Are You In Need Of Exercise Motivation?

Here’s Your Exercise Motivation

It’s been a struggle lately to find the motivation to move my body. Cookouts, happy hour cocktails, and general hot fun in the summertime have easily diverted my attention away from the elliptical.

Apparently, I’m not alone.

So when an e-mail showed up in my inbox titled, “11 Great Ways To Get Movitvated,” it seemed like divine intervention.

11 Great Ways To Get Motivated

You know you’ve got to get moving. You resolve to park the car a few blocks from work, take the stairs and hit the gym after work. But a few weeks pass and before you know it parking spots start opening up right in front of the building, the elevator is already in the lobby, and you’ve worked late every night that week. It’s not that you don’t know how to get fit, you just can’t seem to stay motivated. We all know people who are religious with their workouts. So, what’s their secret?

We asked fitness experts and regular Joes alike how they stick with their routine. These methods keep them moving; maybe one will work for you.

1. Embarrass Yourself
Make a mark on your calendar every time you make it to the gym or park. Seeing your motivation, (or lack thereof) in black and white helps keep you going. Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Neporent, authors of Fitness for Dummies, Second Edition (IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 2000) suggest “whether you write your goals on the side of your shoe or in your training diary, glancing at them on a daily basis will help keep you focused and motivated. Some people tape their goals to their bathroom mirror or refrigerators.” Do whatever works to make you remember what you promised yourself.

2. Join a Plan That Wouldn’t Have You for a Member
So you’re not Steffi Graf. That doesn’t mean you can’t join a tennis team. Richard Cotton, chief exercise physiologist for MyExercisePlan.com, says “joining a club, team, or finding an exercise partner…provides a support system and someone to simply share the experience with. Often times just knowing someone will be asking you ‘How’s it going?’ can be the difference between exercise success and failure.”

3. Love Thy Neighbor and Love Thyself
You can’t leave a neighbor standing on the corner checking her watch. She knows where you live. Miriam Nelson, Director of the Center for Physical Fitness at Tufts University, and the author of Strong Women Stay Young and Strong Women Stay Slim (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1999) says, “When I make a date with a neighbor to go for a run I keep it, and we have a great time.” She also plans a regular appointment with her neighbors. “Saturday mornings several of my neighbors come over and we lift weights together; it’s a great way to start the weekend,” she says.

Read the other 8 here.

Let me know in the comments how you stay motivated when the going gets rough.

Vivrant Thang writes about life, love and the pursuit of good music over at Songs In The Key Of Life.

Trying To Lose Weight? Be Active Like The Amish

Be Active Like The Amish

We really do make losing weight harder than what it is. It really is as simple as burning more calories than you eat. The more active you are, the more weight you will lose and the easier it will be to maintain. From MSN:

University of Tennessee researchers studied the Amish community because the Amish, who use no electricity, are highly active in their daily lives. Amish men—many of whom are farmers—reported an average of 10 hours of vigorous work activity per week and, according to pedometers they wore, took an average of 18,425 steps per day. One man took more than 51,000 steps in a day by walking behind his horses in the fields. Women—who engaged in more moderate intensity activity such as gardening, cooking and childcare—tallied an average of 14,196 daily steps.

The researchers observed that the Amish diet is typically high in calories, fat and refined sugar foods such as meat, potatoes, gravy, eggs, vegetables, bread, pies and cakes. But only 4 percent of those surveyed were obese (compared to nearly 33 percent of modern adults) and only 26 percent were overweight (compared to around 65 percent of modern adults), as determined by their body mass index. This study suggests that the Amish were able to maintain healthier weights because they move so much.

The lesson here is clear. Sitting all day and not being active, regardless of what you eat, plays a BIG role in staying fit and healthy. So, even you don’t like going to the gym, or working out, or sweating, the very least you can do is strap on shoes and get to walking. If you’re hitting Amish like steps daily, you won’t have to feel guilty about that cookie you want to eat or a little ice cream after dinner. What’s 10,000 steps if it means you get to have a nice piece of chocolate cake?

5 Step Guide to Getting 90 Minutes of Exercise a Day

Tips to Getting 90 Minutes of Exercise A Day

This was posted at the bottom of the previous blog but I thought it was important enough to warrant its own post. While it seems like a lot, getting in 90 minutes a day of exercise isn’t as hard as it may seem. Also, take into consideration you don’t have to do the 90 minutes all at one time, you can break it up throughout the day and still achieve the same results.

1. Take the stairs

Stairs burn lots of calories. Instead of taking the elevator, hop on the stairs. Yes, even if you’re on the sixth floor. The higher the better.

2. Park far away

You’ll be amazed at how much walking you do when you don’t park near the building you’re trying to enter. Also, it’s a good way to add up your 90 minutes throughout the day.

Bonus tip: time the walking you do when you’re out and about running errands. You want to keep track so you know for sure when you’ve hit your 90 minutes for the day.

3. Try That Lunch Workout

Take a page from Tracy’s book and work out on your lunch hour (or half hour). A brisk walk or weight workout will contribute to the 90 minutes you need to make each day.

4. Get It In Early

Get up early and walk, run or go to the gym. If you just don’t have the time during the day to work out, get up early and make it happen. Yes, I recognize that could mean 4 or 5 in the morning for some of you, but hey if you treat exercise like you do work then it shouldn’t be a problem.

5. After Dinner Burn

Go for a walk after dinner. It’s simple yet effective and prevents your after dinner meal from settling on your hips, which, is an added bonus.

Final Thoughts

As you can see there are many ways you can get the recommended 90 minutes of exercise you need a day to not just lose weight and keep it off. With having a solid goal to work towards it’s much easier to measure your progress, and it takes the guesswork out of the process.

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90 Minutes of Exercise a Day Keeps the Fat Away

You Need 90 Minutes Of Exercise A Day

90 minutes.

That’s the magic number to losing weight AND keeping it off.

Some years ago I was watching Dateline and they were following three people who had lost a significant amount of weight (30 pounds or more) and kept it off. What they had in common and what a medical study the show quoted showed: if you want to lose weight and keep it off, 90 minutes a day of working out is what it is going to take.

Period.

That’s very different then the 30 minutes a day that was recommended for decades and more in line with the new government guidelines that say 30 – 45 minutes of aerobic activity at least 5 days a week PLUS an additional 30 to 60 minutes of additional physical activity a day (walking, taking stairs, housework, yard work, etc) for weight loss.

So how do you get 90 minutes of exercise a day into a busy work and home schedule?

Well ask yourself this: Do I watch 90 minutes worth of TV a day?

If the answer is yes – then you have 90 minutes to work out.

I recognize that it is not that simple but my point is that 90 minutes represents an hour long drama and a sitcom or three sitcoms or a Lifetime movie, so it is possible.

5 Tips for Getting 90 Minutes of Exercise a Day

1. Take the stairs.

Stairs burn lots of calories. Instead of taking the elevator, hop on the stairs. Yes, even if you’re on the sixth floor. The higher the better.

2. Park far away.

You’ll be amazed at how much walking you do when you don’t park near the building you’re trying to enter.

3. Try That Lunch Workout

Take a page from Tracy’s book and work out on your lunch hour (or half hour). A brisk walk or weight workout will contribute to the 90 minutes you need to make each day.

4. Get It In Early

5. After Dinner Burn

Go for a walk after dinner. It’s simple yet effective.

Save