What motivates you when it comes to your health?

 

Are you goal oriented? Are you inspired by a challenge? The better you know yourself—or are honest with yourself—the easier it is to find an exercise program that fits you.

 

Experts have many different methods for creating habits. Some of them say doing an activity for 21 days in a row will make it a habit. Others recommend setting clearly defined goals.

 

We all have different personalities. What works for one will not work for all. If you want to commit to exercising, schedule it as part of your daily routine. Try to do it the same time every day. Eventually, it will become a habit—as long as you don’t give up!

 

Path to improved health

 

What motivates you when it comes to your health? Are you goal oriented? Are you inspired by a challenge? The better you know yourself—or are honest with yourself—the easier it is to find an exercise program that fits you.

 

How can I stick with an exercise program?

 

• Choose an activity you like to do.Make sure it suits you physically, too. For example, if you have arthritic joints, swimming might be a good option.

 

• Get a partner.Exercising with a friend or relative can make it more fun. An exercise partner can offer support

 

• Get a partner.Exercising with a friend or relative can make it more fun. An exercise partner can offer supporand encouragement. Also, you will be less likely to skip a day of exercise if someone else is counting on you.

 

• Vary your routine. You are less likely to get bored or injured if you have some variety in your exercise routine Walk one day, Ride your bicycle the next. Consider activities like dancing and racquet sports, and even chores like vacuuming or mowing the lawn.

 

• Choose a comfortable time of day.Don’t work out too soon after eating or when it’s very hot or cold outside. If you’re too stiff to exercise in the morning, wait until later in the day.

 

• Don’t get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before you notice some of the benefits of exercise, such as weight loss. If you miss a few days, don’t quit and plan to start again next week or next month. Start again today.

 

• Forget “no pain, no gain.”While a little soreness is normal after you first start exercising, pain isn’t. Take a break if you are in pain or if you are injured.

 

• Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music, or watch TV while you ride a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun activities, like taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play a sport you enjoy.

 

• Track your activity. Keep track of your exercise to stay motivated. Use an app on your phone or a wearable activity tracker. You can even just mark a calendar with a checkmark each day you exercise.