Staying Fit For Life: How and Why to Make Fitness a Daily Part of Your Lifestyle

What if I told you that I had a pill that could relieve stress and depression, help you lose weight, regenerate brain cells, prevent both heart disease and type 2 diabetes, boost confidence, give you more energy, reverse most of the symptoms of aging, and it had no side effects. Would you take it?

Most people would take it for sure until they hear the directions: “Take one pill with an 8 ounce glass of water fifteen minutes before exercising for at least a half hour everyday.” As you have probably guessed, it’s not what’s in the pill. It might be just a vegetable capsule filled with water. It’s the directions that come with the pill. Most notably the part that says exercise for at least a half hour every day. And it doesn’t even have to be non-stop exercise. It could be 5 or 10-minute bouts that add up to at least thirty minutes a day.

So would it work? Yes! Committing to being active everyday will give us the best chance to live a long, healthy and vibrant life. Unfortunately, most Americans are sedentary and have jobs where they sit hunched over at a desk for most of the day. As a result, we now have a serious condition known as “sitting disease,” which puts us at risk for almost every deadly chronic disease known to man.

Unfortunately, many people who start an exercise program quit in as little as six months because they don’t get quick results, they injure themselves, or they get bored with their program. So if we really care about the quality of our lives we need a plan to keep exercise fun, safe, interesting and not something we dread.

Here are some tips to keep you motivated to stay fit for the rest of your life!

1. Start slowly. I see lots of people get excited about starting an exercise program and end up doing too much, too soon, and get so sore that they can’t move the next day or two. Starting slow will allow your body to adapt to the program so you can be ready to gradually add more intensity later.
2. Pick activities that you enjoy. Go for the fun things first. Also, periodically add new exercises and activities in order to spice up your workouts. Be adventurous!
3. Remember to make the commitment to exercise every day. It should be a positive habit. No one is perfect here, so if you miss a day just get back on your schedule the next day. 
4. Replace negative incentives with positives ones. Focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want.
5. Get a workout partner. Having someone to work out with can help you stay motivated. You might find a reason why you don’t want to work out, but if someone has committed to working out with you at a specific time that should be an incentive to show up. Otherwise, you might lose your workout buddy.
6. Join a team. There are several walking groups and sports that are always looking for more members. Not only will you get a great workout, but you’ll also make some new friends!
7. Get a personal trainer. Yes, there is an expense for working with a personal trainer, but if you are really serious about seeing results a qualified trainer can put together an individualized plan and also make you accountable. Most trainers won’t let you slack. In addition, you can always pay for a trainer for a few months to help you develop good habits, then just continue those habits on your own if you need to save the money.
8. Vary the intensity and have some challenging days and some easy days. Walking along the beach, in a park, or even in a mall doesn’t feel like exercise, but it is. Remember to be creative and mix it up. Don’t do the same thing everyday.

Remember that exercise is not a punishment. It is a joy, a reward and should be fun. We are lucky to be able to do it and I guarantee you that once you commit to an active lifestyle, your whole life will change in a positive, phenomenal way. Enjoy your workouts, progress slowly, and make fitness a priority for the rest of your life! 

A helpful perspective is this: We don't HAVE to exercise, we GET to exercise!