My City March 2023

MYHEALTH

as $10 a month and free workouts can be found on YouTube and other online sources. (You’re already paying for internet access so why not use it for exercise?) Find a room with enough space to move or take the show on the road and head outside on nice days to bike, run, hike, etc. Take cost-free routes anytime you can. If you don’t have internet access at home, take advantage of free public programs and local exercise groups. There are ways to get it done on the cheap. Excuse 5: Too out of shape or embarrassed. Well, all I can say is that if you are embarrassed to exercise then you absolutely know it has to be done! You are admitting that you are not happy with your body and the only way to change that is to exercise. Nobody is beyond movement (with exception of injury or medical condition, of course). Nobody said you had to start with a marathon. Make a goal to walk more, stand more, DO more. Take the first step and then keep walking. Again, the first days, weeks, months might be rough. Buckle down and stay with it. Join an online program if you can afford it or a local workout group and just keep showing up. Half of success is showing up so close your eyes, take a deep breath and take the first step. (If you do have a medical condition or injury, please check with your doctor before beginning any exer cise program or routine.) Okay, so you have encountered and parried the five previously mentioned excuses to not work out and you have begun the process of self-improvement. You have found the time, motivation, exercises and will power. You may have even begun a program! If so, good on you. Now comes the hard part: sticking with it. Here are a few tips for staying on track.

➊ Set attainable goals. It’s not healthy (or all that possible) to lose five pounds a week. Set a goal of 1 or 2 pounds instead. Maybe set a goal to run nonstop for three minutes, then five, and so on. Start with a goal of two push-ups and keep raising the bar. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was your fitter body. ➋ Let mistakes go. Don’t hold on to failures or let-downs. If you missed a scheduled workout or even a few, just get back on the horse. If you don’t hit your initial goals, sim ply keep going. You will get there. ➌ Plan it out. Get a planner or app and use it. Schedule workouts and chart your progress toward your goals. If you see tangible improve ment, you will be more motivated to keep going. ➍ Find a workout buddy. Enlist a friend or join a group. Workout with others who will Tips to Keep it Going

be supportive, fun, and keep you accountable. You could join a neigh bor, dance studio, sports team, club. The more you interact, the more you win. ➎ Schedule recovery days. “No pain, no gain” isn’t a thing any more. Listen to your body and plan days to take a break. Binge-watch that show you were sacrificing or simply swap a long walk for a heavy workout. Just make sure to get right back on track – no more than two recovery days in a week and never sequential. We don’t want recovery days to become a habit. ➏ Make it you. We don’t want recovery days to become a habit but we do want the opposite. Make exer cise and being fit a part of who you are. Become the active, confident, amazing, (sexy?) person you dreamed of being. The only way to do that is to make exercise a way of life. Cheers to fitness!

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