10 TRICKS FOR STICKING TO IT

Now you’re exercising again, and it feels great. Of course, it felt great last year, too, when you went to the gym every morning for almost the entire winter! If it feels so great, why do you keep quitting? You may be able to make your physical activity more consistent by using some of these tricks.

1. Start Looking at Exercise Differently. This is the big one, from my perspective, says James Gavin, PhD, sport psychologist and professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. All movement is exercise. People need to give themselves more options. Take the dog for a walk, bike to the store, take five-minute stretch breaks. If you don’t count something as exercise unless it happens in the gym, goes on for 40 minutes or requires a shower afterward, you're missing some of your best opportunities to stay active.

2. Think Small. This advice can be hardest for people who expect the most from themselves. Why bother walking around the block when you should be running your usual four miles? Because when you don’t have time to do all four miles, a brisk hike can keep you from feeling that you’ve failed.

3. Set an Agenda. It helps to challenge yourself with a learning or performance agenda, says Gavin. Set a goal, such as increasing the speed, frequency or duration of your activity. Maybe it's time to train for a marathon--or take a walk up the hill in the backyard without getting winded. (It’s perfectly fine to think small for your performance agenda, too). Your Sound Fitness Team Training Instructor can help you determine appropriate goals.

4. Get off the Beaten Path. Have you ever tried snowboarding? Bowling? Swing dancing? Body surfing? Chi kung? How about reversing your power walk route? Exercising at a different time of day? Physical activity isn't boring, but how you participate in it can be.

5. Use Your Brain. The active mind needs to be engaged, says Gavin. If you're new to exercise, dissociate tactics, such as listening to music, watching TV or playing computer games may help you stick with it--but stay aware of sensations that could signal injury or overdoing it. As you become more experienced, associative strategies, such as focusing on your breath or concentrating on the movement of your body, can help you enjoy exercise more.

6. Get an Accountability Partner. Minneapolis lifestyle coach Kate Larsen suggests finding a friend, mentor or coach to keep you honest. You can either exercise with your partner, or simply check in with him or her to report your progress. Sound Fitness Team Training is even more fun with your spouse or a friend, and committing to a new exercise programme together will definitely help you stick at it!

7. Plan to Stay Active. Don't decide in the moment if you can make the choice beforehand, says Larsen. Plan to park farther from the office and put your walking shoes in the car the night before. Plan to take that new yoga class next week, and call the babysitter now.

8.Face Your Fitness Foes. Do holidays throw your exercising schedule out of whack? Do projects at work overtake your activity time? Do injuries sideline you? Boredom? Fear of success? Fitness foes can be beaten once they've been identified. You can change your holiday type, set work limits, get guidance for injury-free activity, find new challenges, or face your fears with counseling and support.

9.Go Tribal. Even if you are introverted, the presence of others in your exercise environment can be motivating. We pick up on other people's energy, Gavin points out. We get into the tribal rhythms of being fully alive. Sound Fitness Team Training is great, as you are choosing to exercise where there will be other people who are actively involved in exercise.

10. Use a Script. We tell ourselves things like; Skipping this one little walk won't matter all that much, according to Larsen. Next time, be prepared with an answer for this excuse. Use images of past successful experiences to remind yourself of how good exercise makes you feel. Or repeat a simple phrase to yourself, such as, Every little bit makes a big difference. If you use planning, flexibility and imagination, you won't ever need to feel like a dropout again.

Most people find weeks 4 - 8 of a new exercise regime the toughest through which to remain focused and motivated! Hopefully these 10 tips will help everyone who signed up to a new routine in January to stick to it. Keep the end in mind and remember why you started in the first place! If you are going it alone, and starting to struggle, try the support of a group and come along to a Sound Fitness Team Training session for FREE! Simply email info@sound-fitness.co.uk to book.

See you on the park!
Leon