Sunday, November 11, 2007

STICK WITH THE PROGRAM






Funk’s 9 Motivating Strategies to
Keep You Working Out


1. Enjoy
Fifty percent of all people who start an exercise program drop out within the first six months. The fun factor is important, even when people exercise to improve their health. Remember the major reason for participating in youth sports is to have fun. Yet as people mature, the fun aspect of sport and physical exercise seems to be overwhelmed by the need to be productive, hard-working and successful. The bottom line is this: you shouldn’t dread exercising. If you do, then you have an excellent chance of not achieving your goals. Find something fun to do that offers health-benefits, such as weightlifting, skating, swimming aerobic dance or cycling

2. Organize
“I just don’t have time” is one of the most frequent and pathetic excuses for not exercising. We usually plan our daily schedules around work, school, family and social activities. We need to make working out a regular habit if you want to truly be successful

3. Make Exercise a Habit
One of the most effective techniques for making exercise a part of your routine is to set aside a specific time each day to work out and maintain this schedule every week. Let your family, friends, clients and co-workers know about your exercise time. This not only establishes a habit pattern, but also holds you accountable to those who know about your schedule. Soon they’ll be asking “How was your workout?” or “What did you work today?”

4. Buddy Up
Those same family and friends can become your greatest allies in terms of maintaining your exercise regimen. Spousal support has proven to be one of the highest contributors to whether you adhere to your exercise program or dropout. Try educating your spouse about all aspects of your program including goals, duration and frequency of your workouts. The best thing you can do is workout together as you will keep each other motivated and will lesson the chance of dropping out.

5. Make it Convenient
A common reason that people have for not working out is a lack of convenient facilities. If your commute is too long or the hours of operation are limited, then you will probably not stick to exercises. Shop around for a gym that meets your needs or set up a simple home gym.

6. Be Realistic
Working out sometime looks glamorous, especially when seeing it on TV for some big chain of gyms. If you are a beginner your initial experiences may be uncomfortable. You will be sore, the treadmill may become monotonous. You may find yourself thinking, I really look foolish or I’m so out of shape or even I’ll never get into shape. Get those negative thoughts out of your head and think positive. What you tell yourself has more of an influence then you often realize. You have to be realistic about your goals. You will not lose 30 pounds of fat or gain 15 pounds of muscle in just one month

7. Make a Choice
Enjoying exercise is a choice. If you always tell yourself that you don’t like doing something then you’re choosing not to like it. Ask yourself, what is the worst thing that can happen to me if I workout this month or If I stop working out, what are the health risks? Take time to answer these questions and you will have a different philosophy. Exercising while, it can sometimes be uncomfortable, is doable and worth the time and effort over the long run.

8. Keep Track
Keeping a record of what you do in the gym will help you see what you’ve accomplished, keep you focused and continue to motivate you every workout. Keeping a log of your measurements, calorie intake, diet and supplementation, cardio workout and weights, reps and sets lifted. This self-monitoring technique helps you stick with your program and gives you visual feedback. Look for the Funk Roberts 8 Week Program Log Manuals, coming in 2008.

9. Enjoy your Success
Your workout regimen will change not only your look but your attitude. You’ll feel better about your physique; yourself and you’ll appreciate the value of training. Getting started may be hard, keeping it going may be harder, but you know you can do it and you will continue to improve everyday.

Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat and Remember our Troops

No comments:

Post a Comment

LEAVE COMMENTS HERE - SUBSCRIBE TO FUNK ROBERTS FITNESS