How to stick with an exercise program

Everyone has a groove. And once you get into one, things can hum right along without you even having to think about it. Our bodies respond to and thrive on consistent signals.

If you wake up every day and have a bowl of cereal within an hour, skip that and you’ll be hungry in no time. If you want to stick with an exercise routine, you are more likely to do that if you workout at a consistent time every day. People don’t like to change. If working out is part of your regular pattern, not doing it is sometimes unthinkable.

But when that routine gets broken by an injury, illness, work demands or family issues people often never get back into the groove.

If that happens, the sooner you start moving back toward the routine, the more likely you will make it all the way back. You may need to start out slowly. If you were working out three days a week, you might need to start with two and allow that forward momentum to get you going.

You need to keep one eye on the road ahead, but don’t forget to look in the rearview mirror to see how far you have come. Even if you derail for six months, you aren’t going to be as far behind as you were initially

Here are some practical tips to get you jump-started when you have been sidelined for a while or get you going if you haven’t already:

• Social pressure: Everyone tries the buddy system but it can easily turn into buddy laziness, when your partner is less motivated than you are. You have to own your own fitness. We recommend you craft a structured environment in the form of an instructor, a scheduled class, or a trainer. That way you get the social reinforcement, but still get your fitness on. If it costs money, even better. You will have a vested interest and will more likely stick with it.
• Rewards: People are always trying to reward themselves for trying to take care of their bodies. They often fail to see that the best reward is the way your body functions when it’s healthy. Absence of pain can be a hightly-motivating reward. If you don’t over train and do your program in moderation, you won’t feel the need to reward yourself with that plate of French fires. Keep away from the extremes, and you will be in good shape.
• Man up and face it: There are certain times that you just have to buckle down and do it. Stop looking for reasons to give yourself permission to slack, take a deep breath and go.

The result is a healthy, happy more functional life. Do you need any more than that?

Originally published in Grosse Pointe Today.