10 Tips to Start and Maintain an Exercise Program

Watching a basketball, football, baseball, or hockey game from your couch as you click through the channels is not considered physical fitness. If the sound of the whistle from the gym coach may have been the last recollection of you doing anything close to an exercise routine, you may have been away too long. You see recent studies into the health risks of adults have shown that exercise is a great healer and even able to reverse some of the huge problems we as a society have. Things like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, kidney problems, stomach problems, and so on. Oh did I mention that there is an extra benefit to this exercise thing and that’s weight loss and feeling better than you have been. Do you get the picture?

Recognizing those facts and that you need to exercise and actually doing something about it, is two entirely different things. You see anyone can get motivated for an hour, it’s the day after and the next day that is hard to do. Hard yes, but not impossible and the first step in this process is for only one person to take and that’s you. You may need some motivation to get started and then continue an exercise program, so here are a few tips to help you along.

1. Take a picture of yourself in a bathing suit and put it up in an area where you’ll need to see it a few times a day. The bathroom mirror or refrigerator may be great places.

2. Put a chart up on the wall with requirements for daily weight input. You need to stay positive about this and make sure your scale is available. Seeing the results of the weight coming off helps quite a bit.

3. Get a second alarm clock and set it for exercise time. Of course some of your exercise may just be getting up to shut it off.

4. Write a reminder note on your calendar for 5 days a week picking 2 other days as rest. Don’t pick the rest days in a row.

5. Have a friend text you, call you or knock on your door when you are supposed to do you exercises. Someone else bugging you can really motivate.

6. Think of the burden you would be to your friends and/or family if you had a stroke or heart attack simply because you refused to exercise. Now think of what it would be like if you had to tend to someone that was a stroke or heart attack victim simply because they didn’t care for their health.

7. Form an alliance with someone else in need of motivation support. With so many people out of share and overweight or obese, you’re sure to find someone else in that needs exercise. Join a gym together or better yet, alternate your workout routine at each other location. ALERT: Don’t forget this is an exercise buddy and not a desert-of-the-day taster buddy.

8. Buy a complete outfit at least a size smaller that you are. If you have a goal of getting into this it makes it easier to exercise each day.

9. Set monthly goals that are achievable, like losing 4 pounds or 4 inches around waist. When you have a weight loss goal it’s easier to get there with measurable things to reach for.

10. Set the ultimate goal of trying to get off medication by improving your body to a point where you no longer need it. Stopping the blood pressure medication, diabetic medication or anything else that is weight related can give you a real sense of accomplishment. This is also a great financial goal as well.

If you set any one or a few of these tips in place you will start and maintain an exercise routine for years to come. You friends and family will be behind you all the way and most important you’ll be doing a good job on your health.