It's been said a million times and counting: we all need to incorporate physical activity into our lifestyle. The benefits received from physical activity are vast and effervescent. However there seems to be a stalemate between implementation and sedentarism. Needless to say the residual effects of the standstill are illness, disease, low energy, obesity and a host of other maladies.

On some level of consciousness deep within every human lies a prodding voice exclaiming, You know you should start exercising! Of course we all know the voice is right, and so the question becomes, how do we get motivated to begin and maintain a fitness regime? Fortunately for you, compiled below are a number of inactivity busting tips to launch you into action!

It is paramount, if you are to begin and maintain an exercise regime until it becomes a lifestyle that you find reasons that resonates with you. If you cannot it is more than likely you won't begin or maintain (if you have started) your regime. Take a little time, sit down quietly and ponder all the reasons you should be exercising. There are dozens of articles written detailing the benefit of exercise, but if those aren't enough, hopefully the following tips will help ease you into your regime.

Tips:

  • Select activities you enjoy, dancing, skating, yoga, martial arts, gardening and playing with your children are activities you can receive health benefits from.
  • Begin slowly it will take time to achieve yours goals; additionally you'll want to ensure you don't injure yourself.
  • Set small achievable goals, reaching milestones builds self-confidence; setting unrealistic goals can be very discouraging if you don't achieve them.
  • Schedule time for workouts and make sure it doesn't conflict with time usually allocated for other activities, if there is a conflict working out usually loses.
  • Workout with a partner (misery loves company, just kidding), you are more likely to keep appointments with others.
  • Get the family involved; schedule a time for family to exercise, statistics show most people are not nearly active enough; everyone needs more physical activity in their life.
  • Just do it, do not sit around listening to yourself tell why you should not or can not workout, just get up and do it.
  • Journal your workouts, as you log your sessions, your completed workouts provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
  • Mix and match your activities. You do not have to perform the same activities each session, select activities you enjoy doing. There are many activities that will enhance fitness.
  • Break it up; you don't have to perform one continuous bout of activity. You can exercise 2 or 3 times a day for shorter durations and still gain the same benefit as one continuous session. Just make sure you total at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.
  • Performing chores indoors or outdoors at intensities higher than normal counts toward your fitness goals. Cleaning, carrying groceries, gardening, raking leave or shoveling snow are great ways to incorporate activity into your life.
  • Commercial breaks are an excellent time to do a few squats, push-ups, crunches or march in place.
  • Park a few blocks from work and walk the rest of the way or get off on the bus/train a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way.
  • Drive less, walk more, if you don't have to go too far leave the car and walk.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. - Jim Ryun

The copyright of the article Exercise Tips in Fitness is owned by Chris Christian.