How to Get (and Stay) Active
Are you struggling to find the motivation to get and stay active? We all know how important regular exercise is, but being able to muster up that discipline and motivation on a regular basis is where many of us fall short. Staying active isn’t easy for many people. But by making it an absolute priority, you can learn to get your body and mind up off the couch with ease. Check out some of these helpful tips to get active and maintain that discipline well into the future.
Make a Commitment to Yourself
Getting started with fitness all begins with finding your source of motivation. If you’re thinking, “I just want to get healthy” it really isn’t enough. You need something more concrete and powerful to push you through those lazy days when all you want to do is stay put on the couch. Make a commitment to yourself and find a source of motivation that you can lean back on to remember why you’re doing this. Whether you’re fed up with feeling insecure, or fed up with feeling twice your age, you need to link enough motivation with your past self in order to fuel your new and improve self.
Make a Plan Of Action
Every one is different when it comes to leading an active lifestyle. So be honest with yourself. If you know that a gym membership is not going to cut it for you, then don’t do it. Spend some time thinking about activities you really enjoy. Maybe it’s tennis, running, joining a sports league or yoga class. Staying active is always easier when you can find something you actually enjoy doing. If you have a class in mind but the cost of it is just outside of your budget, look for other ways to do it. Check out local meetup groups in your area or pick up games for fun, or you could even form your own group.
Buddy Up!
There’s no greater way to stay active than to buddy up with your friend, sister, partner or anyone who can help keep you accountable and on track on those challenging days. So find someone to get active with and make a commitment to help motivate one another when needed.
Move Throughout the Day
It’s no good working out for an hour in the morning, only to plank your bum down all day at work. Your body needs to move! So when you’re at work, use any opportunity to get up and move around. Take a pause and stretch at your desk, walk over to the water cooler every so often, or take the stairs on your commute. Try doing this for two weeks, and we guarantee you’ll notice a change in how you look and feel. It’s these little things throughout each day that really add up and make a difference.
Being able to get and stay active doesn’t come easy for many of us. The trick is learning to associate enough pain with your previous state that you simply must move forward and make a change. So get started with your new active lifestyle by finding something you enjoy doing, moving your body throughout the day, and bringing a friend along for the journey to help you stay on track when you need that extra boost of motivation.
If this is something you are continuing to struggle with, reach out to us at Ottawa Counselling. Our professional counsellors are here to listen and to help.