The7 Questions : HOW DO I START WORKING OUT? IT SEEMS LIKE I’M FOREVER TRYING TO START BUT I CAN’T S
I think we've all been there. Promising yourself that you'll get your butt to the gym a hundred and one times in one year. Starting a whole exercise and diet regimen and sticking to it a grand total of four days and then quitting. I know, because I've been there. I cannot tell you how many times I tell myself that this is THE year where I’ll reach my fitness goals and finally try to lose some weight. In my head I come up with exercise plans. I’ll swim everyday. I’ll follow You Tube exercises. I’ll go back to playing tennis, etc. etc. Most of these grand plans usually end up being a bust and I find myself sleeping in instead of waking up early to work out. I get lazy. In my mind I tell myself I hate working out and exercising anyway so why should I even bother. Fast forward to a couple months ago when I decided to sign up in a nice new gym that was near my house. At first I was skeptical. I didn’t really like gyms and the few times I tried signing up for one, I didn’t even finish the whole month’s subscription. But now, I find myself actually going every single day since I signed up. Here are a few things I learned and realized this past month about starting to exercise:
You have to accept that it takes time to get results. I decided I was going to have that mindset so I wouldn’t get disappointed. There is no such thing as a “get thin fast” solution, at least not in a healthy manner. Once you go beyond that mindset, you can mentally prepare yourself that, yes it will take time but you will get there.
Find an activity you like. One of the main reasons I hated exercising was because sometimes it got so boring. Imagine pounding on the treadmill or going on an elliptical and doing the exact same moves for thirty minutes straight and then doing that everyday. It can really get dull. My gym had zumba/dance classes everyday and I found that to be a very enjoyable form of cardio. So find out what you can actually stand doing multiple times a week and go for it.
Find a gym/sports center that’s near where you live or work. If you have to go out of your way just to exercise everday then sometimes it can get so easy to just give up and decide to head home. One of the biggest reasons I like going to the gym is because I literally just have to roll down from my home. It’s that near. I have no excuses.
It’s okay if you’re a beginner. You have to start somewhere. Were you ever hesitant about joining a yoga or spin or H.I.I.T. class just because you thought you would be the worst or you thought you couldn’t keep up? Don’t be. I was like that too – worrying endlessly and being self conscious. But if you actually just go and join, you will find that everyone will be very nice and encouraging – and nobody will force you to do anything beyond your limits.
I hope that some of these lessons will encourage and motivate you to just go and start exercising already. Remember at the end of the day, it’s you and only you who will be the driving force on your path to fitness. It’s not the kind of exercise or the gym or the people who motivate you who’s going to make you reach your goal – its YOU. Good Luck!
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