Nine Tips to Keep Yourself Exercising, from a Former Couch Potato

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
This Wednesday: Nine Tips to Keep Yourself Exercising.

One of the most commonly made, and most frequently broken, New Year’s resolutions is the resolution to exercise more.

People who exercise are healthier, more energetic, think more clearly, sleep better, have delayed onset of dementia...the list goes on.

There’s also a lot of research into the connection between exercise and happiness – some studies suggest that it provides a real boost, some studies suggest that while correlated, exercise isn’t a factor in making people happier. I’m interested to see what further studies reveal, but I’ve made up my own mind: in my experience, and the experience of everyone I know who exercises, exercise makes me calmer, more cheerful, and more alert.

But even once you’re convinced of the benefits, if you’re not inclined to exercise, it can be hard to adopt the habit. My favorite activity is reading in bed, and I don’t enjoy games of any sort, but over the years I’ve managed to transform myself into a regular exerciser by deploying these strategies:

1. Always exercise on Monday. This sets the psychological pattern for the week.

2. If at all possible, exercise first thing in the morning. The longer the day goes on, the more likely you are to get derailed.

3. Never skip exercising for three days in a row. You can skip a day, and you can skip two days, but on the third day, you must exercise no matter how inconvenient. (This rule is more effective than it sounds; it kept me exercising regularly during college.)

4. Give yourself credit for the smallest effort. When my father started running, he said that all he had to do was put on his running shoes and close the door behind him. I never push myself hard, because I know that if I did, I might stop exercising altogether. And don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The fifteen-minute walk you DO take is better than the three-mile run you DON'T take.

5. If you don’t have time both to exercise and take a shower, find an activity that doesn’t require a shower afterward, like yoga or walking. I do an extremely tough weight-training regimen that doesn’t make me sweat (and yes, it is effective, even with no sweat!).

6. Look for affordable ways to make exercising more pleasant or satisfying. Could you upgrade to a nicer gym? Buy yourself a new iPod? Work with a trainer? Get a pedometer? (they’re only $20). A lot of people are feeling a real money crunch right now, but exercise is a high life priority, so if you can afford it, this is a place to spend some money if that helps.

7. Remind yourself of the benefits from exercising. Personally, I’m more motivated by short-term gratifications like “I’ll feel more focused” or “I’ll sleep better” than long-term considerations like “I’ll live longer” or “If I have surgery, I’ll recover quicker.” A trainer told me that, in her experience, men are more motivated by the idea of improving their performance (a better tennis game) or restoring an ability (climbing stairs without getting out of breath); women are more motivated by the promise of improving their appearance.

8. Think about context. If you find it much harder to go running in winter than summer, maybe the real trouble is that you don’t like the cold. Do you hate the loud music in your gym? Is your work-out so exhausting that you can’t face the rest of your day?

9. When choosing an activity, a gym, or an exercise class, make convenience a top priority. You’re much more likely to go to a mediocre gym near your office or home than to a great gym that’s out of your way.

Apart from the happiness gain you'll get from the exercise, merely the fact that you've kept your resolution to yourself will boost your happiness.

* A blog I've enjoyed for a long time is Marginal Revolution. It's about economics -- always interesting and often raises issues that touch directly on the subject of happiness.

* Interested in starting your own happiness project? If you’d like to take a look at my personal Resolutions Chart, for inspiration, just email me at grubin, then the “at” sign, then gretchenrubin dot com. Just write “Resolutions Chart” in the subject line.

Comments

[The Healthy Librarian]

Wonderful post Gretchen. I'm a true believer in exercise. Mix it up to include aerobics, weight training & flexibility.

I find a heart rate monitor with a calorie counter is a tremendous motivator, and I'm a huge fan of listening to NPR podcasts while I walk or weight train.

Want even more encouragement? The Scientific American recently asked physicians & researchers to explain some of the benefits of exercise that aren't widely known.

It certainly motivated me!

How Exactly Does Exercise Make Us Healthier? The Scientific American Asks the Experts

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2009/01/why-exercise.html

[Christopher]

Great advice - especially the first one about Mondays...so true. So painfully true.

[Johnny]

Exercising makes you healthier, and being healthy does affect your happiness. Even without the health benefits though, I exercise because I just plain enjoy it. The key for me has been finding exercise that I find fun. I enjoy jumping rope for my cardio, and I enjoy gymnastics training for my strength conditioning. I just couldn't keep up a boring exercise routine.

Also, another thing that makes exercise pleasant is making it social. I get to interact with people in the gym that I wouldn't run into in my normal everyday life. I used to workout out with my friends because it was often the only time we could get together to just hang out and shoot the breeze.

[Dede Donahue]

Thank you, Gretchen. Much truth in that three day rule. I would say the biggest help for me for exercising has been the ipod. I can walk and not realize it. In fact, I don't like to exercise at the gym anymore because the music is so loud it interferes with my zoning on the ipod.

