{"id":23946,"date":"2024-09-10T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=23946"},"modified":"2024-09-10T09:11:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T13:11:37","slug":"need-to-exercise-10-ways-to-motivate-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2024\/09\/need-to-exercise-10-ways-to-motivate-yourself.html","title":{"rendered":"Need to Exercise? 10 Ways to Motivate Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We all know we need to exercise. The problem isn’t knowledge, it is motivation. There are too many reasons exercise gets lost in the laundry list of daily To Dos. It’s too easy to put it off until later. We all need a push to do things that help us, but it’s hard to take the time or make the effort.<\/p>\n

OK, no more excuses. Here are 10 tips to help motivate you and get you moving:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Start somewhere<\/strong>. You goal is to become less sedentary and begin to move more. It doesn’t have to be much. Just more awareness and action to sitting less and moving more. Begin with something small.<\/li>\n
  2. Change your mindset:<\/strong> When we say exercise or work out, it sounds like an ordeal and a chore. In fact, it simply sounds overwhelming to a busy person. So embrace tip #1 and tell yourself, you are going to move more. Change the words from exercise and work out to move more. Psychologically, this will help you.<\/li>\n
  3. Determine what is manageable.<\/strong> Most of us have trouble fitting in a 40-minute workout, but could walk stairs or do steps for 5-10 minutes. Data indicates this is good–10 minute intervals on the stationary bike, elliptical , walking, etc. will make a difference. Break up your movement into time frames you can actually manage.<\/li>\n
  4. Make it interesting and connected to something you like.<\/strong> If I try to force myself to run, it will rarely happen because I hate running. But I love biking or walking a nature trail, or even shopping in a walking type of mall. This is key to doing and sustaining movement. This is one reason pickle ball has become so popular. It’s fun!<\/li>\n
  5. If you’ve had a wake-up call with your health, use that to motivate yourself to change.\u00a0<\/strong>I don’t really have to say more except the time to strike to make a change is when something negative happens.<\/li>\n
  6. Make small adjustments in your lifestyle.<\/strong> Park far away from the store entrance, take stairs versus elevators, walk your dog, mow the lawn, etc. Small changes in these ways add up.<\/li>\n
  7. Remind yourself: Exercise isn’t for weight loss, but better health.<\/strong> Focus on the health aspects of movement and you will obsess less over the slow weight loss that may or may not come over time.<\/li>\n
  8. If you are a geek like me, look at studies or follow articles in magazines and online.<\/strong> Health tips and articles may motivate you to keep going. Studies about exercise helping you live longer, can be motivating for some people.<\/li>\n
  9. Save money!<\/strong> The more you move and exercise, the fewer health problems you will have. That means paying less to doctors, hospitals and insurance.<\/li>\n
  10. Make movement a team sport.<\/strong> Find an exercise partner, a motivated neighbor or someone you know who will have the motivation when you do not. When a friend says to me, “Come on, let’s walk. We will feel better,” I am more apt to do it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are easy changes to make for a big payoff. Now, motivate yourself to change!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      We all know we need to exercise. The problem isn’t knowledge, it is motivation. There are too many reasons exercise gets lost in the laundry list of daily To Dos. It’s too easy to put it off until later. We all need a push to do things that help us, but it’s hard to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":24018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4100],"tags":[16,4334,8250,2687,8253],"class_list":["post-23946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-exercise","tag-motivation","tag-movement","tag-sedentary","tag-time-to-exercise"],"yoast_head":"\nNeed to Exercise? 10 Ways to Motivate Yourself<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We all know we need to exercise. The problem isn't knowledge, it is motivation. 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