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Home / Heart Health / Exercise / How To Start Exercising And Succeed
Exercise Success

How To Start Exercising And Succeed

April 14, 2014 by Philip Johnson, MD, PhD Leave a Comment

“How to get off the couch and start training”

 You’ve had it.  You’re tired of watching the info-mercials of the guy or girl who is slim and trim, tired of looking at yourself in the mirror, and most of all, tired of telling yourself that you’ll start tomorrow, or Monday, or the beginning of next month.  So you tell yourself, “I’M DOING THIS”.  So now what?  You’re not quite sure what to do, when, or most importantly, how to start exercising.

This is a very common problem that I see with clientele that I meet on a daily basis. They all tell me the same things…..”I don’t know what I’m doing”, “I don’t have the money”, or my personal favorite, “I don’t have the time”.  I’ve heard it all.  But the fact of the matter is

EVERYBODY NEEDS EXERCISE

Now, whether you do it or not is ultimately up to you, but I’m going to tell you how to make exercise a WAY OF LIFE.

Commit:  If you want to start exercising, commitment is probably the most important thing in your program.  Without the commitment, there is lack of discipline, no momentum, and ultimately, failure.  Now that you have decided that you are tired of the way you have been living, COMMIT to YOURSELF that YOU are going to DO THIS.  From this point on you should look forward and only forward.  This is the secret to achieving your goals.

Long term goal:  Now that you have committed to your new way of life and have made exercise a priority, it is time to set the long term goal for yourself.  What is that for you?  A six pack?  Better flexibility?  Or have you decided that you are going to shed those 20 lbs that have been affecting your life.  Whatever your goal remember it is possible and look forward to the day it becomes a reality.  Now go start exercising!

Short term goals:  We all are familiar with these.  You’ve probably set some from time to time in your life.  It’s simple, really.  Develop a list of things you want to get accomplished in order to reach your ultimate goal, and start working on them.  This is exactly what I want you to do in your exercise program.

You’ve got your long term goal in place.  Let’s say it is to lose those 20 lbs.  Now what are you going to do?  Let’s start by making a few suggestions.

Number 1 – Discover:

If you are going to start exercising you need a program that fits what you are looking for.  There are plenty of programs out there that are designed for what you are looking for.  If it’s weight loss, go to your gym, or health club, and check out the group classes they are offering.  A lot of them are included in your monthly membership dues. Group classes are excellent because you have accountability, plus you can make some great friendships in there as well.  If you decide that a group workout environment is not for you, think about utilizing a personal trainer.  Personal trainers are great because they can develop an exercise program that is tailored to your exact needs.

Now keep in mind that I am fully aware that trainers, and group workouts, and gym memberships can be $$$, but don’t stop reading because I have a solution for you, THE INTERNET.  We are living in a time where ANYTHING can be found on the Internet.  Go search for a beginner level workout program that is designed for what you are looking for.  Keep the Myheart website close by as well, as we begin to add exercise programs and videos for your fitness goals.

Number 2 – Persevere:

This is the part that I see dupe clients time and time again.  It is the part during your workouts that you either quit, or keep going.  You’ve committed, you’ve set a long term goal, you’ve developed short term goals to reach that long term.  Now you feel like you aren’t making any more progress.  You’ve hit a wall, and you are facing that point where you can either push through it, or slowly let the excuses and frustration derail you from your fitness goals that you’ve been working so hard to reach.

This is the part where you have to look at yourself and say it’s do or die, and you’ve come too far to quit.  Try to remember where you were on day 1.  If your goal was to lose 20 pounds, and you’ve lost 10 already, go pick up a 10 pound weight and think about putting that back on.  Find ways to motivate yourself and keep persevering.  You’ll be glad you did it. Trust me.

Number 3 – Way of Life:  

So you decided that you weren’t going to quit after all, and you kept on going.  You got there, you did it, you have hit your long term goal.  Are you excited?  I hope so….I would be.  So what are you going to do now?  Are you going to stop just because you reached your goal?  I really hope not!  This is the part that we have been working so hard to get to, but it’s not the end is it?

No. In fact, this next part is the most important part of the whole thing.  You’ve hit your fitness goal, and by doing so, you’ve developed some great exercise habits along the way.  This, my friend, is exactly where I want you to be.  Exercise is a way of life for you now.  So keep on truckin’ my friend, you’ve now enriched your life.  Go and start exercising!

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Filed Under: Exercise Tagged With: weight loss

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