Yesterday I wrote about the first two of the four most critical factors that stop people from sticking with an exercise program; today I’m tackling the remaining two.
As you know, Dr. Bryant listed the four most critical factors for exercise adherence:
- Injuries
- Time
- Boredom
- Results
Now to the tough ones.
BOREDOM. I’ll put it right out there: this one confuses me a bit. I think that I get bored all. the. time. Really! My attention span is remarkably short; I just hide it fairly well most of the time.
But that boredom, or rather trying to avoid that boredom, is essential when it comes to fitness. Our bodies get bored with the same workout just like our brains get bored with the same old, same old. By mixing up our workouts we can kill two boring birds with one stone!
Get off the cardio machine at the gym and go outside for a walk, run, or interval workout. Get on your bike and go someplace new. Try a Zumba class. Try a rockclimbing class! There are so many gyms, classes, parks and rec offerings that are currently at rock bottom prices (check out any of the daily deal websites!) I simply don’t think there is a valid excuse for being bored with your workouts.
RESULTS. We all want them. It’s a major motivator for most of us! But geez they can take a long time to show up. Bryant recommends keeping an exercise log, and I absolutely agree. When you can look back on your log and see how many workouts you fit in, how many miles you logged, how many minutes you spent improving your physical self, that’s pretty cool. It’s nice and free of judgments—it’s only listing what you’ve already accomplished—and is a silent little pat on the back every time you look at it. You are capable of making progress every day—why not recognize that? That progress is a result in itself.
Staying free of serious injury, making exercise a priority, beating boredom and seeing results are each necessary for continual exercise success. Good thing we are all capable of this success in our lives!
Don’t let anything stand in your way; go for it!!
