It’s important to select an exercise that is “right” for you. Often, New Year’s resolutions are broken due to poor activity choices. With one month of 2010 down (WOW–oh wow, can you believe that?), it’d be worth your while to think about the following points when you plan the remaining year’s exercise portion of your wellness program.
1. Pick an activity you enjoy doing. This is key. The only way you are going to keep doing this activity is if you enjoy it. Make exercise something that you want to do, not have to do!
2. Pick an activity that someone else will do with you, like dance, running, a yoga class, bundling up to walk outdoors. This other person will help motivate you to keep going, as they are a part of the activity as well.
3. Pick an activity that you can afford to keep doing. Group aerobics may look inviting at the expensive health club in your town, but you can get the same exercise experience from your local YMCA/recreation center at a lower cost.
5. Pick an activity that you have the equipment for. Remember it is more likely that you will play golf if you have a set of golf clubs, than if you have to rent or borrow a set each time. At the same time, borrowing is a great way to try out a sport before committing to the expense. Three years ago, an agent friend of mine brought over his wife’s bike for me to try triathlons. I have since replaced the wheels, clips, and added tri bars! It’s still his wife’s and I check back every 3 months, but it allowed me to get into a sport and try it out first. Now I know I love it and will continue for many years to come.
6. Select an activity that you can do. Indoor cross country ski trainers provide a great workout, but they can be difficult to use correctly. As a result, many people quit using them because they don’t feel like they are getting the most out of the machine.
7. Participate in an activity that you are able to keep doing. Jogging may be something you enjoyed when you were younger–but now that you are older you may find that walking is a better choice because it is less demanding on your body and, thus likely to cause injury.
8. Find an exercise environment that is right for you. If you like to workout with others, join a club. If, on the other hand, you want to be alone when you work out, all you might need is a pair of running shoes and a stretch of road or path along a creek.
Stay on track. Remind yourself why you are committed. And. stay strong. Be healthy. You deserve FIT.
Before I close, I wanted to share a quote from the bottom of a friend’s email today. This friend is the same woman who took me under her wings over 25 years ago and showed me how to lift weights. What a wonderful friend and mentor she has been over the years.
“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain!”
Carpe diem, my friends. Seize the day.
