New Year resolutions came and went.  Spring is lurking around the corner and you find yourself still wanting to lose weight and in need of motivation.  Let this new season motivate you to make a fresh start.  Spring will motivate you with longer days and a much wanted warmer weather.  You are not training for Boot Camp or for the New York marathon.  Just getting more activity than what you are used to is a great start! It’s time to break down barriers, face fears, look at a healthier future, and finally make fitness a way of life.

Understanding the Power

    Let me put it in simple terms.  Regular physical activity will keep you young and help preserve your friends.  When you exercise regularly, your mood improves, the quality of your life is enhanced and it helps you burn off stress; therefore you are a happier person and more likeable by those around you.  In addition, exercise strengthens your body while it burns calories and helps your body work the way it is supposed to.  A simple activity, like walking, is a good weight bearing exercise that helps keep muscles strong – including your heart.

    The hardest part is getting started.  Once you exercise, you will feel terrific!  This is partly due to endorphins, these are feel-good brain chemicals.  Adding music to your workout has also proven to enhance your brainpower, be more stimulating than exercise alone, and it makes you feel better mentally and emotionally after working out.

Don’t be a Hater

    Many people say they “hate exercise”, but what they hate is the chore of having to do it.  Truth is, no one likes chores.  The key to success it changing the way you view exercise from a chore to a life-saving physical activity.  Then, consider all the things that fall under the category of physical activity – from walking and shopping, to swimming, bike riding, gardening, and yes, love making.  This too is a life-saving physical activity.  Thinking this way will make it much easier to find activities you enjoy, and exercise won’t feel like a chore if you are enjoying yourself.

    So, dare to go outside and enjoy.  Treat yourself to a good pair of sneakers and a pedometer, get your music ready and hit the streets.  Walking can be done almost anywhere.  Start by wearing your pedometer for 1 day to determine your typical daily step count.  Once you know your average, make it your goal to add at least 2,000 more steps to your day to help you maintain your weight.  Know that if you add a few thousand more daily steps you will definitely enter the weight-loss zone.

    If you have physical limitations, check with your doctor before starting an exercise routine.  Remember that activities done in water or on a stationary bike will take pressure off your joints and may be a safe way to get started.

Be Committed

    A good recipe for success in making physical activity a habit is to commit to a program or commit to a friend.  Knowing that your friend will be waiting for you to walk in the morning will be a great motivator to get out of bed and get your sneakers on.  In the same way, if you make a financial commitment to a gym or class, you will be more likely to go through with it.  Exercising together is another way to create strong bonds and spend quality time with those you care with.

Easy Does It

    No one expects you to be an Olympian, it just takes taking the stairs more often than the elevator, or parking farther out instead of waiting for that parking space next to the front door.  Your goal should be to steadily improve upon your fitness level.  You improve by adding just a few extra minutes of exercise or slightly increasing the intensity of your routine.  Combine 30 minutes of heart rate-increasing activities, such as walking, biking, or running, with 30 minutes of less strenuous activities, such as car washing, vacuuming or gardening, and you will be on your way to effective weight loss.  Your goal should be to progressively increase your exercise routine until you achieve 1 hour of total physical activity every day.

     
Understanding that exercise will help preserve and improve your life and making the commitment to steadily add physical activity as part of your daily routine, will secure a healthier tomorrow for you.  So, take the first step and Spring into fitness this season!

By: Mabelissa Acevedo, LDN, MHA 352-284-4951
 

Articles Provided by Women of Influence. The views expressed are not necessarily the views of Entercom, or Women of Influence.