Before athletes go on to the field, they prepare their muscles for the activity they are about to participate. A pitcher will go through a series of warm up techniques that usually involve stretching before pitching. A gymnast will make sure her muscles are warm and pliable to avoid a strain that may keep her out of competition.
1. Set achievable, realistic, internally focused goals.
We all set goals in our daily lives, and we need to do so with exercise as well. To make a difference in exercise adherence, the goals must be achievable and realistic. Most importantly, for the long haul, you must be motivated by the internal desire to be healthy because it feels great, not because your waist line will shrink. Goals such as “I’ll lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks for that wedding” are inappropriate and unachievable, not to mention, “externally focused”. With a goal such as this, you will eventually fail because the goal is unrealistic or even worse, you’ll lose weight too fast, and once the wedding is over, it will all come back because you were not motivated past the date of the wedding. We all know people who lost 30 pounds plus, just to gain it back, feeling worse than when they started. How self-defeating!
Finally, remember to reward yourself once you’ve achieved your goals, and then set new ones.
As fitness professionals, we are frequently asked, “Where and How” to begin this difficult process. Below are some sensible suggestions for helping you begin the journey. No myths. No gimmicks.
