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experiencelifemag.com
Print › | Back ›
Making Exercise Fun
Weary of your workouts? Ditch the drudgery and the long face, friend!
You’re due for an amusement infusion.
By Karen J. Bannan |
July-August 2009 |
Pace Yourself
Get Support
Make a Plan
Bust Out of Your Rut
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Exercise Your Options
Quick Picker-Uppers
Undermining Mind
Lynn Hughes and her closest friends shared a problem.
They all wanted to lose weight and stick to an exercise program, but they were
finding it difficult. Though they were scattered across two different states
(half lived in Florida, the others in Indiana), they shared the same obstacle:
Something was always getting in the way of going to the gym. So the group —
which included four of the women’s husbands — created a motivational strategy
called the Indiana/Florida Challenge. The friends split into two
geographically defined teams and set goals, deciding how often they would
exercise and how much weight they would lose. The challenge quickly moved into
full swing, and months later it’s still generating enthusiasm and results.
Perhaps most important, the competition keeps all the participants focused and
motivated enough to stick with their respective programs. “Every Sunday, all
of us report our weight and the number of times we’ve exercised,” explains
Hughes. “Five points are given for weight loss or if someone maintains his or
her goal weight, and one point is given for each time a person exercises. If you
meet your exercise goal, you also get five bonus points.” The group keeps in
touch by phone, building moral support between teams and team members. At the
end of the challenge, the losing team buys the winners dinner. Hughes and
her friends are on the cusp of a growing trend — one in which people are moving
from boring, ho-hum exercise programs to approaches they can enjoy, not just
endure. (For more on the exercise approaches at the leading edge of that trend,
see “Welcome to the Fitness Revolution,” available in the October 2008 archives.) What separates a fun and effective exercise
regimen from a boring and ineffective one? Lots of things — and, naturally, very
different things for different people. While folks like Hughes and her friends
found that a little competitive steam and structure did the trick, for others,
the same approach might fall flat or even backfire. That’s why it’s important to
evaluate your own personality — weaknesses and strengths, delights and
disconnects — when designing an exercise program and constructing interim
adjustments. Need some help upgrading your fitness-fun factor? Start with the
following pointers.
Pace Yourself
One of the biggest barriers to designing an enjoyable,
sustainable program is going too fast, too hard, too soon. It’s easy to do:
You resolve to get your out-of-condition butt back into the gym, and on your
very first day, you take two classes, lift weights and work your core to the
core. The result? Days of aches and pains and a newfound animosity toward the
gym. “Instead of starting out with really intense exercises, begin with low
intensities and work your way up,” says Joseph M. Gonzalez, a sports-medicine
program coordinator at the Center for Athletic Medicine at USC University
Hospital in Los Angeles. Working too hard is also a symptom of another
mistake that can suck the fun out of your workouts: the “I-want-it-now”
attitude. With infomercials touting pills and creams that promise to deliver
immediate miracles, and fitness magazines flaunting diets that claim to help you
de-flab overnight, why shouldn’t you expect to see instant results —
particularly if you’re working out every day? “It took years to put the pounds
on. It’s going to take some time to get them off,” says Marty Tuley, author of
Busting Your Gut and Butt (Basic Health, 2008). “It’s habits first, results
later.” No matter how motivated you are initially, if you expect instant
results and they don’t materialize, it won’t stay fun for long. Nor will it be
fun if you insist on sticking with the same program day-in and day-out, month
after month, says Joe Stankowski, a personal trainer in Grand Rapids, Mich. “If
you’re doing the same workout day after day, it not only gets boring, it also
stops working as well as it used to,” he says. “Your body learns and adapts,
finding the easiest way not to expend energy.”
Get Support
Only you can make the initial decision to get your body
moving, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Some people may do better
meeting new people at the gym, while others recruit a friend or significant
other. Group camaraderie kept Betsy Conlin, a Life Time Fitness member from
Chicago, motivated enough to train for a marathon: “I always thought of running
as a solo sport in my younger years, but working out in a group turned a lonely
sport into an enjoyable group activity for me.” If you don’t have a friend
willing to come to the gym and you’re too shy to meet new people, consider
working with a personal trainer one-on-one or in a group-training situation. A
skilled, experienced trainer makes things fun by inventing new games and
suggesting new challenges — and ideally giving you reason to laugh, or at least
smile occasionally. Group-fitness classes are another great way to get a sense
of social camaraderie and support. You may also want to seek some nutritional
counsel. While a good trainer can also help you with a basic nutritional plan
and make sure you’re eating enough to keep you from running out of steam, a more
personalized nutritional analysis can help you identify deficiencies or habits
that could otherwise undermine your fitness progress or derail your weight-loss
efforts.
