So as we continue into the New Year, we have stuck to all of our resolutions and are making great progress in taking care of our health and wellness….right? Which planet is she writing from?  If my kitchen is anything like yours, I am still trying to rid it of holiday treats. It is certainly easy to find excuses to avoid exercising: the weather, less daylight, the drive to the gym is too long, too busy, my hair is dirty, too tired and on and on.

What keeps the regular exercisers motivated to stay with the program? Some have an internal drive to stay fit, some exercise for stress relief, some notice health benefits  and know they must exercise to reap those benefits, some exercise to reduce  medical risk factors (diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease) and a small percentage of individuals actually enjoy exercising.
Can you ever become a successful exerciser if you don’t fall into any of the above categories? Of course not. You may need a few helpful strategies to stick with your program.  Here are some recommendations:

• Exercise with a friend and keep regular appointments. It makes the time go faster and the time is enjoyable as you look forward to spending it with your friend.
• Variety is the spice of life. Change your program with the help of a personal trainer to challenge your body.
• Add an exercise class one day a week such as yoga. Your fitness level will improve by doing a variety of types of exercise.
• Use tools such as an Ipod to listen to your favorite music or kindle to read books to make the time more enjoyable.
• Set reasonable and objective goals each month and reward yourself when you reach the goal.
• Find the type of exercise and arena that you enjoy so that you are more apt to exercise.
• Keep an exercise log recording the amount, type, duration and how you feel to mark your progress. Avoid skipping more than two days in a row without exercise.
• Set a date to start exercising and have a “no excuses” mentality.

Think of exercise and its’ benefits as your long term health insurance plan. You are paying into each day by exercising, you may not notice the benefits right away but if you stick with it, you’ll be happy that you made that investment in yourself down the road with a better quality of life.