What can you do to stop feeling guilty about your level of fitness? Only recently have I finally started to get into the best shape of my life and I’m 42 years old.

I hear you saying, “Setting and accomplishing a goal like this is tough.” I’ll give you some tips you can start using today, which have turned my life around. Before I do, can you guess what is one of the biggest factors that made this change in my life possible?

Your why should make you cry. Find one reason to do it, which will trump all reasons not to.

Motivation really is the kingpin to making a significant change like this happen and my motivation came from aging and realizing I have so much more I want to do with my life. My wonderful children are growing up so quickly and I want to be healthy and strong to be around for them. (Read Awaken the Giant Within)

[callout] [/callout]

Exercise Revs Up Brain Power.

Photo/scan compliments of Dr. Chuck Hillman University of Ilinios

Photo/scan compliments of Dr. Chuck Hillman University of Illinois

“Most notably in children, what we see is that they perform better on academic achievement tests following single bouts of exercise,” said Dr. Charles Hillman, a professor at the University of Illinois who studied this topic for years.

The good news is that in addition to the short term performance effects on the brain , according Dr. Arthur Kramer, also a professor at the University of Illinois, the same areas of the brain that are affect by aging are also the same areas that are most benefited by exercise. (Details in second video at the end of this post.)

Exercise Makes Us Happy

When we exercise the brain the brain understands this as a moment of stress on the body. In response the brain releases endorphins into the blood stream, according the researcher McGoverns:

These endorphins tend to minimize the discomfort of exercise, block the feeling of pain and are even associated with a feeling of euphoria.”

That means you actually get happier. On this topic here is what researchers from Penn State University had to say:

We found that people who are more physically active have more pleasant-activated feelings than people who are less active, and we also found that people have more pleasant-activated feelings on days when they are more physically active than usual”

Amanda Hyde

The effect you receive from exercise can be addicting, similar to the way to the morphine or heroine are addictive, but this would be a healthy addiction for the most part.

How To Make Regular Exercise a Rock Solid Habit.

Here are the tips I promised I’d give you to help you get started.

  1. You’ve gotta start now. If you wait you will loose your impetus. Get what you need together and set a time for your first workout today or tomorrow at the latest. (Read Awaken the Giant Within)
  2. Make it fun. Pick something you enjoy or feel attracted to. I enjoy video workouts which include resistance training, like P90X3 (not an affiliate link).
  3. Set a minimum goal for the amount of time and the number of days you will work out every week. Plan on increasing this over time.
  4. Start small. A lot can be accomplished with 30 min of exercise. Don’t push yourself to hard in the beginning. Small wins encourage you to keep going. (This is especially important if you are currently not in very good physical condition. Consult a doctor or trained professional before engaging a major fitness push or exercise change.)
  5. Do it first thing in the morning. Put your exercise time on your schedule as one of the first things you do when you get up in the morning. Later on it becomes harder to disengage from your important activities in order to exercise. (Read The Greatness Guide)
  6. Don’t miss a Monday and don’t let your weekly goal slip. What helped me was, in the beginning I decided to workout 3 days a week starting on Monday. This allowed me some wiggle room. If I missed a day I could make it up and still fit the three days into the week. Missing one day can start a series of days of skipping your workouts if you don’t catch yourself.
  7. Set a SMART goal for a result you would like achieve which is measurable. So options might be: loose 20 kg, shrink waist size by 20 cm, or gain 15 kg in muscle mass.
  8. Set a date to achieve the results you chose in point seven. Even if you’re not sure how realistic your goal is, make a good guess and write it down, this gives you something to aim for. This is the T in SMART, time related.
  9. Once the habit of regular exercise sets in and you begin experiencing positive results, push yourself to exercise a little more often, for a little longer, and choose new routines which demand a little more from you physically.
[reminder]How has this article helped you in making exercise a part of your life? What form of exercise do you like best? [/reminder]

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9 Tips for a Rock Solid Work Out Habit
Dr. Charles Hillman’s TEDxU talk below for your convinience.