Change The Way You Think About Exercising

You shouldn’t hate working out. In fact, you should look forward to it. If you dread going to workout sessions, it’s time you change the way you think about exercising. One of the easiest ways is simply to change your mind. Rather than think of it as something you have to do, turn it into a game. Chart your progress and look for ways to challenge yourself.

Instead of making it a game, get exercise from a sport.

YES! I do mean kickboxing, but there are a lot of others from which to choose. Surfing, rowing, swimming and even dancing (okay, make that competitive dancing to give it sport status) give your body a complete workout, especially ballet. When you’re thinking more about the next movement or trying to break your own personal best record, you actually enjoy working out rather than dread it. With competitive workouts, like kickboxing, winning a match can be a real rush that will change your attitude forever.

Try new things.

If you’ve done the same routine for years, it’s no wonder it’s a snooze. Varying your exercise routine with new things is not just important to your attitude, it makes a difference in the effectiveness of the workout in a number of ways. First, you’re using different muscle groups and varying the way you’re using them when you try new things. Secondly, if you don’t change your workout your body becomes too efficient at the movement and burns fewer calories. That can cause plateauing.

Workout with others, rather than alone.

Working out alone can be the ultimate bore. It leaves you time to think about just how long it takes and sometimes how tedious or difficult the workout is. When you workout with others, while you’ll still focus on the movements, the comradery can make it far more enjoyable. The group energy and enthusiasm is contagious.

– Kickboxing, like other types of sports keeps you focused on the next movement. Kickboxing in particular, doesn’t let your mind take a break to wander, while your body goes through the movements. You have to keep focused.

– Reward yourself for accomplishment. Whether it’s reaching a specific goal for lifting weights, running faster or further, it doesn’t matter. Find a non-food way to reward yourself when you reach a preset benchmark.

– Make exercising a habit that you do automatically. Exercise at the same time every day. The longer you do it, the more of a habit it will become.

– Smile while you workout. Not only does smiling add more years to your life, it also can help make the difference to change your mind. It’s a “fake it until you make it” move.