5 easy ways to make exercise your friend
If you have a love-hate relationship with exercise, you’re not alone. But there are some simple ways to get over your workout slump.
Most of us have been guilty of coming up with excuses to get out of training at one point or another.
But if you can’t even remember the last time you worked up a sweat then it’s high time to employ a few simple techniques to not only make it a regular part of your life, but actually look forward to doing it.
Here’s how to bump up your fitness motivation:
Have a good reason to exercise
“You need a reason to be doing what you’re doing, otherwise what’s the point?” says personal trainer Jack Seymour, head coach at Body Tech and founder of Fit Mamma.
“Setting some manageable and achievable goals will help you kick-start your fitness regime.
“With some persistence you’ll be rewarded with positive physical changes, along with huge improvements in health, stamina, happiness and energy.
“All this propels you into wanting more and exercise is no longer a chore – but part of your lifestyle.”
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Get proper fitness instruction
It can be daunting embarking on a training regimen when you’re not entirely sure what you’re supposed to do.
Seymour suggests trying an online program at home or getting a personal trainer for five to 10 sessions for a little guidance.
“Have them prepare a program for you, with equipment that your local gym stocks,” he says.
“Spend your sessions familiarising yourself with the movements and technique, and build up confidence before hitting the gym solo.”
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Get an exercise buddy
To make friends with exercise, find a friend to do it with.
Research from the University of Aberdeen found that when people found someone to get fit with, it helped increase the amount of exercise they did – even more so if the person was emotionally supportive.
So find yourself a training partner who also doubles as a cheerleader and you could find yourself looking forward to exercising a whole lot more.
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Make your exercise manageable
Don’t go too hard, too soon if your body isn’t used to exercising.
This is when muscle soreness or worse an injury could derail your training efforts.
“Ease yourself into a program, listen to your body, and work on gradually improving and increasing intensity,” says Seymour.
Dress the part
It turns out that investing in those expensive leggings might actually help you get yourself to the gym.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found “enclothed cognition” showed a connection between what we wear and the resulting influence it has on our behaviour.
The experiment found that telling people they were wearing a doctor’s lab coat increased their attention span more than when the coat was described as a painter’s coat.
So by simply dressing in new workout clothes, it could mentally put you in the frame of mind to do some exercise.
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Written by Tania Gomez.
