Category: Weight Loss and Exercise

How To Motivate Yourself To Exercise

Struggling with lack of motivation for exercise?  If you are, you’re normal! Believe it or not, it’s simple to overcome. The trick is doing a quick evaluation to figure out what motivates you.

This simple formula will motivate you to exercise for life!

Your first step is to take inventory. What are the top 2 reasons you want to exercise?  There is no right or wrong answer. We are all motivated a little differently. For example, not everyone is motivated by health.

 

That doesn’t mean you don’t want to be healthy.  It just means you may be motivated by a different “why,” like staying healthy to support your family; or being able to live independently when you are in your golden years.

It’s critical that you discover what you value most in your life.  Once you determine why you want to remain healthy and strong, it is going to be much easier to motivate yourself on those days you just don’t feel like it.

Below is a list of the top reasons people are motivated to exercise.  These examples are based on my own experience as a personal trainer for over 22 years.

Take a few minutes to look at this list.  Use it to help you discover what your own personal reason for exercise is. You may come up with an answer that’s not even on this list.

Write down reasons from the list that resonate with you and any others you come up with on a sheet of paper.  Remember, there is no right or wrong answer.  It is what is!

Top motivators to exercise

 

1)   Maintain or improve your Health

2)   Increase life expectancy

3)   Lose weight

4)   Improve functional fitness

5)   Stay healthy for your family

6)   Travel with ease

7)   Improve appearance

8)   Have more energy

9)   Sleep better

10) Recreation/Fun

11)  Social activities/Meet people

12)  Remain independent and self sufficient

13)  Walking your dog or taking care of a pet

After going through this short exercise, you may be surprised with what you come up with. You may find you have been trying to motivate yourself with all the wrong reasons. Or, you discovered that it is worth it to you to stick to your exercise routine and you are motivated again!

If you discovered you have been trying to dangle the wrong carrot in front of yourself, that’s great news! You now have a brand new list with the top two things that will motivate you to exercise. Anytime you feel like “blowing off” your exercise you just go back to your list and read your reasons out loud to yourself. This will give you the motivation to get moving!

Make sure the exercise you choose serves your purpose.  For example, if your purpose to exercise is to be able to meet people, then I would recommend you look into joining group activities that are at your fitness level and seem fun to you.

The most important thing to remember to be true to yourself and the priorities for your own life. It’s human nature to get unmotivated from time to time. However, when you are clear on your purpose and following the true desires of your own heart, it’s much easier to motivate yourself to just do it. You’ll be able to finally motivate yourself to exercise.

Next week we’ll be talking about the most common obstacles that prevent you from exercising and how to beat them!

I’d love to know what your top motivators are! Please let me know in the comments below. 

To your health and wellness!

Jennifer

How To Find Exercise You Like

Is exercise guilt haunting you?

Find it hard to motivate yourself to stick to your routine? Or, maybe you are feeling guilty about blowing off your workout for another activity you enjoy more. If you are struggling with your exercise routine, maybe it’s not right for you.

There are many ways to exercise. Unfortunately, formal and more restrictive workouts have been promoted as the way to get the fittest, healthiest, and best looking body.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Have you ever noticed how fit most surfers, horseback riders, or hikers look? These are examples of people who use recreation to stay fit. They usually spend very little time on formal exercise — just enough strength training per week to keep them in top shape for what they truly enjoy — their sport!

Choosing activities that are more recreational in nature is really good for your body. Recreational activities tend to move the body in more natural ways than some of the more formal “workouts” in the gym. Moving your body in a sport-like manner serves the purpose of improving function in your every day lifestyle activities.

So, while you are having fun and burning calories, you are actually improving your functional fitness as well.  Functional fitness is really important because it trains your body for “real life” situations.

Find exercise you like — the best exercise for you!

1) Ask yourself what you  enjoy. What do you like to do that’s physical? Give YOUR answer. Avoid saying what you think your friends or personal trainer wants to hear. It’s usually something you either did in the past or have a desire to try. I’ve had clients tell me everything from paint ball to line dancing. The most important thing is finding something physically active you will do consistently.

2)  What do you REALLY want? So often we let the media influence us to think we should look like the model on the cover of a magazine. Remember, they get paid for it. While most of us love our work, we all have a “chore” that we endure because it’s part of our job, or part of creating a better product. This is the same for celebrities. Many of them look at their formal workout as “part of the job.”

Copying another person’s life isn’t very motivating! Try different things and see what you gravitate towards. What exercise makes you feel the most energized? Evaluate anything that feels like a chore to see if it’s worth doing.

3)  Just go for it! The most important thing is that you get moving. No matter what you choose, if you know you can stick to it than it is the right exercise for you. The ideal exercise program will feel more recreational in nature and less formal.

4)  Do not feel guilty! We all have that friend that does marathons or bike rides 100 miles. That’s great! They’re wired that way! Do NOT feel guilty that your idea of “working out”is a stroll around the waterfront and picking up a coffee. Focus on your own health and fitness goals and be a cheerleader for them. That type of intense activity is not for everyone.

It’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter what the latest and greatest workout fad promises. The best workout for you is the one you will actually do. Finding something you enjoy — or can at the very least stay consistent with is key.

I encourage you to get creative. Step outside the box and have some fun!

Have an exercise routine that you enjoy and would like to share? Please comment below! I enjoy hearing from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

Back To School Weight Loss Tips

You can feel it in the air! Summer is ending. The light is changing and it’s back to school time! Whether you are a parent, teacher, student, or simply getting back to a Fall routine, the new season usually means much busier schedules.

A shift in schedule can potentially derail your weight loss goals if you let it. I’ve put together some simple guidelines on how to stay on track while adjusting to the new season.

Five Easy Weight Loss Tips for the Back to School Season!

1)  Plan!  Back to school usually means a more set routine. This can be used for your benefit to help you lose weight! Pull out your calendar and determine when you have time for exercise, meal planning, and healthy meal preparation.  Write these activities in like like any other important appointment.

Avoid biting off more than you can chew.  Look at your calendar before saying yes to extra projects.  If saying yes will interfere with your weight loss goals, you may want to take a pass for now.

2) Brown bag it! Breakfast is key to successful weight loss. If time is tight in the mornings, a healthy egg sandwich or smoothie are easy to eat on the go. Do your best to eat by 9:00 am, and no later than 10:00.

Pack lunches and have healthy snacks on you at all times. No matter what your day looks like, busy and hungry are a dangerous combination for weight loss. By planning ahead, you’ll have more control over the food you eat.

And if you are shuttling kids, pack snacks to have on hand. Not only will it contribute to their good health, it will save you time as well.

3)  Order out!  After looking at your schedule, you may realize that cooking some nights will be a stretch.  Let someone else do the cooking for you! Order healthy pre made meals from a company like Magic Kitchen.

4)  Get creative! If your normal exercise time is conflicting with your child’s activity or sport, go for a walk while you are waiting for them. One of my clients decided to get a low cost membership at the gym across the street from her daughter’s dance class.  She’s going to run on the treadmill while her daughter is taking class.  Another option would be to see if there was an adult class to try during her daughter’s class.

Early morning and lunch time workouts are a great way to sneak exercise into the day. This strategy helps you avoid evening interruptions such as working late. 

5)  Create a fit lifestyle!  One of the reasons people are so much more active in the Summer is all of the fun outdoor activities that are available. That doesn’t have to end just because it’s Fall.  Like the beach or hiking? Bundle up and take a walk. Personally, I think Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year!

Choose active recreation on the weekends to counter the less active time during the week. Recreational activities are a great cross trainer if you are doing more formal gym workouts during the week.  Try turning off screens (computers, TV, phones, etc. ) as much as possible on the weekends!

All it takes is a little bit of planning. Fall is a great time to meet your weight loss/management goals.  Embrace this time of year and all of the fullness it brings!

Please let me know if you have any questions or a tip you’d like to share!

Blessings!

Jennifer