November 10th, 2008 by Jason
This article is for those of you that just don’t like the concept of exercising, think it’s too much of a hassle or who need exercise ideas. I’m going on the assumption of course that you now know why exercise is so important, after reading my previous post. Now that you know the why of exercising, let’s get down to business.
First things first – like I said when I started these three posts, my goal is to get you to want to make the choice to exercise over the myriad of other choices available to you. That’s why I started with its amazing benefits first. Now however, it’s time to make exercise appealing to you. How, you might ask?
Well, for starters, exercising doesn’t mean that you have to go buy a gym membership. Negotiating traffic every day and driving halfway across town only to get on a treadmill and fight the urge to go have a beer can be frustrating at times. Gyms are often great, but if you don’t like them, don’t have one close by or simply can’t afford one, there are plenty of other options.
Moderate or high-intensity exercise will give you the most bang for your buck, for sure. However, if you are just starting out, there are many different activities that you can do to at least become physically active. I wrote about a few such exercise ideas here. Additionally, one of the most important things that you can do is to shut off the TV and computer. These infernal devices can be extremely seductive. So get off the couch, chair or bed and start moving. Go wash dishes, mop the floor, play golf, play tennis or just plain play. Be a kid again and enjoy yourself outside with some fresh air.
Now back to the treadmill example. Don’t get me wrong, I actually love treadmills, but they’re not for everybody. To make exercise appealing, we have to understand why it’s sometimes not. Like any routine, exercise can get boring. It is also physically demanding and difficult, more for some than others.
Fighting boredom can be accomplished on several fronts. First of all, try varying the days and/or times that you exercise to shake things up a bit. A little bit of randomness in your schedule can be good. Additionally, try involving someone else in your exercise regimen. Doing something together builds motivation and strongly encourages follow-through. It doesn’t have to be every time, but perhaps your spouse, parent, child, friend or even a gym partner would like to get out of the house as well. For that matter, skip humans altogether and just take your dog for a run. They need the exercise, too!
Perhaps most importantly in the fight against boredom is the variety of exercise itself. Keeping your mind happy is critical. Make it a point to change things up as frequently as necessary to alleviate your tedium. Here are some examples of moderate to high-intensity exercise that you may want to try: running (outside or inside), sprinting (interval training), speed walking, backpacking, biking, spinning, aerobics class, circuit training, elliptical training, stair stepping, inclined walking (treadmill), rowing, jumping rope, soccer, basketball, tennis, racquetball, hockey (inline or ice), swimming, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, dancing, rollerblading, climbing, chopping wood and even raking leaves at a good pace.
There are of course other examples, limited only by your imagination. Try doing more than just the same thing each and every time that you exercise. Vary your location, too. Find a partner. Do the Hokey-Pokey and turn yourself around – that’s what it’s all about!
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