this past Friday I ran a 5K race in Jackson Township at the night glow community race and fun walk with my high school son. I joked that my motivation was to train to ensure that my time was less than twice of what his time was. Although I achieved this by a comfortable margin, I’m nowhere close to running at a pace that high school cross country boys will run.
Because the secret of good fitness and condition is consistent exercise, we all need to find multiple ways to motivate ourselves. An interesting program is the couch to 5K program. “It’s secret is is that it’s a gentle introduction to getting the body moving, starting off alternating between walking and running small distances, and slowly building up until after eight weeks, you’re ready to run 5 km or 30 minutes nonstop”. This quote taken from their website illustrates how simple goals will motivate us to get up and get moving.
There are many other ways to motivate yourself. You just need to find what works for you. Some common sense ways to motivate yourself are to set goals and track your progress. When you achieve a goal, reward yourself. This may be a treat or an activity that is completely different then your exercise routine.
I’ve blogged about this before but one simple way to stay motivated throughout your week is to insert exercise into your daily routine. Simple things like parking your car further from the door adds extra steps to your life. Instead of taking the elevator, walk up the stairs. This is great for strengthening as well as balance and aerobics. If you use good body mechanics and concentrate on what you’re doing, simple activity such as raking leaves or shoveling snow can actually be good and healthy full body workouts.
Whatever motivates you, keep practicing and growing that healthy force in your life. Be open minded however to other things that may continue to motivate you throughout your life to keep you fit and healthy. It can only make your life more healthy and interesting.
Ask Dr S. 