Jamie Jefferson asked:

We all know that exercise can be pure magic for the mind, body and soul. But how do you go from a sporadic, on again, off again exerciser to someone for whom exercise is a lifelong habit, as natural and necessary as going to work and eating regular meals?
Here are 25 tips from someone who has been on both sides.
1. The first thing to do is to ask yourself: Why are you exercising? Are you trying to get in shape for an upcoming event? Do you want to lose weight, sleep better, increase your energy, gain strength, add muscle tone and flexibility, or just feel a heightened sense of well being? If the reason you are exercising has anything to do with someone else (for example, your boyfriend says you need to lose weight or get in shape), you need a new reason (and, quite possibly, a new boyfriend).
2. Set goals. Set both a short term goal, to achieve in three to six weeks, and a long term goal, to achieve over the course of a year. Make sure your goals are achievable enough that they are not discouraging, but high enough that you have an incentive to tie your workout shoes each day. It is also important that your goals are specific and directly related to your specific motivation for exercising. For example, my main motivation for exercising is to consistently maintain my brighter mood and the calm, energized feeling that I get only from exercising, so my goal is to work out at least 5 days per week. My other motivation is to gain strength and cardiovascular endurance, so my other goals have to do with how long and how quickly I run.
3. Keep an exercise journal or log. Write down how your exercise is making you feel each day. How is your exercise benefiting your mood, energy levels, quality of sleep, weight, and so on? Do some exercises have more significant effects than others? Chart your progress in regard to your specific goals.
4. Take photos of yourself each month in your workout gear so you have a visual record of your results.
5. Make sure you are working out hard enough to release endorphins. Of course, you will want to talk to a doctor before starting any workout regimen, and you want to make sure that you are exercising at the optimum level for you, your body type, and your fitness level. I find that I am much more likely to continue with an exercise program if each workout releases those endorphins and immediately improves they way I feel.
6. Advertisements for fitness products (especially athletic shoes) can be tremendously motivating. Purchase a fitness magazine and make an inspirational collage of images, advertisements and slogans that speak to you. Post your collage where you will see it each day.
7. Make sure you are using proper technique. You want to avoid injury, above all, so check with a doctor or trainer if you experience any pain, or if you are not sure whether you are doing a particular exercise correctly.
8. Join an online community, such as WeightWatchers.com or Ediets.com, which encourages you to log and track your exercise each day.
9. If you enjoy working out with someone, call a friend to help hold you accountable for those daily workouts.
10. Join a group that combines fitness goals with charity fundraising. The Team In Training, from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, for example, provides training to walk or run a whole or half marathon, or to participate in a triathlon or 100 mile bike ride, all while raising money for a good cause.
11. If you prefer to work out alone, give yourself something fun to do while you exercise. Find some good heart pumping music or listen to books on tape. A suspenseful audiobook may be all you need to get on those running shoes each day.
12. Identify the excuses you like to use and have a ready made response. If time is an issue, make sure your workout clothes are ready to go. If you have young children, get a good jogging stroller or set up a babysitting swap with another mom in your neighborhood: you can watch her children while she works out and vice versa.
13. Make sure you have the right gear, which can make all the difference in the comfort level of your workout. A good pair of shoes is essential. And weather resistant clothing or a membership to an indoor gym can help you fight off your own excuses when weather conditions are less than ideal.
14. Once you find an exercise that you particularly enjoy, do a Google search to find out more about any coaches or specialists that may be able to provide inspiration or special training, either through tapes, books, or online resources. If you are a runner, for example, check out JohnBingham.com.
15. Recognize that your will to exercise is going to fluctuate, and exercise anyway. Sometimes it helps if I promise myself that I can stop my workout after 10 minutes if I still want to. At that point, I am usually feeling so much better that I finish the workout.
16. Place a giant star on your calendar each day to indicate that you completed your workout. These visual rewards can be so motivating.
17. Change your routine as you reach new goals. Add zest to your workout and avoid the exercise plateau by increasing the intensity or the duration of your workout, or by trying a new workout or sport.
18. Hire a trainer. If you are in an exercise rut, consider consulting with a personal trainer for a session or two. You will learn new techniques and find fresh motivation, as well.
19. Try not to take more than one day off at a time. I have found this really important to avoid losing valuable momentum. If I take two days off, it becomes very easy to take another day, and then another day. That means that if your workout is only part of your weekday routine, weave it into your weekend routine, too.
20. Be gentle with yourself. If you miss a workout or two or three, get right back to your regular schedule. You will feel better instantly.
21. Choose an exercise that you are likely to do each day. Some experts say that walking is the best exercise simply because it is something that is easy to do on a continual basis. There is no need for special equipment, and you can do it absolutely anywhere.
22. If you are walking or running, get a good pedometer to help you track your progress.
23. Schedule your daily exercise on your to do list and in your planner. Think of it as simply something you need to do before your head hits the pillow.
24. Give yourself simple rewards. It is generally best if these rewards are not edible, since a food reward can be a tad demoralizing after you have just worked to burn so many calories in a workout. For long term goals, treat yourself to a new pair of athletic shoes or other fitness equipment. For short term goals, consider a new fitness magazine, workout video, or simply fresh flowers for the dining room table.
25. Try to think of exercise as something you do for yourself: a gift you give yourself, a way to stay balanced and focused, and time when you can be alone with your thoughts.

