How To Exercise When You Don’t Feel Like It
Is exercise something you consider a necessary evil? Is it more drudgery and duty than an activity you eagerly anticipate? You’re not alone – there are a lot of people who feel the same way. This is why New Year’s resolutions to exercise more often don’t last past February. But if you fall in love with exercising, you’re far more likely to keep it up. How can you do that?
Here are some ideas on how you can fall in love with exercising.
Make It a Game
…literally! Some popular gaming systems have workout “games” that have been known to make dedicated “players” out of those who had trouble sticking to an exercise routine.
Users say that the reasons why these games keep them interested are the variety (your workout varies each time, reducing the boredom associated with DVDs and videos) and user control (you can tone down or ramp up your workout to suit your fitness level, even during the workout).
There are dance-based games, too, where you sweat and burn calories while having fun dancing!
Make It “You Time”
If you can merge your exercise routine with some much-needed “me time,” you may find yourself looking forward to it. Maybe it’s outside in your yard, or in a park, or even the gym – the point is to tailor your workout to fit your personal needs so that it’s your thing, whether it’s time alone or time with others.
Do Something You Like
There seems to be a misconception that you have to hate your exercise for it to be effective – sort of like eating your spinach as a kid. If it tastes/feels bad, it must be good for you. But there are so many fun options when it comes to exercising that there’s no excuse to hate what you’re doing!
Certainly, exercise is work and doesn’t always feel great right at the moment. But choosing an activity you love will help you keep it up even when it gets tough. Dancing, horseback riding, hiking, jumping rope, Pilates or Yoga classes, martial arts, etc. are all forms of exercise that can be so much fun you forget they’re work (and you’re more willing to press through it when it does feel like work).
Log Your Progress
Note down how you feel as you progress. Do you have more energy? Are your muscles more toned? Have you lost weight? Keep notes on how you were when you started and throughout your progress. Looking at this list can be a boost and help you love your exercise routine because of what it’s doing for you.
