Make Exercise Something You Value

Joshua Wayne challenged everyone (including me!) on the 4th weight loss bootcamp call. 

I don't have to remind you about all the health benefits of consistent exercise.  You already know you need to do it and you need to make it valuable to you.  If something isn’t valuable to you, you’re not going to stick with it. 

Bottom line is this: we make time for things we think are valuable to us.  If you're a Gray's Anatomy fan, you will do anything it takes to make sure you are near a television at 9:00 on a Thursday, and if for some reason you can't be?  You'll dvr it and take the time to watch it later.  Patriots game on Sunday?  You'll find a way to watch it.  The "twice annual" sale at Saks?  You'll find a way to get there. 

You have to find a way to make exercise valuable to you. Your body is already ready for the transition to a more active lifestyle. If you make it valuable and fun, you will find a way to do it.

We All Get Off Track- How To Get Back On

We all lose momentum in our exercise program- if it is valuable to you, you'll jump right back in. If it is not, we will find an excuse not to do it. After hearing Joshua's comment about making exercise valuable I went back into the community and looked for some more specific ideas on things that other people have done to make exercise fun and valuable.

One great idea I found was to buy a step to put in front of the TV:

"I put a step in front of the tv -( like a reebok step for step aerobics class) and I put on a dvd and step for an allotted time. its fun because i dont have to worry about following a routine, I just do my favorite moves from class for as long as i want and break a sweat and get a good cardio workout."

I also found a great discussion on how to get up in the morning to exercise. The most creative tip I found was one suggestion to put the alarm clock as far away from you as you can. This way you are forced to actually get up. I am not sure this will help make exercise more valuable, but it will help you get the habit formed. I think Joshua mentioned that it takes three weeks to form a habit according to some researchers, so you really want to think about all the things to get the habit going, to make it fun, to make it a priority and to make it something you love.

I also want to hear what you think, and have started a thread on this subject to get the discussion going a little more:

Ideas On Making Exercise Valuable and Fun

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Comments

[Jeannine]

I'm with Katie - I can't afford to join a gym, but I've found walking to be great for me. It gets me some time alone to think and self motivate, and it helps reduce my stress levels. I take water with me and drink it as I walk. I also found that even in my limited amount of time, I can add distance to the walk and that steps up the intensity.

[Beth H]

Personally I do not feel that three weeks is enough time to establish the exercise 'habit'.

For me (before I fell off the fit wagon) it took many many months for it to become routine.

Sadly it is VERY easy to unlearn this habit, no matter how healthy it is, and hard to get started again.

[Katie]

This post is for Debbie. I'm uncertain of the extent of your disability, so forgive me if my suggestions don't match what you're physically capable of accomplishing.

Two things come to mind that I'd like to suggest that you incorporate into your life - both of which are free.

The first suggestion is water. I couldn't gather from your post how much water you currently drink, but this should definitely be your single source for hydration. Nix the soda drinks and anything sugary now. If you're not eating as good as you're hoping to, try to make drinking at least 3 full Nalgene-sized waterbottles [32oz] a day a priority. It'll help to flush out a lot of the toxind that are in your system and will significantly aid in keeping your hunger at bay. Often times our body is actually thirsty when we assume that we're hungry. The next time you feel hunger pangs coming on, reach for a glass [or two!] of water. It's refreshing and it's free, right out of the tap!

The second suggestion I have for you is to go outside and get in a nice walk everyday. My mother would do this every morning - she'd wake up early enough before everyone else in the house, just to have some alone time for herself. If you leave your front door, walk somewhere for 15 mins, and then turn around and walk back home, you've just got yourself 30 minutes of low impact [and free!] exercise. From there, you can add on 5 mins, 10 mins to your start - inevitably, you'll have to turn around to head back home.

I hope this helps!

[Debbie]

I really need help to get back on track and just talking doesn't help me. I need someone pushing me to get me over the hump.. I am poverty level so anything that cost money I can't do. I know if I had a personal trainer to get me going I could loose the weight and get back on track. I have had a very rough couple years emotionally and gained 70 lbs. (40 after I moved in with mom) as a result of that. I had back surgery (I gained 30 lbs. from the meds. I was on after surgery. I have fibromyalgia so regular exercise does not work for me), I am going through a divorce, my dad died and I moved cross country to live with my mom. I have no emotional help here. My mom is the type of person who just doesn't understand emotional eating. She eats because she knows she has to fuel her body. (she is about 10 lbs. overweight)She eats what she wants when she does and just doesn't understand what I am going through. She loves to bake so there are always goodies here and she won't stop doing it. She says why should I give up theses things, you just need to not eat them. (she's 76 yrs. old) I have tried to get her to eat healthy and keep the junk out of the house but she won't do it. I don't have much money so I pretty much have to depend on what she buys food wise and eat what she eats. I can buy enough groceries to get me through 2 weeks a month and that's it. I am also disabled so it's not like I can get a job to get extra money. I am as dependant on my mom as she is me. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't have it any other way where my mom is concerned. I love her dearly but she is set in her ways and it doesn't help me get this extra weight off. Is there any help out there for someone like me?

[Ahdickbrandt]

For six weeks, I've had a personal trainer and worked with powerplate. - two to three times a week. During those sessions I would be told to stand up streight or hold my stomache in. I'd give it a shold and then the trainer said "Good Job Richard" - or something similar.

I finally realized that I could use positive reenforcement with myself.
The idea is that whatever I want to do more or less of, - including just doing what I can about feelings of being overwhelmed - I look for something (however tiny) that I can reenforce as a positive - with the idea that over time, the rewarded positives will become more prominent - and I will - pretty much effortlessly - move in the direction I want to go. (Not haveing to worry about a "relapse" because each time I do this, I know that I may do "better" or "worse" - but that I will be doing the best thing I can to deal with the present moment and to increase the likelihood of improvement.

[Ted]

It's quite easier for those who've been regularly exercising for over six months, to realize the value of regular exercise and to have already formed a convenient regular exercise routine. For starters, the values might still be elusive, but with persistence they're easily realizable. It's all about figuring out one's appropriate hour to exercise. Some people have the free time to do daily exercises in the mornings and or evenings while others may only be chanced on weekends. For those who exercise in the mornings, i think it's important to form the habit of taking off your pajamas as soon as you're out of bed and putting on your exercise attire, before starting your normal morning routines like brushing teeth, washing face, breakfasting and so on. This will help keep you alert of where next you've got to head to. It's also applicable to those who do exercises after work; as soon as they're back from work, first thing is to change into their exercise attires before anything else. That's what i always do because i understand that once those gym clothes are on me, i won't take them off until i've got to the gym and back. Another suggestion for gym goers is to make the gym their second home. Even when they're not in the mood to exercise, they can always go to the gym just to walk around to establish that affection with the environment, so they can alway have a missing feeling of the place.