According to the American Council on Exercise, 50 percent of the people who begin an exercise program will quit within the first six months. The overwhelming majority of these people use "lack of time" as their excuse.
Well I, for one, refuse to except this excuse. And I will tell you why using simple mathematics, the only type of mathematics I'm capable of. There are 16 waking hours in a day, allowing for 8 hours of sleep, which means that there are about 112 waking hours in a week. The American Heart Association, as well as countless other health authorities, recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week for a total of 1.5 hours of exercise per week. That's only 1.33% of your total week!
So, no, I don't buy it. I think it's more an issue of exercise not being a priority that people want to make time for because they don't enjoy it. So how can you enjoy exercise more?
An extremely important, though oft overlooked, step is one that should be done before and throughout following a workout plan and just about any other endeavor: Goal Setting.
Exercising without a goal is like shooting a gun without aiming; You may accomplish something eventually but you're going to waste a lot of time, energy and resources on guesswork.
Setting appropriate goals means that you have something to strive for, which means that you have a feeling of accomplishment, which builds self-confidence that you can achieve future goals. It also allows you to track your progress so that you feel like you're actually accomplishing something with all that exercise. It attaches something pleasant to something that, for some, is unpleasant. It's a fantastically empowering thing.
But notice that I specified appropriate goals. To explain what "appropriate" means in this context, I'm going to borrow an acronym from the American Council on Exercise. According to them, and me, goals must be S.M.A.R.T.
Specific - Exactly what do you want to accomplish?
Measurable - When your goal is something that you can measure, then you definitely know when you've accomplished it. In the fitness realm, measurable goals include a certain amount of weight lost, a body fat percentage reached or even a race that you want to participate in. This site is a great way to find local races and other activities.
Attainable - This one's tricky and takes some balance. If your goal is too easy or too hard, the boost of motivation won't last. You'll either attain it way too quickly and not have a chance to improve or become frustrated and give up. So make your goal something that's challenging but doable. For example: "I want to run the New York Marathon in a month" is way too difficult for someone who hasn't run before. What classifies as "easy" depends on you and your personal fitness level.
Relevant - Make the goals fit your interest, needs and abilities.
Timebound - Set a specific deadline. Make sure this date is still within the boundaries of attainability.
So, "I want to get in better shape" is an unacceptable goal because its not specific, measurable or timebound. And we don't accept "close enough!" On the other hand, "I want to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year?" Brilliant!
And I can back this all up with a team of scientists. You can read the study here.
Setting a SMART goal gives you something to work for and something to feel good about and helps you find something to enjoy in your workout. Because everybody enjoys winning, even when we're just competing against ourselves.
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