Work Out for Longer Without Noticing
Make Fitness More Fun! Find a Friend!
Do you find yourself glancing at your watch every 30 seconds after a while during your cardio session? Are you just trying to get to the end without giving up? I know my eyes are often glued on the time when I go jogging to try and improve my fitness.
But there are also certain times when I don’t focus on just getting through it… sometimes I hardly notice I’m working out at all and the time goes by very quickly.
What is different about those times? Is it just that my motivation varies from one workout to another?
It seems that during the fitness sessions when the time passes quickly, distraction is the key – I am focused on something other than all the effort I’m making.
Here’s what seems to work for me…
- having something to think about. Sometimes at the start of a session I decide to think about a particular issue or topic that’s bothering me while I’m working out. Bonus is that I often come up with great ideas during that time.
- having something to listen to – whether it’s great music, a radio show or a book on CD it passes the time without it feeling like a trial
- having a companion. Mostly I work out alone but on the rare occasions I jog with someone else the session seems to go faster as we chat away 19 to the dozen
- having something to watch. The better the scenery, the more that’s going on, the more interesting the jog. This one also comes into it’s own when I work out at home in front of the TV – with a favorite show on view I often end up exercising for longer than I intended
Just a couple of things to watch out for if you decide to use distraction to keep yourself going for longer
- stay safe – make sure you are still aware of what’s going on around you – for example don’t have your music so loud that you can’t hear the traffic
- don’t forget to keep up the pace of your workout – keep checking that you are working hard enough – the best way (so you don’t have to keep reminding yourself how hard you’re working) is to use a heart rate monitor with a built-in alarm signal which will sound if you reduce (or increase) your pace outside the right zone for you.
What do you use to get yourself through a workout?
Too Tired to Exercise?
Sometimes it’s the thought of exercise (or of having to get your kit ready, get changed, get out there) that is off-putting.
Just get yourself to take the first step – getting your kit ready – and then see how you feel.
Can you do one more step?
What’s the betting that you can and you’ll be wearing your exercise gear before you know it.
Then ask yourself whether you could do just 5 minutes. Course you can! Then you’ll be exercising tired or not. And if you feel like stopping, stop – at any time. But you probably won’t.
If you’re lacking in energy, exercise is actually the best thing you can do. Research has shown many times that it gives you MORE energy not less.
In a 14 week program, women exercising 20 to 40 minutes 3 times a week on typical cardio equipment found that their energy levels increased 50 to 100% – with those most lacking in energy finding the best improvement on average.
Don’t let feeling sluggish be an excuse to be a slug.
Fitness Motivation : Are You a Fair Weather Exerciser?
When the roads are icy, rain is beating down and the wind is blowing right in your face, the natural reaction for many of us (including me) is to batten down the hatches and snuggle down in front of the TV.
After all, the day when you have to reveal the results of your laziness on the beach seems a long way off.
But try and curb the temptation to be lazy because it really won’t be long before you’ll regret it.
If you think about it logically, there’s no need to exercise outside anyway unless you really want to risk slipping on the ice and catching pneumonia.
If you are a member of a gym, make the most of the opportunity you have to use the equipment at your disposal – the crowds will have thinned out by now since the joining hysteria in January and it should be a lot pleasanter there.
If you don’t have gym membership, then there are plenty of workout options that you can do at home (with or without equipment) which will get you just as fit as any gym and getting to your lounge or basement will take up less of your precious time. (See all the suggestions for working out at home in “27 Ways to Get Fit for Free“) .
In just 2 – 4 months when the fair weather arrives (depending where you live) you will be so pleased you made the effort when you reveal toned arms, firm thighs and flat abs.
Or you can stay in front of the TV and feel out of shape along with 95% of the population when April comes around.
Don’t ever accept being less than you could be. You deserve better than that!
I have a confession to make…
My Confession? I have never been a happy exerciser.
There, I’ve said it.
I hate going out in the cold and rain. I hate getting all sweaty and puffing and panting. And I’d rather lie on the sofa with a glass of red wine than go out for a country walk.
That’s my big, dark secret – after all, maybe you’d expect better from a Weight Loss, Health and Fitness coach wouldn’t you?
Or maybe not…
You see I love the feeling of being on top of the world, full of energy, strong, fit and healthy that exercise and healthy living in general do for me. That means I have to motivate myself with every trick in the book to achieve what I want to achieve. And I am constantly looking for new ways to get myself to stay active and “Just Do It”. I also know every excuse my clients will use – because quite honestly I’ve used them all myself at one time or another. I know how to deal with every obstacle.