Make a Plan
Things like goals, schedules and progress tracking may sound
very serious and businesslike, but for many people, they form the core
components of exercise fun. That’s because they are simply the best way to stay
motivated, focused and invested in what you’re doing. (For more on goals and
planning, see “The Can-Do Fitness Plan” in the April 2009 archives.) You can develop your own training plan, but if
you don’t have much fitness experience, this is another area where a good
trainer can be a godsend. By evaluating your current weaknesses and strengths —
or advising you to get the fitness assessments you need to train smarter — a
savvy trainer can set you on the right path with only a handful of one-on-one
sessions. But whether or not you get expert advice, do take some time to
decide where and when you will exercise, how often — and what specific types of
activity you will do to build cardiovascular capacity, strength, flexibility and
balance. Experimenting with a few different group-fitness classes can be a great
way to get this sort of variety. For example, you might try a group-cycling
class on Mondays, yoga on Wednesdays and a core conditioning class on Fridays.
If there’s a class you don’t enjoy, just swap it for something else that appeals
to you more.
Bust Out of Your Rut
Maybe you’ve never liked exercise before. Maybe you
loved it once but lost your taste for it along the way. Maybe you’ve committed
to lifelong exercise and know that you need to look for ways to stay interested.
Regardless of your fitness experience, it pays to think about what makes — or
could make — exercise fun and rewarding for you now. Merely acknowledging that
you don’t currently know but are willing to learn and experiment may be the very
best place to start. (For exercise ideas, see “Your Fitness Personality” in the
November 2008 archives.) Ask the questions. Seek the
answers. Get the help you need to design a life that moves and breathes and
sweats. Most important, refuse to think of exercise as a cruddy dead-end job you
have to do every day. Rather, think of it as a rewarding, creative, lifelong
project that deserves your best thought and attention, one that will naturally
evolve and change as you do. Because, given half a chance, it will. Karen
J. Bannan is a writer based in New York.
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Although there are plenty of fun and challenging classes at your local club,
you can also boost your activity level and regain your childhood enthusiasm by
trying out the following not-just-for-kids activities: - Swing on a swing
set. You’ll work your shoulders and arms.
- Play hopscotch. Hopping
on one leg improves balance and proprioception.
- Jump rope. Just 15
minutes of this can be killer cardio, and it’s a great way to target your
glutes, arms and legs.
- Play tag. During a 20-minute tag session, you’ll
run, jump, squat and lunge — plus you’ll blow off nervous energy, too. Try tag
in the pool for some extra exertion.
- Organize a ball game. Touch
football, softball, kickball and soccer burn plenty of calories and get your
heart rate up, too. Remember to warm up before you hit the field. (A pulled
muscle could leave you crying like a baby!)
Exercise Your Options
Fitness clubs today have far more to offer than a sea of treadmills. Choose
from an eclectic array of group-fitness and movement classes, including dance,
kickboxing, cycling, strength, yoga and more. There are also custom-tailored
training programs based not only on your personal fitness goals, but also on
scientific factors such as your personal resting heart rate, anaerobic threshold
and VO2 max. “In the old days, much of the fitness-testing and
human-performance technology was only available to top-caliber athletes or
people willing to pay big dollars — but these days, it’s a viable option for
anyone,” says Tom Manella, senior director of personal training at Life Time
Fitness. “As a result, a lot more people can easily figure out how to get the
most efficient, effective workouts out of the time they’re willing to spend
exercising. We’ve incorporated that science into many of our group-training
programs, too, including T.E.A.M. Weight Loss, which combines fitness technology
and group-training dynamics in a way that makes working out a lot more fun, even
for beginners.” Small-group training has become increasingly popular in
health clubs in recent years. Essentially, it’s like one-on-one personal
training — with a few extra people along for the ride. So you still get the
personalized information and attention from a fitness professional, but at a
fraction of the cost of one-on-one training. And you reap the benefits of
positive peer pressure. “When a group of people who share the same goals and
similar fitness levels gets together, everything becomes more doable. You do
things you normally wouldn’t think of doing because the people around you are
doing it,” says Manella. “In addition, there is a higher level of commitment
that supersedes yourself — you don’t want to let your teammates down, so you
work harder. Compared with one-on-one training, we find attendance and intensity
shoots way up with group training.” Those two factors — accountability and
intensity — are key to achieving your fitness goals. See if your health club
offers team-oriented programming. Some additional tips for creating a
blissful — and productive — group-exercise experience: - Shop for a
class like you would a new car. Ask other club members what they think. Do they
like the instructor? Do exercises vary, or are they the same every week? Is the
music to your liking? What kind of warm-up and cool-down does the class
include?
- Check out the instructor or personal trainer. Ask what kind of
training and certification he or she has. Find out what kind of fitness
philosophy he or she subscribes to. During class, observe the instructor’s
motivational style and notice whether or not it works for you.
- Arrive a
few minutes early to claim a spot and introduce yourself to the instructor.
Resist the urge to stand in the back. Instead, stand toward the front of the
room so you have a clear line of sight and can avoid being confused by others’
mistakes.
- Don’t be afraid to take a break. If you’re overwhelmed, stop
what you’re doing and walk or bounce in place. Remember, it takes time to get
used to a new class and learn the moves, and no one cares
how you look:
They’re too busy worrying about their own footwork. - Don’t discount
something until you’ve tried it. Activities you might dismiss as boring or
intimidating can be much more fun than you expect. Surprise yourself by
taste-testing new activities.
Quick Picker-Uppers
Been feeling a little ambivalent or ho-hum about
your exercise sessions? Here are a few fast fixes to get you moving. Music:
Can’t quite get out the door to the gym? Put on some energizing dance music to
help get your blood pumping and get you into the mood. Also, don’t be afraid to
mix it up: If you always listen to rock music while you run, try funk or blues
some morning just to see if you like the different pace and mood. Garb: A
fabulous workout outfit can help you feel great about yourself and act as a
well-deserved reward for workouts past. Other times, though, if you’re feeling
sloppy and like nothing is going to look good, remember you can also just say
“to heck with it” and don the most loosey-goosey, comfortable thing you own.
Above all, be sure your clothes aren’t interfering: Shoes that pinch, shorts
that ride up and bras that bind are among the worst offenders. Weed them out of
your workout wardrobe. Fuel: Sometimes feelings of lethargy are due to low
blood sugar or dehydration. Be sure you are adequately fueled and hydrated both
prior to and throughout your workout. Grab a snack and start sipping a tall
glass of water about a half-hour to 45 minutes before you head out, and bring
water along for your session. (For more on proper fueling, see “Fresh Thoughts
on Fitness Nutrition” in the January/February 2009 archives.) Pep Talk: If you are seriously dragging, or tempted
to forgo your workout altogether, sit down for a minute, collect your thoughts
and ask yourself: “OK, what’s up? Why don’t I feel like doing this? What do I
need to feel better about it? Is there something else I want to do instead?
What, and why?” Listen to what your body has to say, negotiate a little if
necessary, and remind yourself that this is something you are doing for
yourself. It also sometimes helps to promise yourself that if you exercise for
15 minutes, you’ll decide after that whether or not to continue. For more
motivation tips, see “Ready, Set, Go! ” in the November 2006 archives.
Undermining Mind
Someone may be sabotaging your workout efforts. And that someone may be you.
Most exercise-avoidance issues have little to do with physical limitations.
Instead, psychological issues such as low self-esteem, clinical depression and
unrealistic body expectations can thwart your exercise plan before it even gets
started, says Ann G. Kramer, EdS, a licensed mental-health counselor in Tampa,
Fla., who runs a program called LifePuzzle.com. “Unless you can get
past hating yourself and move to loving yourself, you’re not going to be able to
get on an exercise program without feeling guilt and sadness,” says Kramer. Of
course, this is easier said than done. If you’re struggling with your weight or
negative-body-image problems, and these feelings are keeping you from moving
forward, she says, you may want to consider talking to a therapist. Not sure you
fall into this category? Ask yourself the following questions. Do I avoid mirrors in the gym or at home?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Does my mood change depending on how much I
weigh on a given day?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Do I avoid
the gym because I can’t see myself succeeding?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Am I sleeping more lately because I feel
sad?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Am I afraid of what other
people might say about me at the gym?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__
Am I making up excuses to avoid exercise?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Do I criticize myself every day?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ If you answer yes to three or more of these questions, you may benefit from
talking to a therapist.
For advice on how to overcome excuses, see the Web Extra! at the top right of this page.
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Making Exercise Fun
Weary of your workouts? Ditch the drudgery and the long face, friend!
