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Better Brainpower Through Exercise
Can you boost brain power with exercise? Several relevant studies were reported on at the annual Meeting Of The Society Of Psychophysiological Research in Montreal recently. The findings showed both immediate benefits from exercise, as well as...
Diabetes and Exercise
Diabetes and Exercise There are two main types of diabetes, type
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Exercise And Quitting Smoking
When you plan to stop smoking, bring about other changes in your life style as well. Take a look at all those things that have become a kind of routine and break that routine. Try to do things differently and will make a lot of difference.
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Exercise Routine Made Simple
How is it possible to enjoy a life full of pleasure without healthy living? With this in mind, often people are in search for an effective exercise routine that will get them in shape and keep them there. Unusual training methods, fad diets and...
Free Weights Vs. Exercise Machines
Anyone who has ever been in a gym before is familiar with the gleaming banks of shiny exercise machines. Coming in all shapes and sizes, they are usually cause for the newcomer to the gym to pause and ask, "What IS all of that stuff?"
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Exercise & Motivation, Part 2: Overcoming Inertia & Getting Started
Copyright 2005 Tanja Gardner
In the first article in this series (http://tinyurl.com/8ztbo), we gave you an overview of the stages of change in Prochaska’s Transtheoretical model. The first three of these stages are all about getting started. They apply to anyone who’s not actually regularly exercising at the moment. If you were active in the past, but don’t now (i.e. you’re in the “Relapse” stage), then, motivationally speaking, you’re in one of these stages. Just as a reminder,
the stages are:
- Pre-Contemplation: When you’re not active, not thinking about it, and really don’t see why you should be;
- Contemplation: When you’re thinking about getting active, but not quite ready to get around to it yet; and
- Preparation: You’ve thought, you’ve decided, and you’re making arrangements as you read this – you’re just about to start, honestly!
PRE-CONTEMPLATION
If you’re at the Pre-Contemplation stage, you don’t really want to change. Others might have said you should, or you may have read something about why activity’s supposed to be good for you, but deep down, you’re not convinced. As far as you’re concerned, there’s nothing wrong with your life exactly as is.
If this sounds like you, I invite you to take a candid look at your life. Are you truly happy with how things are? Look back over where you are now compared to where you were ten years ago. If the same trend continued for another ten years, would you honestly be happy with where you’d end up?
If so, congratulations! You’re the only person who knows what’s right for you, and no-one, including me, can tell you how you should feel about it. If there’s nothing you’d like to change about your exercise habits, you probably don’t need to be reading this article. If you find, however, that there are things about your life that could be better, let yourself think about them. What’s not exactly the way you want it?
What would your life look like if it *was* the way you wanted it? What would you feel like? You don’t have to do anything right now to change – just let yourself think about what could be better.
CONTEMPLATION
If you’re at this stage, you know you want to make a change, and you’re thinking about what your life might be like if you make it. You’re not quite ready yet though, and that’s OK. Instead of beating yourself up for not having started yet, take a deep breath and give yourself a chance to really explore why you want to get more active.
What exactly do you want? To become healthier? Stronger? To slim down or tone up? Why do you want it? What difference will it make in your life? These are questions that will help to make it easier to stay motivated in future.
Think about how you could turn what you want into a specific, measurable goal. Ensure sure that
goal is big enough to inspire you, but realistic enough that you don’t believe it’s doomed to failure from the beginning. If you have a *really* big goal (for example, to lose a large amount of weight, or to compete in a sporting event), think about breaking it down into a series of smaller goals.
Consider starting a fitness journal to answer these questions (if you already keep a journal, just write them in there). Once you’re sure you’re crystal clear on why you want to exercise, you’ll find yourself moving naturally into the next stage – your ‘why’ will drive you to thinking about the ‘how’
PREPARATION
At this stage, you’ve decided that the need for change is stronger than the need to stay the same, and you’ve started thinking about how to make it happen. You might contact a gym, call a personal trainer, or just decide to go for a regular walk.
