THERE’S NO TIME LIKE NOW TO START EXERCISING!
I meet about once a month with a group of about 40 executive women; we recently met virtually to talk about dealing with COVID fatigue, which seems to be on the rise. Most thought exercise was key among the effective approaches to deal with it. However, during the meeting, it occurred to me to consider those who rarely, if ever, commit to exercise for reasons of health or busy work schedules.
Mary, one of the attendees, cheerfully volunteered that she always seemed to have a good excuse not to exercise even though she realized the importance of it!
If, as with Mary, you just don’t like to exercise and lack the motivation, here are a few tips that might help you get started:
1. Start now! Mary admitted that she should exercise. What inspired her to do it was hearing from the group that she needed to “start now.” That meant today, right now if possible!
That's great advice. In my recent interview with Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and most recently, The Success Principles Workbook, he emphasized that taking action sets us up for success. Jack believes that a lot of us want, dream, and hope that things will happen, but it's only when you take action that counts. “Taking action,” Jack says, “is what separates successful people from those who are not.” The subtitle of his The Success Principles Workbook, which is now available on Amazon, tells it all: “an action plan for getting from where you are to where you want to be.”
2. Keep the momentum. Starting is a great first step, but maintaining your exercise routine is crucial.
Findings from a seven-year Strategies for Enhancing Performance Study that my organization, Bright Enterprises, conducted in conjunction with NY Presbyterian Hospital Cornell Medical Center and a few corporate sponsors, revealed that, to bring about behavioral change, it’s important to develop a plan that’s primarily in your control. For example, your plan might be to make an appointment with yourself first thing in the morning to exercise. Scheduling your exercise first thing offers you greater control than trying to squeeze in some time to exercise during lunch or at the end of the day.
Developing your plan also includes achieving two goals: 1) Make sure you commit to where you’re going. In other words, show up to exercise. 2) Determine the length of your workout and what exercises to do. Keep in mind that if you haven’t exercised in a long time, don’t expect yourself to perform like you used to years or even months ago. Ease into it.
3. Keep your promise to yourself. You likely take great pride in fulfilling your obligations and commitments to others, but what about yourself? Part of accepting control is keeping your promises to yourself, even if you don’t feel like it! To help you remember, stick to the Nike plan:
