Most people will need a few tries to establish a permanent habit of exercise. You’ll have to try a few different sports, get discouraged more than a couple of times, and keep figuring things out until you come up with a routine that works for you. Perhaps you’ll also have to re-wire some of your thoughts or behaviors and act despite indecision or perfectionism.
However, it will all be more than worth it. A strong habit of exercise will not only provide you with a myriad of health benefits, but also increase the quality of your life in general. You’ll feel happier, more productive, and less prone to negative emotions.
Without doubt, exercise can change your life – as it has changed mine. Rest assured that few, if any, changes in your life will reward you with bigger benefits than consistently working out and using your body in as many (fun) ways as possible.
As a final reminder – a take-home message if you will – here are the five most important guidelines to introduce more physical activity in your life and stick to it:
1. Shallow reasons for exercise (better appearance, status, etc.) can help get you motivated, but the primary way to keep your motivation high in the long run is to do it because it increases the quality of your life. The intrinsic reasons to exercise – self-improvement, enjoyment, challenging yourself, and self-expression – will always take you farther than just wanting to have a nice body.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of fun, because in the long run, it’s the only way to get plenty of exercise each week and still look forward to the next one.
Boring fitness classes, sports that don’t fit your strengths and preferences, and exercises you’re doing because you’re “supposed to do them” are useless for the proper habit formation. Start your exercise journey by figuring out what fires you up and vow to become great at it – while enjoying yourself, not sweating your guts out and hating every single moment of it.
3. You aren’t saving time by not exercising. If anything, you’re engaging in a bad trade-off of saving, say, 30 minutes a day just to lose an additional hour of productivity and increase the risk of time-consuming health disorders. Making excuses not to exercise due to a lack of time is also a decision – a decision to say no to your health and suffer the consequences later on.
4. Recovery and the smart approach to exercise in general is a crucial part of every routine for someone who engages in physical activity a few times a week. Don’t expect to always have high energy and live a pain-free life if you neglect proper warm-up, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, paying attention to the proper technique while exercising, and giving your body other opportunities to recharge.
5. Don’t sweat it. If you associate exercise with something difficult to introduce, you’ll always think about it in terms of willpower and self-discipline. Instead, take the “work” out of your workouts and make it about play, self-discovery, and self-expression.
Last, but most definitely not least, please keep in mind that my book can only give you some tools and guidelines on how to start exercising. The second part of the equation – you taking action on it – is the only thing that can change your life.
In the past, I used to read dozens of books only to finish one and start the next one with no consideration for the practical advice the author recommended in the book. It was only when I switched my modus operandi to acting upon advice that non-fiction books, articles, and other resources of all kinds started working for me.
Will this book work for you? The answer now lies in your hands.