You’re due for an amusement infusion.
By Karen J. Bannan | Features,
July-August 2009 |
Pace Yourself
Get Support
Make a Plan
Bust Out of Your Rut
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Exercise Your Options
Quick Picker-Uppers
Undermining Mind
Lynn Hughes and her closest friends shared a problem.
They all wanted to lose weight and stick to an exercise program, but they were
finding it difficult. Though they were scattered across two different states
(half lived in Florida, the others in Indiana), they shared the same obstacle:
Something was always getting in the way of going to the gym. So the group —
which included four of the women’s husbands — created a motivational strategy
called the Indiana/Florida Challenge. The friends split into two
geographically defined teams and set goals, deciding how often they would
exercise and how much weight they would lose. The challenge quickly moved into
full swing, and months later it’s still generating enthusiasm and results.
Perhaps most important, the competition keeps all the participants focused and
motivated enough to stick with their respective programs. “Every Sunday, all
of us report our weight and the number of times we’ve exercised,” explains
Hughes. “Five points are given for weight loss or if someone maintains his or
her goal weight, and one point is given for each time a person exercises. If you
meet your exercise goal, you also get five bonus points.” The group keeps in
touch by phone, building moral support between teams and team members. At the
end of the challenge, the losing team buys the winners dinner. Hughes and
her friends are on the cusp of a growing trend — one in which people are moving
from boring, ho-hum exercise programs to approaches they can enjoy, not just
endure. (For more on the exercise approaches at the leading edge of that trend,
see “Welcome to the Fitness Revolution,” available in the October 2008 archives.) What separates a fun and effective exercise
regimen from a boring and ineffective one? Lots of things — and, naturally, very
different things for different people. While folks like Hughes and her friends
found that a little competitive steam and structure did the trick, for others,
the same approach might fall flat or even backfire. That’s why it’s important to
evaluate your own personality — weaknesses and strengths, delights and
disconnects — when designing an exercise program and constructing interim
adjustments. Need some help upgrading your fitness-fun factor? Start with the
following pointers.
Pace Yourself (Back to Top)
One of the biggest barriers to designing an enjoyable,
sustainable program is going too fast, too hard, too soon. It’s easy to do:
You resolve to get your out-of-condition butt back into the gym, and on your
very first day, you take two classes, lift weights and work your core to the
core. The result? Days of aches and pains and a newfound animosity toward the
gym. “Instead of starting out with really intense exercises, begin with low
intensities and work your way up,” says Joseph M. Gonzalez, a sports-medicine
program coordinator at the Center for Athletic Medicine at USC University
Hospital in Los Angeles. Working too hard is also a symptom of another
mistake that can suck the fun out of your workouts: the “I-want-it-now”
attitude. With infomercials touting pills and creams that promise to deliver
immediate miracles, and fitness magazines flaunting diets that claim to help you
de-flab overnight, why shouldn’t you expect to see instant results —
particularly if you’re working out every day? “It took years to put the pounds
on. It’s going to take some time to get them off,” says Marty Tuley, author of
Busting Your Gut and Butt (Basic Health, 2008). “It’s habits first, results
later.” No matter how motivated you are initially, if you expect instant
results and they don’t materialize, it won’t stay fun for long. Nor will it be
fun if you insist on sticking with the same program day-in and day-out, month
after month, says Joe Stankowski, a personal trainer in Grand Rapids, Mich. “If
you’re doing the same workout day after day, it not only gets boring, it also
stops working as well as it used to,” he says. “Your body learns and adapts,
finding the easiest way not to expend energy.”
Get Support (Back to Top)
Only you can make the initial decision to get your body
moving, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Some people may do better
meeting new people at the gym, while others recruit a friend or significant
other. Group camaraderie kept Betsy Conlin, a Life Time Fitness member from
Chicago, motivated enough to train for a marathon: “I always thought of running
as a solo sport in my younger years, but working out in a group turned a lonely
sport into an enjoyable group activity for me.” If you don’t have a friend
willing to come to the gym and you’re too shy to meet new people, consider
working with a personal trainer one-on-one or in a group-training situation. A
skilled, experienced trainer makes things fun by inventing new games and
suggesting new challenges — and ideally giving you reason to laugh, or at least
smile occasionally. Group-fitness classes are another great way to get a sense
of social camaraderie and support. You may also want to seek some nutritional
counsel. While a good trainer can also help you with a basic nutritional plan
and make sure you’re eating enough to keep you from running out of steam, a more
personalized nutritional analysis can help you identify deficiencies or habits
that could otherwise undermine your fitness progress or derail your weight-loss
efforts.