[melissa]

All good tips, but I am curious - this post seems to repeat a lot of tips from a previous one: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2008/05/11-tips-for-sti.html .

No new info for us? ;)

[sema]

timely advice for me as i started my morning walks again today. tip 3 is so true ,Once you stop your routines it does take time to start again.I hope to be more conscious about exercising.

[MikeB]

The first four are very important. Also the making it fun and the social aspect helps. I cycle with a group of folks that all are married and have families. We meet at 6 am so we can ride and be back before the wife or husband and kids wakeup. A trick I use (that I can't take credit for) is instead of thinking of my workouts as exercising I think of myself as an athlete and workouts as training.

[Jonas]

Great post! This is actually a a very good strategy for reaching any goal.

[sophie]

I still find it so hard to exercise though - I forget, or (worse) I just have the thought 'you should exercise' in your mind, and ignore it. What to do!

[Sus]

Out of all the tips, what's working for me is not letting "the perfect be the enemy of the good" - I am so guilty of this in many different areas of my life. Every time you mention it, I'm grateful. Your site has helped me let good enough be Good Enough. Thanks!

[FupDuckTV]

Another chunk of advice.... Find someone to keep you accountable for exercising (a trainer, a friend, a spouse... even an internet friend).

Also... don't take dieting / health advice from people can't do it themselves. Dr. Phil, Rosie, Oprah.... They are the LAST people in the world to be listening to for fitness advice. Biggest Loser is your best source for weight-loss advice and motivation on mainstream TV.

[Sheryl]

"The fifteen-minute walk you DO take is better than the three-mile run you DON'T take." Is this really true? I've committed to walking 6 days a week for 30 minutes. I'm very out of shape so I don't go very fast. Lately I've been doubting that it's doing any good whatsoever.

[HP van Duuren]

Thanks for the great post, I totally agree!

Especially Nr.2 to excersise first thing in the morning, to begin your day with an 'Hour of Power' (HP)

Even during my vacations I enjoy excersising by - like for example - 'Jogging on the Beach'. To get you inspired I have a 'Photo Collage' with stunning photo's with the upcomming sun at the Beach on Gran Canaria in a little
'Photo Movie' titled: "Jogging on Gran Canaria" that you can find at:

http://hpshappy.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

Hope you like it, or get inspired by it.

All the Best,
To your Happy - Jogging - Inspiration,
HP

[Lynn]

We invested in weight-training equipment and a treadmill for our home so we can work out there. Compared to the unused gym memberships we would have spent the money on, it has fully paid for itself with better results.

For getting started with strength-training, I used an excellent book called Strong Women Stay Young by Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D. (see Strongwomen.com)

[Heather]

Thank you for the excellent reminders! I broke my foot right before Christmas, and I am so frustrated that I cannot do much exercise right now...

[GeekMBA]

Very helpful tips, Gretchen.

I would add a couple more tips based on my own experience:

1) make your exercise goal public -- e.g. post exercise goals on personal blog, or email the goals to a few friends/family members. They will keep you accountable.

2) attend an exercise class on a regular basis and forming a support group with a few classmates. For example, I attend a "boot camp" class 3 times a week. Several of us are regular participants in the class. We start to get to know each other and encourage each other. It's very helpful. Exercise is more fun this way.

[Scott Edward Jacobs]

Excellent advice!

For me, I noticed that I had the most success when I took a really fun kickboxing class.

For those of you who can't tolerate the gym, try out a new sport -- at least it will get you off the couch!

[TasterSpoon]

My heart goes out to the person who questioned whether 30 minutes of walking a day was doing any "good." It's true that when you have a long way to go, 30 minutes of walking probably won't melt the pounds away or whatever (if you cover two miles, that's in the ballpark of 200 calories and there are about 3500 calories in a pound so in theory that's a pound every other week...but it's SO easy to undo with just a little extra eating), and that's really frustrating.

I'm not a doctor, but everything I've read suggests that it's still worth while. If this is more than you've done in the past, then you are strengthening all your muscles, including your heart, and possibly changing things like hormone and cholesterol levels for the better. Not as obviously rewarding as a dress size, but still they are improvements.

And then figure you're establishing an exercise habit that will make it easier to switch out for a little jogging or weight lifting or tennis or swimming and make progressively bigger gains as you go along.

I think mild exercise alone won't make big changes in your fitness. I think if you want to make big gains, you have to consciously challenge yourself by going further, faster or hillier each time than the last, and I think you have to expect a certain amount of discomfort (though I think plenty of people find the discomfort the satisfying part) in order to see gains.

I don't want to suggest that you aren't doing these things, and I can't know if it's what you're even shooting for. But 30 minutes of walking a day is a heck of a lot more than millions of other people are doing, and it's a step in a really positive direction. It can't hurt, can it?

