Not motivated to exercise?
By Rosemary Marchese
You know you should exercise but you can’t be bothered…sound familiar? Well, why should you? If you don’t have any motivation to exercise, I’m sure that will be your answer! Motivation provides purpose and direction to behaviour. If the ‘behaviour’ you want to achieve is exercise, then you better sort out exactly what your purpose and direction will be!
When I speak to people unmotivated to exercise I liken it to a job that they’re stale in…they don’t like what they do every day yet either don’t know how to, or lack the motivation to, change. Imagine continuing on that path for the rest of your life! Do you really want to get to the end and say ‘life’s too short’ or ‘I should have done more with my life’ or ‘I have heart disease and wish I had exercised when I had the chance’? Well, finding the motivation to exercise is in essence no different. It’s time to GET EXCITED about exercise!
Yes, that’s right…get yourself excited about the act of exercise and excited about how you will feel with the results you will achieve! Set yourself daily, weekly or even hourly goals. ‘I will walk for 30 minutes every day’, or ‘I will exercise four times this week’ or ‘I will get up from my desk every hour to move my legs and walk around the office’. You have to find something that suits your lifestyle. As a busy mother I like to aim for four to five workouts per week rather than have strict days each week. With little children I acknowledge that my weeks need to be flexible and fitting in exercise becomes less stressful with this approach.
Next, in order to get excited about it all you have to be confident that you’ll get results. If you’re one of so many people who have committed to exercise before but with little or no results here are some things to consider:
- You can’t spot reduce fat! Just get moving, and then move a little faster so that your intensity rises with your fitness levels. Always challenge yourself - believe me the fat will move!
- You can’t eat what you want and expect to get results just because you exercise. Unfortunately exercising does increase your appetite and many people mistake this to think that they can indulge in some extra calories. While I’m all for some treats and a bit of a relaxed diet with some limitations, if you start over consuming you wont lose weight, in fact you may even put on a few kilos!
- Women don’t bulk up on muscle overnight! Weight training is great for toning muscles and increasing your metabolic rate. You’ll burn more fat at rest as a result – that’s right, imagine being a fat-burning machine while sleeping! The thought of becoming too bulky can be a turn off to weight training for many women but the truth is women don’t carry enough of the male hormone testosterone for this to be a problem. Adding some weights to your exercise sessions can often speed along some of your results.
- You don’t have to spend a fortune to get results. Gym memberships can be hard on the budget, especially at the moment. Try being creative at home and tap into free (but reputable) resources on the Internet to help give you tips and ideas. Check out www.fitforlifeonline.com.au to help you get started. Home exercise DVDs are also worth the investment to add a bit of variety.
- Take care with your choices of low fat food. These foods are often riddled with artificial sweeteners and preservatives – all bad for your health and your health and weight loss campaign. Choose natural and wholesome foods wherever possible, just watch your serving sizes!
- Check in with your doctor and your fitness trainer regularly. Sometimes there are other reasons for not achieving results, such as illness.
- Lack of time is no excuse! Yes, you heard me and I’m happy to argue with you on that one! If the ex-Prime Minister of Australia found time for a daily walk, then you can too! Are you running the country? Is the world going to fall apart if you take a 30-minute break for a walk? I severely doubt it, sorry! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve often used that excuse but I make sure it’s short-term only. I use the threat of what will happen to my body if I don’t exercise, as a motivator during extra-busy periods in my life!
- It’s time to change your attitude, and truly get excited about exercise. Get yourself mesmerised by the changes that can happen to your body and how good your will feel during and after. The results will come; you just have to find the motivation first!
Rosemary Marchese is the Editor of fit for life online www.fitforlifeonline.com.au, a site dedicated to reliable and accessible health, beauty and fitness – a site for everyone; the individual, the family, an expectant mother or an elite kid.
As a registered physiotherapist with over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry Rosemary brings to fit for life online a wealth of health and fitness writing and editing experience. She has published a best-selling fitness book and is also a former Editor for Ultra Fit magazine. Rosemary is a fit and healthy mother of two young children dedicated to helping busy mums achieve their health and fitness goals.