Getting Started with Exercise – Powering Through Demotivation
We all know exercise is good for you but, getting started, especially if you’ve not incorporated regular exercise into your daily schedule before, can be a difficult hurdle to get over and many people are put off before they’ve truly begun exercising their body efficiently. If the people who had given up in the first few weeks of an exercise regime kept going for a bit longer, they would have soon started seeing and feeling results from regular exercise which would have offered them better motivation to keep going.
Why Should You Exercise?
Exercise is the secret or, nowadays, not so secret method to living a healthier lifestyle, ensuring you remain at a weight healthy to your stature and keeping your organs in the best condition. Regular exercise that incorporates different types of work-outs or activities has even been shown to reduce the risk of illnesses and afflictions including heart disease and mental health struggles.
Common Demotivators for Exercising
Pain – When you first start exercising, you might feel increased levels of fatigue and achiness across your body; this is one of the first demotivators that individuals new to exercise face and is the first thing to make people throw in the towel. However, a few aches and pains are a good indication you are working your body correctly and contributing to building muscle mass and stamina levels, so these are common feelings, especially for newbies.
If you have noticeable pain after exercising, you might not be keeping the correct posture which can lead to strains and sprains which make daily life uncomfortable. If you are unsure about exercising forms or are concerned you aren’t stretching safely, consult an exercise instructor or fellow gym attendee.
No Clear Purpose – Some people going into exercise prefer to forge their own schedule of exercises and activity, whether they engage in cross-fit or running, or take part in classes like spin classes in gyms across the country or BoxFit UK sessions in a dedicated boxing gym. Other individuals prefer their schedule to be planned for them with dedicated times for certain exercises that are carried out on a regular basis.
There are plenty of resources online that offer schedules and planners with a variety of exercises and activities to take part in at home. Alternatively, seek advice from a qualified personal trainer who will be able to plan a schedule that works around your levels of fitness.
You Find It Boring – Everyone is different so, for anyone who might enjoy long sessions running on the treadmill with something to watch or listen to, another person might find this mind-numbingly boring which can be a huge demotivator for new people trying to get into regular exercise. It might take a while going around the different exercises and activities but eventually something is bound to capture your attention and, rather than see it as a necessary evil, you will be able to enjoy your exercising, whether it’s a sport, class, swimming or running.
It’s worth putting in the time to try different classes and sports, as exercise is better when enjoyable and you might even find yourself looking forward to your regular activity and potentially taking part it in it more times a week.
Lack of Time – For the new exercise starters that make it through the pain, find or make their own direction and have found their ideal activity to keep fit, the dreaded lack of time can rear its ugly head and turn your schedule into dust. Time is the true currency and unfortunately, it’s not something we can make more of.
If you are keen on exercising, you will make it work to your schedule; for instance, getting up earlier or staying up later but sometimes you might have to skip the odd day here and there or even encourage your family to exercise together, so you aren’t missing out on important family time while still getting that all important exercise in.
Exercise levels, especially in Britain are at some of their lowest of all time, which is why it’s even more important that increased numbers of us find our motivation to live healthier lives by including exercise in our weekly schedules and eating healthier meals. If you are embarking on your exercise journey, remember to keep these factors in mind, work through the demotivational factors and come out the other side, healthier, fitter and better adjusted. Good luck!