This July is Physical Activity and Weight Management Month, so we’ll be celebrating some ways you can increase your activity and keep the pounds off.
Exercising is one of those things that ought to be so easy to do. We all know it’s good for us, and we have a lot of options for getting fit.
Yet the fact is, it’s hard to make exercise a regular part of your day if it’s not already a habit. And even those of us who have made it part of our routine have trouble getting back into it if we take a break for health reasons or some other issue.
Weight Watchers has a great article about “How to Get Back on the Exercise Wagon.” Some of their suggestions:
- Give yourself a break. Starting or restarting a regular exercise routine is difficult for most people. Don’t beat yourself up if you have trouble too — that negative thinking will just get in your way.
- Start slow. This is especially important if you were in pretty good shape before and then took a long hiatus from exercise. Your body will need time to get back up to speed, and you could do much more harm than good if you take it too fast.
- Do what you love. If you hate running on the treadmill, then don’t run on the treadmill. You’re far better off getting accustomed to an activity you enjoy. Even if it doesn’t burn as many calories as other exercises, you’ll be far more likely to stick with it — whereas if you throw your hands up in disgust at the treadmill, you’ll probably just retreat to the couch.
Read the whole article for more advice. And check out Lifehacker’s “15 Tips to Restart the Exercise Habit (and How to Keep It).”