IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES

Have you ever wondered why some people love to exercise while others loathe it? How do these exercise lovers stay motivated while others quit? What is it about the whole mindset one has about exercise that allows one to put on those running shoes to even attempt a 5K? If you just sit and think for a moment, each of these questions is pretty serious, especially to anyone who has yo-yo dieted, bought a gym membership and gone once or exercised down to their ideal weight only to put it all back on again. It all boils down to one thing, a way of thinking about exercise.

Exercises are deliberate activities designed to burn fat and/or strengthen tone or add muscle to the human body. The word is deliberate. You can trick yourself into thinking that vacuuming and cleaning house is exercise but I’ve yet to see a hot sexy housewife in her late 40’s or 50’s that has not been exercising at a gym or used weights for years. Remember too that our diets have affected our bodies and caused us to need to exercise. In years past, our diets were fresh and made without transfat and were free of pesticides and artificial ingredients. Further, in order to put food on our tables we had to burn energy planting, harvesting and cooking on wood burning stoves. Today, of course, it’s a trip to the fast food drive through or an instant microwave meal. Very little energy is expended when gathering our food. Our modern day lifestyles offer other conveniences too; we ride cars, elevators and escalators. If we had to walk everywhere we probably wouldn’t need to exercise as much.

So the goal then, is to develop the attitude that I try to instill in my students in the Mona Roberts Fitness and Wellness Camps; the “I GET to exercise” attitude. Think of it as a treat instead of a chore. Think of exercise as an activity that has numerous positive outcomes to benefit you and your loved ones. Think of exercise as a natural part of your day.

Of course this is all good, but then you wonder how to stay motivated to exercise. Having the mindset is one thing but how to keep from quitting is another. The best advice I can give anyone about quitting is to keep a calendar filled in with the days you plan to exercise. If you are extremely busy on Mondays then don’t schedule to exercise on that day. Furthermore, it may well be to your advantage to exercise the first thing in the morning or at lunch. Many times after work, your body is drained of glycogen, the very fuel you need to get your fat cells burning. You may be tired or have something come up and boom, you’ve sabotaged your work-out again. If you do that several times, you’ll lose your consistency and quit.

So get up, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you need to get Monavated. Start today. Don’t wait for the first of the year. Think of it this way, your body doesn’t know that difference between Jan. 1^st, a Monday or the beginning of a month. You can start exercising on a Thursday…Happy Holidays!

(Mona Roberts is a teacher, motivator and fitness and wellness specialist. To learn more about Mona, you can reach her at her Website http://monaroberts.com/)