Exercise is one of the most desirable things that we can do in order to increase our personal happiness, and help us make the most out of each day. Everyone has the ability to exercise to some extent, and experience benefits that are within their levels. If you are not sure what your levels are, ask your doctor, and find out more. I guarantee you that they’ll be happy to hear that you want to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle in some way if you don’t already.
When we exercise we do wonderful things for ourselves, both mentally and physically. Our stress decreases, our body has movement (which it was built for), and our minds gain clarity. This means:
- We can solve problems
- We can see the brighter side of even a dark situation
- We are treating ourselves better
Think about what you have going on at this very minute. I feel confident that you have something weighing on your mind, something you’d like to get resolved or at least understand. What have you done to try and do that? If you haven’t tried exercise, you should.
5 considerations in finding the exercise routine that you can keep.
Exercise is as individual as our personalities. Very few exercise plans are one size fits all, and that means that you need to give some thoughtful reflection as to what works the best for you. I encourage you to do this as I lay out these 5 considerations because it’s a step forward to exercising, which is going to make your 2015 a really great year for personal growth.
- Assess the time of day that works best for you. For most people, morning works the best. The reason is that as our days go on and “life happens,” we get wrapped up in everything, and something else seems to always come up. Then we don’t do it, and sigh, thinking, “Hopefully tomorrow.”
- Determine your reason to exercise. Do you want to start training for an exciting physical feat? Perhaps you want to reduce stress, and shed a few pounds. These desires really determine how you should break into exercise. It all starts with movement, and from there, decide how much movement you need to have in order to achieve your goals. Eventually, you’ll have to address your diet, but for now—it’s all about movement.
- Assess your physical limitations. Exercise time should be an exciting time, and one that you look forward to. This means that you want to start with moderation, not going all out. You may get some sore muscles, and that is okay, but don’t overdo it so you can barely move. Yoga, stretching, and walking are wonderful things to try for people new to exercise.
- Make a list of a few exercises that you’d like to try. From here, try one or two of them a day and see what you think. Test the waters—that is just fine to do! Not all of us are meant to enjoy the same types of exercise. For example: it takes a very special mindset to enjoy the thought of running a marathon.
- Keep an activity log. The best way to tie this all together, and make exercise choices that you can develop and build upon is to be able to visually see what you’ve been doing, and the results you received. What made you feel great? What didn’t seem to have much impact? Think about it, write it down, and evaluate it after a few weeks.
Our bodies are beautiful and meant to be exercised so we can enjoy the amazing opportunities that exist all around us.