Okay. So after a short break for humanity but a long break for a human being, I am back to my exercise routine. Not to be terribly harsh on myself, I do work out more consistent than an average person. It just has its ups and downs. To me, the most important thing is to realize this, the fact that exercising has and will have ups and downs. And we should not to be devastated when we are in the ‘down’ phase. So whether you stopped exercising for a while and you want to get back to it or this will be your first attempt, it is not a big deal to start or to be persistent. I believe the biggest deal is not making a big deal out of it. Spitting out what I thought my punch line would be, I have nothing but to share my top five Confucius Says for a joyful exercise.
1. IF IT IS HARD, WHY ARE ALL THE THREADMILLS FULL?
I am not saying this in the sense that since everybody can do it, you should do it, but just to give you a reference point only for gauging the difficulty of exercising. It is doable and it is being done. And the best part is, you also have the luxury of defining what work out is.
2. DON’T STOP STARTING
Persistency is the key to a good exercising habit. But let’s not put too much meaning into it. I can tell you right know that no matter how committed you are, you will break your routine. And some say your routine should be irregular in the first place. My perception of persistency is the ability to start exercising without having to get into the ‘mindset of starting’. So if I have to choose between not stopping and starting as soon as I want to start, I’ll choose the latter.
3. IT IS YOU WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
It is amazing how hard it is to set realistic goals for someone you spent all your time with… yourself. And exercising is no exception. I have no tricks for this but to acknowledge the problem. You know yourself the best and yet you will either set bar up too high or exercising will be a child’s play, needless to say less fruitful, for you. When you realize your are off, just update your goals and never think of not doing your exercise at all.
4. EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES
When you have a good excuse for not exercising, try to imagine that you are hearing it from someone you really really don’t like. Does it still sound like a valid excuse? It is very similar to the item above. It is a chess game between you and yourself. Is it going to be a win win or a lose lose?
5. ENJOY THE PROCESS IF YOU DON’T ENJOY THE RIDE
It is really hard to convince people that pushing your body and sweating versus sitting on a couch is actually fun but hey remember you are doing something good for yourself. And I would argue especially with anyone who goes to manicure or waxing that doing something good for yourself is well worth the pain.