[Aeschylus]

I loved your one-minute movie. As a dad of two kids under two, I was really moved by your daughter's appreciation of the world around her and your realization of the importance of that time. It really reminds me to stay in the moment every chance I get - especially with my wife and children. Thank you.

[Jesse Hercules]

There's a free service called EcFit that delivers exercise reminders and tracking to your cell phone by phone call or text message.

You can use the research-based reminders, feedback and tips that come with EcFit, or record your own! (Imagine hearing your own voice telling you to get out of bed and exercise....!)

The site is http://www.extracon.com

[Letseat]

I hate "exercise" but I enjoy activities. I swing dance twice a week, do jujitsu twice a week, go hiking and rollerblading frequently, but I wouldn't say that I "exercise" and I wouldn't be caught dead in a gym. Ugh! My advice? Find a fun activity or class that you would enjoy for its own sake. Then it's not a chore, it's a hobby.

[Brad Clark]

My response to "Exercise Tips":
1. I always take Monday off, myself, after making sure I run Saturday and Sunday; I reward myself by taking the day off at the start of the work week;
2. On Saturday and Sunday, I always try to put my miles in first thing after I get up, but during the week I have to go in the evening (around 8:00 pm or so). I'm just not enough of a morning person to get up at 6 in the morning...I think we have to be realistic with ourselves!
3. Agreed. It's pretty rare I miss two days in a row, and we recently got an elliptical trainer, so even when it's -10 outside I can still get some cardio in.
4. Yep. As part of my recommitment to losing weight I started ALWAYS taking the stairs at work, never the elevator (it's only two flights, anyway!!)
5. Well, my teenage daughter relishes telling my how much I stink after a run, so this isn't really an option...
6. Running is inexpensive. I run outside year-round, and the only "gear" I need is a new pair of shoes every four months or so. I have an IPod and my hour or so putting in my miles is really my daily chance to take time for myself and process things in my mind.
7. I swear, when I start out on my route, no matter that I have done it hundreds of times before, probably three times out of five during the first half mile or so I'm thinking "I'm not going to be able to do this - it's too damn far." I really appreciate the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude when I have finished.
8. I think I've got the context worked out by now so that all factors are favorable.
9. Not much more convenient than opening my front door and taking off!
Thanks - Didn't really intend to go on this long, but I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts on a subject I think is quite fascinating and important. It's really only a short jaunt from what you are investigating, I believe, into "what is the meaning of life" stuff (perhaps because I think that each of us ultimately determines the meaning of our own lives by our actions).

[Cyndy Parkinson]

I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and am undergoing chemotherapy. The doctor told me the two things I could do during treatment that would help me the most are to drink lots and stay active. I have been an avid runner for the past 5 years, but I can't do so during my chemo treatment. But my goal is to WALK every single day--no matter how sick or how much it hurts or how much I don't feel like going--I MAKE myself get out there and walk. Some days when it is cold and snowy or I just don't feel like making myself go, it is 3 or 4pm before I drag myself out. But ALWAYS, no matter how sick I am on my way out the door, I feel better after my walk. I promise you, walking, running--whatever exercise it is you choose to do--is good for you. Just do it!!!

[Ruth Poulsen]

Since I have small children and I work, I feel guilty taking time to go for a walk by myself--more time away from them. However, I've found this is the best way to overcome that guilt:

I take the bus to work, so the mile walk from the stop is part of my daily commute--I'm not just walking aimlessly, I'm walking to get to my job. Somehow this helps stop me from getting bored with the exercise--I mean, I'd be commuting anyway.

[Muzie]

I'm also a bit unsure about the "15 minutes a day you do is better than the 3 miles you don't" piece of advice. Yes of course, a little is better than none, but what about when you do so little that you can't observe any results after many months? I think that is a strong case for the "good enough" actually been a detriment to keeping on track.

Which one is more motivating? The 15-minute daily walk that will cause you to shed a couple pounds of fat every few month, or the 30-mile 3-mile run that drops one pound every week? It's reward vs. effort, and I think "good enough better than perfect" sometimes overly focuses on the effort part without seeing the much greater reward that often comes with doing something beyond "good enough". Personally, I prefer to see regular, visible progress rather than progress "in my head".

Walking just 15 minutes a day certainly is better than nothing, but our human bodies were designed for much more than that so to me that sounds like "eating chocolates is better than eating nachos"! :-) Yes, perfect is the enemy of the good, but sometimes "good enough" is the enemy of actually doing something meaningful.

[HP van Duuren]

For what Nr. 2 is concerned, recently I created a brand new specially dedicated
Healthy Lifestyle Blogspot you might like to have a look at:

You can find special information about excercising on it and a funny excercising 'Music Video' with a very remarcable 'Moonwalk-like' cheography!

It's really hillarious :)

You can find it at:

http://hpshealthylifestyle.blogspot.com

All the Best,
To Your - Healthy Lifestyle - Inspiration,
HP