7 Simple Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to get in shape, now comes the hard part: sticking with it. This is the time when many of us begin to see our efforts derailed by an array of obstacles, including jobs, family responsibilities, a dislike of exercise or simple inertia. But there are ways to avoid these exercise off-ramps. In my book, Fitter Faster, I share seven science-backed measures that can help you stay motivated and increase your odds of long-term success. Seek instant gratification As important as the long-term health benefits of exercise are, simply being aware of them isn’t enough to motivate most people. Instead, research suggests you should focus on the more immediate benefits. A study of middle-aged women found that people whose main goal was to live longer or be healthier actually exercised less than those with “quality of life” goals, such as having more energy or less stress. Put another way, if you think exercise will help you cope better today with a stressful job or screaming kids, that’s more likely to get you to the gym than the notion that exercise will help you avoid a heart attack in 20 years. The key is identifying what the short-term payoff of exercise is for you. Is it sounder sleep? A better mood? Clearer thinking? Less pain? More patience? Such benefits may not be instantly evident if you’re new to exercise, so determining which ones apply to you can take a little time. But once you figure it out, keep t...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Exercise exercise tips exercise tips for beginners Exercise/Fitness fitter faster healthytime how to build self discipline to exercise how to exercise willpower workout tips workout tips for beginners Source Type: news