A Lifestyle Choice: Getting Fit!

Here's a sad fact: About half of those who start a new exercise program abandon it within three to six months. It's not our fault. Evolution has instilled in each of us a strong instinct to avoid unnecessary exertion. So if you want to build a lasting exercise habit, you need to overcome this instinct.

The good news is that in recent years, the busy field of exercise psychology has come up with a number of effective tricks to help us in this process. Here are seven of them.

1) Find the Right Fit- Studies have shown that people are more likely to stick with exercise when they choose an activity they like. There are literally dozens of effective forms of exercise (weightlifting, walking, running, tennis, yoga, swimming, basketball, bicycling--the list goes on). The best one for you is whichever one you'll enjoy enough to stick with.

2) Deflate the No-time Excuse- Lack of time is the number-one cited reason for failure. Instead of beginning each day with a general intention to exercise, plan a specific activity for a specific time and place 24 hours in advance. These tips can help you fit a workout into even the busiest schedule!

3) Reduce the amount of time you spend watching TV- Find other ways of reducing "waste" from your schedule. Consider walking or riding your bike to work to limit commute time. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier and exercise first thing in the morning.

4) Choose an activity that you can do anytime, anywhere- Jogging or walking is an excellent option! Purchase a piece of home exercise equipment, such as an elliptical trainer.
Find a way to work out during your lunch break. Combine your workouts with another daily necessity, for example by running errands on foot instead of in the car.

5) Give It Purpose- People are more likely to stick to an exercise routine if workouts have an immediate practical purpose. For example, walking on a treadmill has no immediate practical purpose, but walking your dog does. Riding a stationary bike has no purpose, but riding a bike to and from work does. If you can find a way to kill two birds with one stone with an activity, chances are greater you'll keep at it.

6) Set Goals- Why are goals so effective? Goals set us up for what are called "success experiences," which motivate us to keep doing whatever sort of activity leads to them. In order to experience successes in exercise, it helps to set measurable goals, so there's no doubt whether you've achieved them.
- Increase your training schedule from four workouts to five next week
- Increase your circuit training workout from one circuit to two circuits next week
- Complete a 5K running race in three weeks
- Reduce your waist measurement by one inch in one month
- Lose 10 pounds in one month
- Reduce your body fat percentage by five percent in 50 days

7) Make It a Team Effort- All kinds of research has shown that people are more likely to stick with exercise if it's a social affair than if it's a solo exploit. Training with a friend, spouse or family member, getting a personal trainer, and joining some kind of exercise group (e.g. a bicycling club) are other effective ways to get social motivation!!