Not only is exercise a crucial aspect of weight loss, but it’s incredibly important to your overall health, too. Working in just 30 minutes of exercise a day (for at least 4 days a week) can make a massive difference to staying fit and maintaining your weight. It can difficult to keep yourself motivated, though, and if you haven’t been exercising it can be even more difficult to get started. Even the thought of half an hour is difficult to stomach, but don’t think about it like that.
Your starting point should be aiming for get 10 minutes of exercise done, and the American Heart Association has plenty of suggestions to get you started.
Do Something You Enjoy
You are more likely to follow a new exercise routine if you are doing an exercise you like. Whether it’s swimming, dancing, or cycling. You might want to make a change and lift weights, or run laps- but when you’re just starting out it’s easy to let this fall away as you decide quickly they’re not working. You’re more likely to stick with it if it’s something that you really enjoy doing. If you’re not particularly sporty then pick an activity that requires limited skills and minimum equipment- walking is perfect.
Make It A Group Hang
Motivating yourself to get going is a challenge- but if you agree to exercise with friends there’s a bigger motivation. You’ll want to stick with it to save face, and to avoid letting your friends down. The social aspect of group exercise makes it more enjoyable- so whether you gather your neighbors for a walk after dinner, or you get your besties to join a dance class or start a 5 a side soccer team- doing it in a group adds fun.
Keep Moving At Work
Sometimes at work you barely have time to eat lunch, but if you work smartly you know you can find the time to fit in a 10-minute walk. Whether it’s part of your lunch break or on your coffee break- just 10 minutes of walking can make a difference- to your energy levels and your mood. If you work from home then you should be able to make time to get walking, even if you walk around the house while making calls.
Depending on your weather, you may want to consider walking or cycling to work. If you take the bus, Get of the bus early and get that walk in. Instead of taking the elevator everywhere, take the stairs.
Move Around At Home
You’re finally home after a rough day at the office- sinking into the couch and catching up with TV is tempting. Resist that delicious temptation and tell yourself that’s your treat, for after your workout. Vacuuming, mowing the lawn, doing housework and gardening burns calories so that can count as some exercise.
Consider having exercise equipment in the home- a stationary bike is relatively inexpensive and you can work out while watching TV. Small weights, a hula hoop and a jump ropes are all easy equipment to use and small to store.
