LIFESTYLE NEWS - With a challenging schedule and pressure on your time, how do you still fit in exercise?
We know that exercise is good for us and that we should do it more often; regular exercise helps with managing stress, it's a great mood booster and recent research confirms that it keeps your brain younger by as much as 10 years! So why do so many of us struggle to make exercise a habit?
If you are a big-goal exercise person – training for the Comrades, Iron Man or any other big-goal event – please feel free to move on.
If you are, however, like me - which is busy, in demand, hectic, not training for a big event - you may need a few other strategies to get your regular dose of exercise.
Find an activity that you enjoy
Find a sport that you enjoy. It seems so obvious, but I do believe it is important that you like what you are doing. I dislike running with the same degree of intensity that I despise certain vegetables, so I don’t run. I do, however, love to play squash and I could play all day if I had the time.
Find a sport that you enjoy. It seems so obvious, but I do believe it is important that you like what you are doing. I dislike running with the same degree of intensity that I despise certain vegetables, so I don’t run. I do, however, love to play squash and I could play all day if I had the time.
If you don’t know what you like, now is the time to go to try different things. Do a group class at the gym, go dancing or take your dogs for a walk - you get the idea.
Surround yourself with like-minded people
Being part of a group can drive your motivation. As a member of a group you are often more secure, and they can share in your goals and care about your progress.
Being part of a group can drive your motivation. As a member of a group you are often more secure, and they can share in your goals and care about your progress.
They don’t have to be friends, yet they can become friends. My husband is part of a cycling group and they support and fuel each other during the tough rides.
They also keep each other accountable to go cycling every weekend. You can even have an accountability partner. I have a regular gym appointment with a work colleague on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7am.
We don’t always make it, but it’s not so easy to make excuses if someone is waiting for you.
