Monday, September 28, 2009

Best Way to Start a New Exercise Plan and Stick to It!


As I mentioned in a previous post, Golda of the Body Love Wellness Blog shares her some great questions that non-athletes can think about before taking up a training and exercise program in the article, 'Exorcising Exercising.'

Golda recommends taking some quiet time to write out feelings about exercise, including answering the following questions. Here are MY answers!

What “exercise” means to you. Her tip is that if “exercise” doesn’t have strong connotations for you, try other words, like “working out” or “body movement.”

Exercise is a tool I use to make my life better.

Your negative experiences regarding exercise.

When I was in high school I was not the best runner on my track or cross country team. I started out too fast and felt I had to compete with the naturally gifted athletes. I also suffer from DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, after I introduce a new type of exercise into my routine. If I stop exercising for a week or more, it is hard to get back into a routine.

Your positive experiences regarding exercise.

Exercise makes me feel more attractive!
I run to strengthen my bones because I am petite and doctors warn me about my bone density. I run to keep up my cardiovascular fitness, so I can walk long distances and up stairs without getting out of breath. I run because I like the way my body looks when I am exercising regarly. I don't run year round, other forms of exercise for me include cycling, yoga, aerobics and lifting weights.

Your assumptions about exercise.

Regular exercise will keep my body healthy. New exercises will result in DOMS, which goes away in a few days. Lack of exercise makes me crabby and sleepy, but I don't feel as rested when I do sleep. If I force myself to do exercises I will not enjoy, I will feel negative about exercising. I need to have a preplanned exercise routine for the week in order to achieve 100% of my exercise goals. I am not the type of person that can "fit exercise in" without carving out specific times to be active in my schedule.

If you have already have an exercise plan in place, Golda has more questions for you in Part 2 of her post.

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