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Tod Syversen asked:

Today, in honor of lists (who doesn’t love lists?) here are seven tips to help make starting a new exercise routine easier.

1. The obligatory “consult your doctor first.” This one is particularly for if you’re not normally physically active. Before you begin a new exercise program it is really important to make sure you’re physically up for it. Make sure you don’t have anything serious that needs to be addressed.

Find a doctor that is familiar with exercise and physical fitness. This is important because one doctor told me that women should never lift weights, they should stick to aerobics. Most doctors do not get a lot of training in exercise and nutrition, find one who did and you are golden. Take home lesson: don’t be afraid to question your doctor about exercise. Lecture over, let’s get to the fun stuff.

2. Set small goals. While it may be really exciting to set a large goal like running a marathon or going to the gym every day, the motivation fades fast if you don’t have smaller goals for positive feedback. Without the feedback of accomplishing smaller victories it gets difficult to motivate yourself to achieve the grander goal. Then you risk a blind-date with feeling overwhelmed.

Think in terms of breaking the larger goal into smaller chunks like running 1 mile a day for the first week, then 2 miles a day for the next, then 3 miles and so on. You will find yourself going from the couch to the Boston Marathon sooner than you think.

3. Reward yourself. Achieving your goals is supposed to be fun. When you reach a goal, whether it is a little one or a big one, reward yourself. This is key to keep you moving forward. Pick a reward and don’t give up until you’ve earned it. The reward will be a lot more satisfying and keep you motivated for the next goal.

4. Do something fun. Exercising doesn’t have to be running around a track until you can’t breathe anymore. Take up a sport you enjoy and your goals become part of the fun. Keeping things fun will avoid a blind-date with overwhelmed’s ugly cousin: burnout. If you think that sitting on an Abdominizer for hours on end in front of your television is fun you don’t need tips, you need an intervention.

5. Mix it up. It’s easy to get into a rut when you’re beginning a new workout routine. In order to keep things interesting and maintain your motivation, change up the exercises or sports you do. This is to make things easier on the body as well the mind. For example, if you’re running two or three times a week, consider riding your bike on the other days. Weight lifting? Add mobility drills to keep your muscles strong and flexible.

6. Exercise with friends. Friends motivate you to get to the gym, friends make it fun, and friends can challenge you to push yourself just a little bit farther than you might if you were working out alone. Nothing is more powerful than a friendly “she is NOT going to do more push ups than me!” Just remember that this is not social time and if you can easily talk while you exercise you aren’t working hard enough to get fit.

7. Exercise during your best time of day. Are you a morning person? I’d wager that the morning is when you will get your best workouts. If you’re a night person, then try working out in the evening. You will need to experiment with this until you find your sweet spot.

Like any good list you have to draw the line somewhere and end it. OK, many more tips could have made this list but information overload won’t help you succeed. Start with these tips and once you make them part of your regular routine you can worrying about finer details.

Congratulations on your decision to get into shape. Your body is designed for movement and exercise is vital to your health. Now go get moving!

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jamiesch@prodigy.net asked:

I want to take up running, I only walk a little bit, but I will start more, what it the best way to train my self to run a mile.

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megaxgriffin asked:

i accidentally sat on a bubblegum while i was wearing my jogging pants due to tiredness. how can i remove it. please help!

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Joshua C asked:

I’m asking because I think all of the twinkies i’ve been eating have gone to my thighs (bad.) and my butt got a little bigger which is a good thing b/c i used to have a tiny white boy butt. lol.

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Dr John Anne asked:

 
Cardio and aerobic exercises are helpful to get the stronger muscles as muscle is a key to increasing your fat burning even you are not exercising. The most common way to get stronger muscles is weight lifting but lifting weight requires joining or going to gym. There are effective way of burning quick weight is cardio and aerobic exercises as these are very helpful.

Cardio & aerobic exercises helps in

Cardio and aerobic exercises are helpful to strengthen the respiratory muscles and it results in smoother and unlabored breathing. These exercises are good for strengthening the cardiovascular muscles and it also improves the hearts pumping efficiency. It tones the muscles of all parts of body that results in improved blood circulation and reduced blood pressure. It increases the number of red blood cells in the body, which makes for improved transport of oxygen throughout the body.