Make a Plan (Back to Top)
Things like goals, schedules and progress tracking may sound
very serious and businesslike, but for many people, they form the core
components of exercise fun. That’s because they are simply the best way to stay
motivated, focused and invested in what you’re doing. (For more on goals and
planning, see “The Can-Do Fitness Plan” in the April 2009 archives.) You can develop your own training plan, but if
you don’t have much fitness experience, this is another area where a good
trainer can be a godsend. By evaluating your current weaknesses and strengths —
or advising you to get the fitness assessments you need to train smarter — a
savvy trainer can set you on the right path with only a handful of one-on-one
sessions. But whether or not you get expert advice, do take some time to
decide where and when you will exercise, how often — and what specific types of
activity you will do to build cardiovascular capacity, strength, flexibility and
balance. Experimenting with a few different group-fitness classes can be a great
way to get this sort of variety. For example, you might try a group-cycling
class on Mondays, yoga on Wednesdays and a core conditioning class on Fridays.
If there’s a class you don’t enjoy, just swap it for something else that appeals
to you more.
Bust Out of Your Rut (Back to Top)
Maybe you’ve never liked exercise before. Maybe you
loved it once but lost your taste for it along the way. Maybe you’ve committed
to lifelong exercise and know that you need to look for ways to stay interested.
Regardless of your fitness experience, it pays to think about what makes — or
could make — exercise fun and rewarding for you now. Merely acknowledging that
you don’t currently know but are willing to learn and experiment may be the very
best place to start. (For exercise ideas, see “Your Fitness Personality” in the
November 2008 archives.) Ask the questions. Seek the
answers. Get the help you need to design a life that moves and breathes and
sweats. Most important, refuse to think of exercise as a cruddy dead-end job you
have to do every day. Rather, think of it as a rewarding, creative, lifelong
project that deserves your best thought and attention, one that will naturally
evolve and change as you do. Because, given half a chance, it will. Karen
J. Bannan is a writer based in New York.
I Don't Wanna Grow Up (Back to Top)
Although there are plenty of fun and challenging classes at your local club,
you can also boost your activity level and regain your childhood enthusiasm by
trying out the following not-just-for-kids activities: - Swing on a swing
set. You’ll work your shoulders and arms.
- Play hopscotch. Hopping
on one leg improves balance and proprioception.
- Jump rope. Just 15
minutes of this can be killer cardio, and it’s a great way to target your
glutes, arms and legs.
- Play tag. During a 20-minute tag session, you’ll
run, jump, squat and lunge — plus you’ll blow off nervous energy, too. Try tag
in the pool for some extra exertion.
- Organize a ball game. Touch
football, softball, kickball and soccer burn plenty of calories and get your
heart rate up, too. Remember to warm up before you hit the field. (A pulled
muscle could leave you crying like a baby!)
Exercise Your Options (Back to Top)
Fitness clubs today have far more to offer than a sea of treadmills. Choose
from an eclectic array of group-fitness and movement classes, including dance,
kickboxing, cycling, strength, yoga and more. There are also custom-tailored
training programs based not only on your personal fitness goals, but also on
scientific factors such as your personal resting heart rate, anaerobic threshold
and VO2 max. “In the old days, much of the fitness-testing and
human-performance technology was only available to top-caliber athletes or
people willing to pay big dollars — but these days, it’s a viable option for
anyone,” says Tom Manella, senior director of personal training at Life Time
Fitness. “As a result, a lot more people can easily figure out how to get the
most efficient, effective workouts out of the time they’re willing to spend
exercising. We’ve incorporated that science into many of our group-training
programs, too, including T.E.A.M. Weight Loss, which combines fitness technology
and group-training dynamics in a way that makes working out a lot more fun, even
for beginners.” Small-group training has become increasingly popular in
health clubs in recent years. Essentially, it’s like one-on-one personal
training — with a few extra people along for the ride. So you still get the
personalized information and attention from a fitness professional, but at a
fraction of the cost of one-on-one training. And you reap the benefits of
positive peer pressure. “When a group of people who share the same goals and
similar fitness levels gets together, everything becomes more doable. You do
things you normally wouldn’t think of doing because the people around you are
doing it,” says Manella. “In addition, there is a higher level of commitment
that supersedes yourself — you don’t want to let your teammates down, so you
work harder. Compared with one-on-one training, we find attendance and intensity
shoots way up with group training.” Those two factors — accountability and
intensity — are key to achieving your fitness goals. See if your health club
offers team-oriented programming. Some additional tips for creating a
blissful — and productive — group-exercise experience: - Shop for a
class like you would a new car. Ask other club members what they think. Do they
like the instructor? Do exercises vary, or are they the same every week? Is the
music to your liking? What kind of warm-up and cool-down does the class
include?