If you are made of sterner stuff and love nothing better than spending hours in the gym, you may want to learn from someone who is more naturally enthusiastic about it all – I won’t hold it against you 
Just be aware, I am not going to be giving you hints on how to spend half your day working your abs to perfection.
Still, you may find a useful tip or 5 here for those days when you are less than enthusiastic…
Forming the Fitness Habit
21 days to Form a Habit?
They say that it takes at least 21 days of consistent action to form a new habit. So, if you want to make fitness a habit in your life, you’ve got to be committed for at least that period of time before the habit becomes just “what you do”.
Many people know about the 21 day theory, but did you also know that if you fail to carry out your habit at any point within those 21 days you have to go right back to the beginning? You can’t just start counting where you left off.
Knowing that fact may be just enough to keep you going through a rough patch and avoid sabotaging your efforts in the early days.
Also, don’t rely on the 21 day rule. You may find that it takes you a bit longer than 21 days to make a fitness program part of your life (21 days is just the average) so you may want to focus on your new habit for 30 days to avoid sabotaging yourself in that doubtful period between 21 and 30 days.
30 Day Fitness Experiment
Any new fitness habit is a good case for a 30 Day trial which personal development writer Steve Pavlina recommends. He likes to try out many new things for length of time and then decide whether they are worth continuing with. (His current 30 day experiment is eating a totally raw food diet).
It’s a helpful concept because it means you can safely give up any habit which does not suit you without feeling like a failure – it was simply the end of the experiment and you decided to try something else instead.
With any new fitness habit or program this makes sense because by the time you get to 30 days you
a) will probably be seeing some results (good or bad)
b) have given it a fair shot
c) are seeing whether the “experiment” will slip easily into your lifestyle.
One Small Fitness Habit at a Time
My other plea is for you to not take on too much and set yourself up for failure. Try a tiny habit at first. Self-discipline is like a muscle that has to be exercised.
Give yourself an easy load to start with – say 10 minutes of exercise a day rather than an all out gym routine 5 times a week. If you have the discipline to manage 10 minutes a day you will probably find that you feel so good you will want to do more. But if you fail at the much harder goal it makes it so much more difficult to try again in the future and your self-esteem will take a bashing it can do without.
Do what you know you will succeed with and build on that.
Fitness Motivation : 6 Simple Steps to the Point of No Return
It’s too easy to give up a new exercise program when you don’t seem to be getting results but please don’t let unrealistic expectations about changing your shape and fitness level within a few days get the better of you.
Results CAN be truly remarkable within a few weeks – but you have to be a little patient with yourself if you are trying to reach that next level in your fitness goals or even to go from a complete standing start to super lean and fit.
A shiny new exercise program or workout routine IS often the best way to jump start your achievement. You just have to give it time to work its magic.
I have seen people have results within a week and I have seen others have a wait a month for similar results. Some of that has to do with the effort put into a fitness program or with the choice of program but in some cases it’s just that our bodies are all different and so is their response to any particular exercise regime.
The guy lifting mega weights at the gym is not you. And you probably haven’t been into a dozen sports since the age of 6 like the girl at the pool. You have your own body, preferences and capabilities so work with them and avoid comparing notes with anyone else.
The important thing is to get to your individual point of no return – the point where you start to see your hard work IS worth it and you decide that you want your new level of fitness to become part of your life. You need to reach that place well before the point where you decide to jack it all in and give up on your new program.
To increase your chance of success give yourself time…
- Have no expectations for 1 to 2 months – just decide to do the program no matter what and then review it
- Have an open mind – just see the program as a 30-day or 60 day experiment in looking and feeling good. Be curious about the results
- Schedule your sessions so they fit into your day – if possible complete them first thing in the morning before your life has a chance to get in the way
- Don’t be resentful about the time and effort – look at your fitness sessions as giving your body a treat and spending time focusing on you
- Choose an exercise program that fits into your lifestyle rather than one which you will continually struggle with. If it helps join a health club or gym near your office or home – whichever will be most convenient or work out at home if that suits you better
- if you doubt your ability to stick with the program get a personal trainer or partner to keep you accountable
Those who have reached the other side of this “motivation divide” and know how it feels and could tell you that the effort is SO worth it. In fact, you have probably heard quite a lot from them already. The problem is you don’t really “get it” until you experience it for yourself. So make sure you give yourself enough of a chance to find out how good being fit and getting in shape feels.
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