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How To Learn To Love Exercise
Exercise is difficult to maintain, and even those who’ve managed to achieve a love of exercise will still find it hard to be motivated at times. Our bodies need exercise in order to get the energy we need to function and to also feel healthier in ourselves. There’s definitely plenty you can do to help you find more passion for exercise and to enjoy it more. Here are a few tips on how you can learn to love exercise.
Make It Part Of A Routine
Exercise needs to fit into your routine, and that can often be half the battle that you face. If you’re not setting yourself up for the week and schedule in your workout sessions, then you’re going to struggle to maintain them. It’s important to think about exercise as something that you slot in and around your day, rather than making accommodations to fit it in. It should be something that naturally becomes your daily habit and just like brushing your teeth every morning, there should be some form of workout attached it your daily or weekly plan.
Look at what you’re doing already, and if you’re all over the place when it comes to staying organized, then it might be best to lay your plans out on a calendar or even on your phone. It can be helpful to remind yourself when you’re meant to work out.
Focus On Exercises Or Sports You Like
It’s important to find something you love, whether it’s a hobby, your career, or fitness. Just because a friend is doing a sport like boxing, doesn’t mean you’re going to enjoy it. It’s what you get out of that experience of working out that really counts. Some people might love to swim whilst others love a gym environment where they can do a mixture of cardio and weighted workouts. It’s completely up to you when it comes to preference for exercise or sport. It’s definitely handy to mix it up and to have a variety so that you don’t become bored and it offers your body and mind a challenge each time.
If you’ve not found anything you like yet, then think outside of the box and try something that you might not have thought to give a go.
Set A Minimum Target
A minimum target can be handy when it comes to motivating you to work out. You shouldn’t be setting the bar too high, otherwise, that might have the opposite effect and leave you to feel unmotivated. Try to set a minimum target that you can do each week or month and slowly build on that until you’re at a comfortable point where you’re doing enough and not too much or too little. We’re all different in the number of workouts our bodies can take over a week or month, so try not to push yourself too hard, to begin with. You want it to be a consistent and gradual build so that you don’t fall out of love with it.
Get A Personal Trainer
Personal trainers aren’t for everyone, but if you find yourself giving yourself a break or not pushing yourself enough when doing workouts, you might want to consider it. It can be a great way of having some motivation thrown your way when you’re struggling to continue with a workout or having a particularly hard day. There are different types of PT’s out there that can focus on different types of training, whether it’s heavyweight lifting, nutrition, or weight loss. It’s worth doing some research and also meeting different personal trainers so that you can figure out who is going to achieve the best results for you. You also need to be able to get on with them as they’re going to be pushing you and forcing you to work out when you might not want to. You can look at how to become a personal trainer and see if it’s something you want to invest in when working out.
Be Aware Of The Mental Benefits
As much as the workouts you do are physical, there’s also a lot of mental benefits that can come from exercising. Stress levels can be reduced when it comes to doing exercise as it’s a way of focusing that negativity and really hammering it out. For mental health, it’s something that is often said to be a good outlet to have, and for those who might suffer from anxiety or depression will find it works for them in some cases. Just to have an outlet in general to combat the stresses and emotions of life can be helpful.
Record Your Progress
When you’re working out, it’s hard to notice the benefits it’s having on your body without taking visual evidence or recording your progress. Whether you want to weigh yourself, take before and after photos or measure yourself, recording your progress is handy. It can show you how far you’ve come and that all of your efforts so far have achieved your current look. It’s definitely something you want to do more of because it can also help improve your attitude and happiness towards it.
Take Time To Give Your Body A Break
Your body is something that needs rest, and when it comes to sleep, it’s important to get plenty of it to recover properly. When you’re working out, there are days where you will need to rest. It’s good to listen to your body and recognize when this is needed. Without resting your body, you’re not letting it recover, and that can end up doing damage. Not only that, but it can affect your mood if you’re exhausted from multiple workouts and haven’t been resting in between. Give your body a break where you can and don’t get down on yourself for those times where you’re resting or having a cheat day.
Learning to love exercise can be a process, and it’s certainly different for everyone. Try to focus on what you love and take your time.