- Check out the instructor or personal trainer. Ask what kind of
training and certification he or she has. Find out what kind of fitness
philosophy he or she subscribes to. During class, observe the instructor’s
motivational style and notice whether or not it works for you.
- Arrive a
few minutes early to claim a spot and introduce yourself to the instructor.
Resist the urge to stand in the back. Instead, stand toward the front of the
room so you have a clear line of sight and can avoid being confused by others’
mistakes.
- Don’t be afraid to take a break. If you’re overwhelmed, stop
what you’re doing and walk or bounce in place. Remember, it takes time to get
used to a new class and learn the moves, and no one cares
how you look:
They’re too busy worrying about their own footwork. - Don’t discount
something until you’ve tried it. Activities you might dismiss as boring or
intimidating can be much more fun than you expect. Surprise yourself by
taste-testing new activities.
Quick Picker-Uppers (Back to Top)
Been feeling a little ambivalent or ho-hum about
your exercise sessions? Here are a few fast fixes to get you moving. Music:
Can’t quite get out the door to the gym? Put on some energizing dance music to
help get your blood pumping and get you into the mood. Also, don’t be afraid to
mix it up: If you always listen to rock music while you run, try funk or blues
some morning just to see if you like the different pace and mood. Garb: A
fabulous workout outfit can help you feel great about yourself and act as a
well-deserved reward for workouts past. Other times, though, if you’re feeling
sloppy and like nothing is going to look good, remember you can also just say
“to heck with it” and don the most loosey-goosey, comfortable thing you own.
Above all, be sure your clothes aren’t interfering: Shoes that pinch, shorts
that ride up and bras that bind are among the worst offenders. Weed them out of
your workout wardrobe. Fuel: Sometimes feelings of lethargy are due to low
blood sugar or dehydration. Be sure you are adequately fueled and hydrated both
prior to and throughout your workout. Grab a snack and start sipping a tall
glass of water about a half-hour to 45 minutes before you head out, and bring
water along for your session. (For more on proper fueling, see “Fresh Thoughts
on Fitness Nutrition” in the January/February 2009 archives.) Pep Talk: If you are seriously dragging, or tempted
to forgo your workout altogether, sit down for a minute, collect your thoughts
and ask yourself: “OK, what’s up? Why don’t I feel like doing this? What do I
need to feel better about it? Is there something else I want to do instead?
What, and why?” Listen to what your body has to say, negotiate a little if
necessary, and remind yourself that this is something you are doing for
yourself. It also sometimes helps to promise yourself that if you exercise for
15 minutes, you’ll decide after that whether or not to continue. For more
motivation tips, see “Ready, Set, Go! ” in the November 2006 archives.
Undermining Mind (Back to Top)
Someone may be sabotaging your workout efforts. And that someone may be you.
Most exercise-avoidance issues have little to do with physical limitations.
Instead, psychological issues such as low self-esteem, clinical depression and
unrealistic body expectations can thwart your exercise plan before it even gets
started, says Ann G. Kramer, EdS, a licensed mental-health counselor in Tampa,
Fla., who runs a program called LifePuzzle.com. “Unless you can get
past hating yourself and move to loving yourself, you’re not going to be able to
get on an exercise program without feeling guilt and sadness,” says Kramer. Of
course, this is easier said than done. If you’re struggling with your weight or
negative-body-image problems, and these feelings are keeping you from moving
forward, she says, you may want to consider talking to a therapist. Not sure you
fall into this category? Ask yourself the following questions. Do I avoid mirrors in the gym or at home?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Does my mood change depending on how much I
weigh on a given day?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Do I avoid
the gym because I can’t see myself succeeding?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Am I sleeping more lately because I feel
sad?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Am I afraid of what other
people might say about me at the gym?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__
Am I making up excuses to avoid exercise?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ Do I criticize myself every day?
YES__ NO__
SOMETIMES__ If you answer yes to three or more of these questions, you may benefit from
talking to a therapist.
For advice on how to overcome excuses, see the Web Extra! at the top right of this page.
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