If you follow the regular and disciplined aerobics, you can reduce the risks of having cardiovascular diseases. It is also helpful in lowering the risk of having other health problems such as respiratory diseases and osteoporosis.

Most common cardio exercises:

Walking – Walking is considered the most common form of cardio exercise. Walking is a low-impact exercise and it can be done just about anywhere. It is one of a few aerobics exercises that can actually be incorporated into your lifestyle. If you practice 15-30 minute walk around the mall, it makes you lose just as much calories as you would on the treadmill. You can increase your fat loss by increasing the speed of your walks.

Running or Jogging – Another, most accessible & easier cardio exercise is running or jogging. You can do it depending on your physical capacity. Beginners have to try speed walking first before progressing to jogging and then running. Like walking and running, jogging can be done in a lot of places like beach, park, in your neighborhood or at a track. It is a very natural activity for your body and you can easily adapt once you make it a regular exercise.

Aerobic Dance–Throughout the decades, aerobics dance exercises may have changed but it has not faded. People still prefer exercising to a thumping beat & aerobic dances are very effective yet fun ways of keeping the weight off while maintaining a trim and tone body.

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Douglas Taylor asked:

Are you on a mission to lose some weight? You may have tried all of those fancy fad diets that are supposed to work but have the results been positive in your case? In my experience it takes a combination of three things in order to have any weight loss success. I have to eat right and exercise and use common sense in my approach to losing weight. Jogging is a great way to add exercise into your normal exercise program.

Jogging has always been a great way to get in shape. It can be a very satisfying way to get going in an exercise program. You can run alone or with other people and it will help strengthen your cardiovascular system. You can burn more calories by jogging in a shorter period of time and best of all it does not cost a lot to get started. The rest of this article will take a closer look at the benefits of jogging.

One of the reasons I think jogging is a really good exercise is because you can run with other people. This almost always increases your odds of staying with it. When you have to explain to your running partner that you do not want to go jogging today it makes it a little harder to not go. Hanging out and jogging with a friend not only helps your health out it can also be a lot of fun.

Running on a regular schedule will help out your cardiovascular system. Getting your heart rate up to a healthy level will help improve your health in many different ways.

Because running is considered an exercise of high intensity you can burn more calories by jogging. It should not take as long to burn away the calories when you are jogging so you should be able to burn more calories in a shorter period of time. This is great news for you if you have a busy lifestyle or just do not want to spend a bunch of time exercising.

One of the best reasons to take up jogging is because it does not cost a lot of money to get started. You can get started for no more than a decent pair of running shoes. You can often jog in your neighborhood so there are no expensive gyms to join unless you choose to. Money does not need to be an issue when you decide to start jogging.

Many people need an extra boost when it comes to losing weight and jogging is a great way to jump start your weight loss goals.

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Ronnie Nijmeh asked:

There are few areas more in need of positive affirmations than the exercise arena.

If the majority of us were honest, we would say that on a scale of one to ten, the natural desire to exercise would be at a negative 80. Yet, if we were equally as honest, we would have to admit that after we engage in exercise of any form, we feel awesome and invigorated; and, for that brief post-exercise moment, the same scale would jump to a positive 80.

So why is it that our exercise resolutions wax and wane on a constant basis? The most basic reason is that we have been bombarded with negative affirmations of how hard and “non-fun” exercise is, and that we have to endure it for the positive effects that we will gain in our health and well-being.

Endorphins are physically produced during strenuous exercise and cause you to feel an incredible sense of well-being. Yet, even with this invigorated feeling, it still hasn’t changed people’s exercise habits!

If there were an ability to remember the refreshing and amazing feelings of well-being that are experienced after exercise, we’d all be going to the gym every day. That is where positive exercise affirmations will be your most supportive workout partner. By correctly utilizing these positive exercise affirmations on a daily basis, you will exercise with enjoyable conviction.

Setting Real, Achievable Exercise Goals

To begin with, it is necessary to define the goals that you wish to achieve before you begin, ensuring your success is based on realistic and achievable milestones. Next, you need to realize that positive exercise affirmations, just like any positive affirmations, need to be tailored to who you are in order for them to be successful. In other words, an individual who puts on their t-shirt, shorts and sneakers and hits the pavement to run for an hour needs to understand their own needs, otherwise negative affirmations will swirl through their body and mind, such as: “My legs hurt! I can’t breathe! I can’t do this! Am I there yet?” Negative exercise affirmations can cause your mind to find any excuse to stop altogether.

