have fun and you will come up with some form of exercise that works for you. And do let me know how exercise is improving your life.
Article ©2009 School of Complementary Therapies Newsletter by Jacqueline Fairbrass, Founder SCT ©2009. All rights reserved.
