Will you miss exercising?

Anyone new to exercise can attest how hard it is. It's hard for a body not used to physical movement and it's hard for a mind that hasn't quite grasped all the changes necessary to do those workouts day after day.

You move forward in fits and starts, hoping to turn that corner from something that feels completely foreign to something that's, if not comfortable, at least familiar.

What you may not realize is that, if you can find a way to be consistent something strange will happen: One day? You'll actually miss exercise.

I always enjoy the moment others realize this. Take one friend who went on vacation and because of the weather and a scattered schedule, got off track with his workouts. When he came back, he hopped on the treadmill without complaint (a miracle all by itself) and said, "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually missed this."

While falling in love with exercise is a bit of a stretch, there can be a don't-know-what-you've-got-until-it's-gone aspect to it. You may not even realize you've become emotionally and physically attached to your workouts until you're forced into an unplanned break. After a few missed workouts, you may start to feel a little twitchy. You may find yourself snapping at others for no apparent reason. You may even find that, when reunited with your workouts, you feel something that could almost be called happiness.

Yes, it seems impossible that this could occur, but it will...if you stick with it long enough. How long is long enough? That changes from person to person, but I would give it a few months.

Planning for your Winter Success

I hate to bring up the 'w' word so early in November, but it was very cold this past week-end and that got me thinking ….how am I going to stay motivated to exercise when it gets even colder/snowier/more miserable?  Will I be able to pull myself out of my warm bed every morning to work-out? It's a good idea to start thinking about these things before they creep up on you. That doesn't mean eating 'extra bacon' in order to add a thicker, warmer layer of fat to one's body!

The key to staying fit in the winter is to live somewhere warm. That means one of two things - moving to a warmer, more exercise-friendly climate or creating your own personal exercise-friendly environment with what you have available.

If you can manage the first option, you have nothing to worry about. But if you are like most of us and fall into the second category, you have a little work ahead of you.

Creating an exercise-friendly winter means planning ahead and dealing with the biggest winter exercise obstacles:

·        Cold weather - How will you make it easier to exercise when it gets cold?  Some ideas -putting your workout clothes in the dryer before outdoor workouts, a winter wardrobe to keep you warm and dry so you can get outside sometimes or setting up a home gym for days when it's just too cold to go out.

·        Lack of motivation - It's easy to lose sight of your long-term goals as you're snuggling into your warm bed on a frigid, dark morning. How could you stay motivated through the winter? Some ideas: Sign up for a spring 5K, enlist a workout buddy to meet you for regular workouts or set up a plan for monitoring yourself throughout the season to keep yourself on track.

·        The crazy holidays - Look at your calendar and mark all the parties, holidays, travel days, etc. Now, think of how you can stay fit through all the craziness. For example, could you put together a series of body weight workouts to do on the road? Could you research some healthy holiday recipes to avoid too many calories?

Are you already planning ahead for winter or do you prefer the head-in-sand approach ….or is that heading for the sand??

Herman puts it so well....