Damien Mason

Ok, I thought I might put in a post here about the techniques that have helped me stay motivated while exercising.  I’ve started and eventually abandoned pretty much everything, walking, jogging, the gym, so I’ve got a fair idea what has helped keep me going.

Choose something you already have to do and add exercise to that.  For example, I have to walk to work every day.  There’s no way to get out of it.  So to extend that walk in the morning by half an hour is a relatively simple thing.  I found when I would come home with plans to head out for a walk or a jog or whatever “later” too much else would come up and i’d never do the exercise. Before or right after work (before you get home) is a great time to do something.

Pick a time each day to do your exercise and stick to it no matter what.  I found this was a problem when I was jogging.. i started off great, going for a 20 minute jog at 7pm.  But then I missed one.. and then I missed a few more.  Soon enough I had given up on it without even realising.  The same thing happened with the gym. If you tell yourself “this is what I have to do and there’s no other option” then it’s much easier - you’ll just do it.  And if you tie it to something else you have to do.. well, there’s no excuse

Start a sport with regular classes.  Ok, obviously for me this is Iaido.  It’s awesome because it’s like surprise extra exercise.  You’re doing it for the sport, not the health, so it’s a bonus.  Find something you want to do.. and if it’s a team sport even better, because then you have the motivation of not wanting to let your team down.  I’m not sure the gym or pilates count for this so much because they’re basically exercise (although if you’re doing pilates for a reason other than improving health then it would be ok).. you need to do the exercise without feeling like you’ve done it.

Take away chances to avoid or lessen the exercise.  A trick I have is to have my entire walk take the half hour, instead of doing laps.  I think if I had 15 minute laps it would be too tempting to give up after one, and if they were ten minute laps i guarantee I’d only ever do two.  By the time i start getting tired, at the 15 minute mark, I’m too far away to turn around and go back In the past I’ve done the same - walk 15 minutes in one direction, and then you have to walk home again.  Walk down a hill so you have to go back up.

Start easy, and do something you enjoy.  I think that’s the most important thing… you don’t need to run 5kms every day, you don’t need hours of weight training.  You just need half an hour every day to go for a walk and see the scenery.  It’s really not that much to ask, but if you did it 6 times a day that’s your week’s exercise sorted.  And then add to that gym time or pilates or walking the dog or gardening or whatever and you’re doing wonderfully.  If you make it a chore you’ll find ways to get out of it, you’ll resent when you have to do it, and you’ll never stick to it.

I hope that helps anyone who is reading it.  Let me know what you thought of it.  I have another motivation post planned for later in the week too

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 11:35 pm and is filed under Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.