Making Exercise Fun

At the gym the other night I was thinking about exercise and personal trainers. Over the years I have seen quite a few personal trainers, and this year when I found one for my mum I decided to see her as well. Last week I got a bit of a “telling off” from her; it is the first time that a personal trainer has actually seriously made me sit up and take note. Prior to the telling off I had been doing exercise twice a week and I had considering lying to her (out of guilt) about how much exercise I was doing.

What I realized is that we should not have to lie about how much exercise we have done, nor feel guilty about not doing it. What we should feel is that we want to exercise to feel better and help us on the way to a healthier lifestyle. We should challenge ourselves when we exercise, otherwise we become complacent. I reckon that exercise should be a good mix of fun and challenge!

Ways to make exercise fun:
• Do it with a friend
• Have a good soundtrack (My pick this week is ‘Proud Mary’ by the cast of Glee)
• Find exercises that you enjoy as well as those that you do not
• Set yourself mini-goals i.e. next time on the Cross Trainer I will try level 8
• Mix it up; do aerobics, weights, walking, running, sport, dancing, swimming, Zumba...
• Try new things

So if you miss a day of exercise try not to feel guilty about it, but just enjoy the "rest day" and then get back into it the next day. So stop beating yourself up for not exercising and just make a start...even 20 minutes 3 times a week is better than nothing.

Previous Weight: 157.2kg
Current Weight: 155.9kg
Weight Loss: 1.3kg
Initial Goal Weight: 99kg
Work out pledge: 4 cardio workouts including a swim