If you’re here now, it’s time to start exploring how you’re going to make your goal happen. There are many ways to be active, and it’s important to find what’s right for you. The quickest way to kill your motivation is to just throw yourself into the first exercise programme you come across and expect willpower to keep you going. Willpower may be a factor, but
your programme also needs to be enjoyable, convenient, and work for your budget. Some possibilities you may want to consider include:
- Gym classes
- Dance
- Martial arts
- Mind/body activities like yoga or t’ai ch’i
- Walking/hiking/running
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Weights training
Record your research and thoughts in your fitness journal. If you can’t find anything that sounds like it will be convenient, enjoyable and affordable, think about consulting a fitness professional. Chances are, if you understand where you want to be and why, as you start investigating how you can create routines that will get you there *and* let you enjoy yourself when you do, you’ll find yourself itching to get started.
Which is when you move into the next stage - Action.
About the author:
Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Personal Trainer and Stress Management Coach whose articles on holistic health and relaxation have appeared in various media since 1999.
To read more articles like this one, please subscribe to Optimum Fitness News at http://optimumlife.co.nz/Newsletter%20Signup.htm. To find out more about how you could benefit from online personal training, please visit http://www.trainerforce.com/optimumlife/.
To find out more about holistic fitness and stress management please contact Tanja on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz
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| exercise.about.com |
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| Fitness Certification and Education: The American Council on Exercise (ACE), a non-profit organization, promotes active lifestyles by setting certification ... |
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| Physical exercise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Physical exercise is the performance of some activity in order to develop or ... Frequent and regular physical exercise is an important component in the ... |
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| Why Exercise Is Cool |
| Tells why exercise is important and explores the many benefits of physical activity. |
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| Kids and Exercise |
| When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights. But for children, exercise means playing and ... |
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| It is influenced by age, sex, heredity, personal habits, exercise and eating practices. ... How often, how long and how hard you exercise, and what kinds of ... |
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| MedlinePlus: Exercise and Physical Fitness |
| National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases The primary NIH organization for research on Exercise and Physical Fitness is the ... |
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| MedlinePlus: Exercise for Seniors |
| Pictures/Diagrams; Slide Show: Balance Exercises Improve Stability, Help Prevent Falls (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) ... |
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| Exercise: A Healthy Habit to Start and Keep -- familydoctor.org |
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| Welcome to ::-:: Exercise, Fitness and Leisure |
| Information on various aspects of exercise and fitness and providers of sporting, exercise and leisure equipment. |
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| ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Net |
| Fitness and exercise information including diet, nutrition, exercise, sports and weight training. Includes a muscle directory. |
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| Weight Training, Exercise Instruction & Kinesiology |
| Weight training and kinesiology reference with many animated weight training exercises, stretches, plyometric movements, and illustrated muscles. |
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| Exercise & Fitness |
| Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, walking or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. Whether it is a structured exercise ... |
| www.americanheart.org |
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| Howstuffworks "How Exercise Works" |
| Exercise creates a set of responses in your body, whether you work out regularly or not. Find out how these responses can be enhanced by training. |
| www.howstuffworks.com |
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| Exercise and Diabetes - American Diabetes Association |
| The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Exercise works the same way. Taking that first step can be hard, especially if you've been ... |
| www.diabetes.org |
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| NIHSeniorHealth: Exercise for Older Adults - Table of contents |
| See the Exercise Stories. Exercise for Older Adults Table of Contents. Benefits of Exercise · Safety First · Exercises to Try · Charting Progress ... |
| nihseniorhealth.gov |
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| Exercise to Improve Your Body and Your Brain |
| My comprehensive exercise guide. ... The key to obtaining the benefits of exercise is to find a program and stick to it. Of course, it is useful to have a ... |
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| FitnessOnline.com - Exercise Health Nutrition Advice Weight Loss |
| FitnessOnline.com - expert advice on exercise programs, diets, weight loss, muscle gain, vitamins, supplements & strength training. |
| www.fitnessonline.com |
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| Table of Contents |
| Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging ... Chapter 2: Is It Safe for Me to Exercise? ... Chapter 4: Examples of Exercises to Do at Home ... |
| weboflife.nasa.gov |
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| Exercise Physiology Page for the MAPP |
| Aging, Exercise and Short Term Power · Principles of Training- Revisited · The Time Course of Training Adaptations · Understanding Interval Training ... |
| home.hia.no |
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