Making Exercise Priority One

So you walk in the door from a long day at work and all you want to do is plop on the couch and relax and unwind from a long stressful day at work.  Ya, you know you should be exercising but all you want to do is sit for awhile.  Then you have to make dinner, maybe help the kids with their homework, get a load of laundry done.  The list goes on and on.  Lets face it making time to exercise can be almost impossible for most of us with "real" lives.  

How Do You Change Your Priorities?


First you have to want to make exercise a priority.  It is much easier to make excuses if you don't care about making a change.  Once you have bought into doing it then it is just a matter of scheduling and planning.  Planning is the key.  If you don't plan for something it never happens.  Why do you think the dentist schedules your next appointment while you are still at your current one.  Your dentist realizes if he does not plan your next visit it may never happen, or at least not when it should.  I am guilty of this when it comes to planning my physicals.  I know I need to go every year but since the doctors office does not plan my next physical I don't either.  I am going on 2 1/2 years since my last physical.  So basically you get the point about planning.  You need to sit down and plan your exercise routine and when you are going to it.   Look at your schedule and  find a time that will work or that you can make work.  

I recommend trying to fit exercising into a morning at least 3 times a week.   Mornings are good because it starts out your whole day in a positive way. You will feel fantastic the whole day because of the endorphins that are released by the exercise.  The most common response I get is " but I am not a morning person" .   It is all a matter of adjusting your internal clock.  You would never think of telling an employer that you cannot be to work at a specific time because you are not a morning person.   It is a matter of priorities isn't it?  If sleeping was more important than making money then you would not take the job and sleep.   Here is a good question regarding priorities,  Exercise or Death.  That might be a little harsh but it is not that far off.  People who exercise live longer and are far less likely to have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.  
 

Ways To Succeed. 
One of the best ways to succeed in a exercise program is to involve a "Buddie".  Make it competitive between you and your buddy.  Push each other to out do each other to not give up or quit.  
Find an activity that you enjoy.  You don't have to train for the Boston Marathon.  It can be just a brisk walk around the neighborhood.  You can hook up with another neighbor and walk together.  It could be swimming every day at the YMCA.  It really does not matter as long as you enjoy it.  as long as it exerting enough to bring up your heart rate.
Find ways to push yourself a little each time.  Try to talk a little farther each time. Take one extra lap every other time.  One extra set of reps on the weights.  


No More Excuses
There are no shortage of excuses. “I’m too tired,I'm too busy today, the weather is too bad” are just a few of my favorites and ones that I have used as well.  Any one of these can stop you in your tracks and destroy any momentum you might have.  The next thing you know you are right back to the couch eating Cheetos wondering what happened.

Here are a few strategies
 
1.) Set your alarm on the dresser so you have to get up to turn it off.  This will make it harder to hit snooze and sleep in. 


2.) Set a time/appt. to meet with your workout buddy. You’re less likely to skip it if you have someone else waiting on you.

3.) Use your Tivo, DVR or VCR and record your favorite TV shows and watch them on your rest days.

4.) Who says you need a gym to workout. Put on a workout video, run the stairs or do some yoga, or of course just walking around the neighborhood at a brisk pace.  

5.) Put your workout clothes on when you get home from work if you work out in the evenings to be ready to go when it is time.  Since it is more hectic and harder to do in the evening you will be less likely to skip out if you are already dressed to workout. 


Regular exercise Is the key to better health and a longer life.  Not to mention the fact that exercise makes us feel better and improves our mood!  Make YOU a priority by exercising!