On the other hand, the individual who puts on a wet suit and water shoes, then grabs a paddle and kayak and hits the river for two hours repeating to himself: “I love the peace and quiet of the river. I enjoy the rhythm of each stroke through the water. I can hear my heart and lungs in happy rhythm together as they get stronger!” These are positive exercise affirmations and this same individual will find other forms of “exercise” to fulfill their life.

Free Positive Affirmations Examples

Some more free positive affirmations to help you achieve your goal for exercise balance are as follows:

• I enjoy listening to the sound of my beating heart in exercise. With each beat, it strengths.
• I love the feel of the pavement beneath my running shoes. I feel strong and in control.
• I enjoy listening to the beautiful sounds of nature as I walk around the block.
• I love the wind against my face as I jog around my neighborhood.
• I cherish the time I spend making my body stronger for life.

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John S asked:

I am a fat slob (5′7″, 220 lbs) - got down from 160 to 130 lbs a few years ago by diet and jogging. Worried now that lots of jogging will cause shin splints or heel pain as it did before. What are the best sneakers to get? I don’t wanna use those uncomfortable ortho weird plastic thingys in my sneakers, they don’t fit and take a while to get used to. I have perfect arches - I don’t get it?

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Philip Rotich asked:

How do you know which recreational sport is right for you? Though this is a simple question, it may not have a simple answer. Before answering this question, it makes sense to define what a recreational sport is. In layman terms, a recreational sport is any sport activity or event that one engages in during leisure time. In other words, it is a sport activity or event performed primarily for entertainment and fun. Though in some cases there may be monetary rewards associated with recreational sport, it is not usually the main goal. Other reasons associated with participating in a recreational sport includes: fitness, health, socialization, competition and sport support among others.

There are several options of recreational sports available for all age categories ranging from indoor to outdoor. Making the decision on which choice to pursue can be a real challenge and this varies significantly from one person to the other. For former professional athletes, the decision may be easier especially if they continue participating in their particular former professional sports, only at recreational level. The big task of choosing the right recreational sport is however on beginners. In order to make the right choice(s) if you are a beginner, it is important to consider the following general guidelines:

1.Choose a sport that you understand and passionate about: Recreational sport in a way becomes part of your lifestyle and therefore needs to be entertaining and enjoyable. Choosing something that you don’t like or have no knowledge about can be frustrating even if your friends adore it. It only makes sense to pursue something that you know the rules and regulations of the sport or game. However, this does not mean one cannot learn a new sport or game, but it easier to do so if you love the sport.

2.Consider your goals and objectives: As mentioned above, there are different reasons that drive people into recreational sports. Choosing a sport that is in line with your goals, for example losing weight will only enrich the overall recreational experience. Some one looking for a recreational sport to aid in cutting down some extra body weight may benefit from running, jogging, walking, hiking or swimming among other high calorie burning sport activities as opposed to playing cards or video games. On the other hand somebody looking for a recreational sport that favors socialization may benefit from the latter.

3.Facilities, tools and equipment required: Different recreational sports may require different tools, facilities or equipment or in some cases may require none at all. These tools, facilities or equipment may also vary depending on the needs of every person. For example if you want to play golf for recreation, you will definitely have to purchase a golf club, balls and perhaps shoes. You will also need an available and accessible golf course to play. In some cases if you have more than one favorite recreational sport, you may have to choose what is more convenient based on availability of facilities. It makes more sense to go running at a nearby track especially if you get off work late in the evenings than having to drive for several miles to get to a golf course (i.e. if you like both golf and running).

4.Availability of time: Since a recreational sport is a pastime sport, choosing the right one may be dictated by how much free time is at one’s disposal. Some recreational sports are more time consuming than others. Additionally some of these sports must only be played outside. Where as some sports such as running, jogging, walking, playing tennis, playing basketball or swimming offers both indoor and outdoor options, some of them, for example playing golf, hiking, kayaking, surfing among other don’t. The more time one has, the more the options to choose from and the vice versa.

5.Seasonality: Though this may not be a big deal for people living along the equatorial climatic regions, it definitely affects people living in areas with winter and summer season. Some recreational sports such as those requiring snow may only be available during winter and only in some parts of the world. So if skiing is the only favorite recreational sport that one can participate in, it means there will be nothing to do for most of the year i.e. during the other seasons. When deciding on the right sport for recreation, it is advisable to have more than one option especially in a situation where one is affected by seasonal changes.

6.Number of participants required: Where as most recreational sports require participation of more than one person at one time, some can be pursued individually. If your schedule doesn’t allow group or team participation, choosing a sport that will enable you to participate alone is a good idea. Jogging, walking, swimming, biking and running are great examples.

As mentioned earlier, this is not an exhaustive list of guidelines, but it is only meant to give you an idea of how to pick the best sport that will make your recreational life a success. Remember the bottom line is fun and entertainment.

Have a great recreational sports life.

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