How Do I Get Into Everyday Exercise

One of the most important aspects of a fitness lifestyle is exercise. Many people would argue that it is the most important part. In fact the late Jack Lalanne said that "Exercise is king, while diet is queen." Most people would agree with this at least in theory.

When starting out, daily exercise is nearly impossible to get into. Diet and supplements can also be difficult, but they do not pose the same set of problems. Swallowing food is relatively easy even when making the switch from grocery store food to organic. Though, it does cause it's trouble such as boredom due to lack of appeal, Nevertheless, it is never as daunting as having to get to the club or on the street every day at the same time for the same duration and intensity. This is painful to start and really does not get much easier for about six months.

Most of us know this intellectually. It is one of the reasons that we put off really getting into exercise for as long as we can. We know that it is just not going to be as pleasant as sitting in front of a TV, computer or steering wheel. Those are things that almost all of us do for virtually all of the time. Those are the blessings or curses of the modern day world.

After a year or so, this is not an issue. In fact we do then start looking forward to our workouts the night before. But that is far down the road. It is not right now. Right now we are for the most part adverse to getting into exercise at all. That means we are initially dead set against getting into a program with the same thoroughness and regularity as the brushing of our teeth. Yet, that is what we must get into. What can be done to get us past this point?

The first thing is to get up from where we are at right now to just plain go and do it. That might mean signing a contract with a health club this morning, resolving not to leave there until the first workout is done.That can be anything from jogging a mere mile around the track to doing sixty minutes on the equipment. Anything is good even if it is not as good as the two hour a day workouts that were done by former Mr America Jack Lalanne on his ninety-sixth birthday. The only thing to remember about it is that it will be too much. There is no may be too much about it. It simply will be too much for a beginner to do. What needs to be decided is what will be done again tomorrow and the day after that.

The second thing to consider is when to work out Getting up from the computer right now to sign a health club contract and do a workout is good, but probably not a good indicator of the best time for workout number two tomorrow. Make no mistake, the time to start is now; but the time that you keep at it may be entirely different. The early morning hours should be considered. These are times when others are not up making their demands. Too, they are at the start of the day, meaning that what is done in them will set the metabolism for the remainder of the waking hours. That will make everything else go more efficiently.

The third thing to think about is staying at it, no matter what. This is extremely difficult when there are no changes visible in the mirror. These take time--six months to a year, though most would say far less. What this means is that a new person has to invest a lot of time and energy without seeing any results. The temptation then is to work out longer and harder to make results happen more quickly. But, most often, this results in pulled muscles, fatigue and the inability to keep up the pace. The only sure answer is to decide beforehand on a routine, no matter how humble, that can be done everyday. This is crucial and is no different than tooth brushing--something no one would think of missing before leaving the house.

What will make results come more quickly is calorie reduction. There are countless tables on the internet to assist in the determination of how much is needed while dropping excess weight. This will vary from person to person due to size and activity load. But, with a little perseverance ( trial and error) a set amount can be determined. Then, cutting this number back by three hundred calories, no more than that, can result in the loss of a pound every ten days. A supplement such as green tea will be a help in getting through this

The secret to getting into fitness is always doing something, but never too much. In other words, keeping at it is queen while getting started is king. Both are necessary in the fitness realm. Getting started (like starting off the new year) just to please the king is acceptable, but getting something manageable for day two through day one thousand is most pleasing to the queen. Cutting back on calories while doing both is being a good subject--one who will be richly rewarded when looking in the mirror.

For further thought into a regular fitness program order my e-book "Think and Grow Fit."