changing the way you think about exercise

I really wanted to talk about the way people think about exercise.

As a trainer it has been my experience that people who “hate” exercise, or view it as “hard work” generally don’t achieve their weight loss goals, and people who view exercise as fun or a release or time out or generally in a positive way either achieve their weight loss goals or I guess a better way of saying it would be to say have no problems sticking to an exercise regimen.

I have recently introduced into our good to go 12 week challenge the idea that a daily walk is not exercise – it is now something you do every day of your life, no excuses.

And it is a great challenge to get clients to change their attitude to this.

We are taught that if you go for a walk every day and eat right you will lose weight.

What I am trying to do with this new “rule” is to get my clients to understand that moving on a daily basis isn’t something that you should be doing for weight loss it is something you should be doing every day to keep your body healthy, and in turn have a healthier and happier life.

If you have come to me with a weight loss goal or a weight gain goal, this principal remains the same, it is about creating a space in your life where your body can be a human body and do the thing it is designed to do  MOVE!

And I know we have all heard it before, the human body is not meant to sit at a desk all day, and then go home and sit on the lounge and watch TV, and these habits that have made their way into our everyday life have made your body lazy and unhealthy.

So if you are one of those people who think about going for a walk every day and cringe, then this post is for you.

How do I change the way I think about exercise?

·         It starts with understanding the way you currently think about exercise, breaking it down and then deciding that you are going to let that idea go

·         Then replace it with a new idea……. Exercise is fun and I really enjoy it.

·         Understand that this process will take more than one session, and may take many weeks before you can truly understand that your idea of exercise has actually changed

·         Take notice of how your body feels before during and after exercise

o   When u start it will probably be mostly pain and discomfort, but this will change the more you do it the better you will feel

o   It starts with the post exercise feeling of relief and tiredness

o   Keep taking notice

·         Set yourself challenge’s and move towards achieving them

o   This can be done on a work out by work out basis, you can set goals within your workout

o   On a weekly basis

o   Monthly……… you get the idea

·         Don’t be too hard on yourself. Changing the way you think about something isn’t an easy thing, but you can do it through practice and repetition.

·         Educate yourself

o   Information arms you in the battles you go thru not just in your own head but also with those around you.

o   Understand why daily exercise is so good for you

·         Get help

o   A trainer

o   Friends

o   Family

o   This is the most important thing. People who understand what it is that you are trying to do and then are willing to help you to do it.

o   I will always say get a trainer (probably because I am one ;) ) it is their job to keep you on track; friends and family,  whilst they love you are always trying to get you off track trying to get your attention on to something else. Your trainer has one focus in your life, to keep you on track, and help you achieve your goals.

good to go Jo