If you have spent your adult life as a couch potato, becoming more active will take at least 6 months.
You've set goals and made resolutions, but you will surely encounter roadblocks on your path to fitness.
Here are some tips and strategies for overcoming common exercise problems.
It's boring If you find exercise boring, you've chosen the wrong kind.
Activity is recreation, time off from the cares of the day.
It should not be just another one of the things you have to do before you can enjoy yourself.
It should be enjoyable in and of itself.
If it has started to feel like the "same old same old," it's time for a change.
If you've done your homework, your weight-loss notebook should have a list of the things you like to do.
Retire some of your choices and make some new ones.
If there's nothing tempting on your list, take another look at the exercise options in Chapter Exercise Options.
Check one of the many online sources that list activities and their calorie burns.
Dial up the websites of particular sports and activities - from archery to yoga.
Look into classes at your local Y or community center.
Choose activities that will get you moving in a way that's fun.
Enlist a friend to do it with you.
That way you can combine socializing with exercising.
Good conversation while you walk, run, skate, or bike will distract you from what feels like work.
Making an unbreakable date will ensure that you really do it.
Join a team.
It's a great way to meet new people or spend time with folks you already know.
A parent-child team adds quality time as well as providing an active role model for the next generation.
If you are exercising alone, do it with music.
A portable radio or tape/CD player is a lightweight exercise companion.
If you choose upbeat music, it will help you maintain a lively tempo.
Do it in an interesting place.
From mall walking to mountain climbing, there's an environment that will strike your fancy.
Try to combine your activity with something that interests you or engages a part of your mind other than the one that's counting reps.
Add variety to whatever exercise you do.
Day after day of leg lifts will certainly be boring.
Try to do something different every day and add something new at least once a month.
This will keep you challenged in both body and mind.