Unlocking the Power of Simplicity: Embracing Exercise Without the Overwhelm

Exercise is everywhere. You hear about the benefits of exercise for health, mind, and spirit in the news, on social media, and even from your doctor or therapist. Activity is vital for your health and overall well-being. It can also be extremely intimidating. You're supposed to get 10,000 steps in, raise your heart rate for many minutes, or do this amount of push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, or bicep curls. These recommendations can overwhelm you, so you return to the couch with your favorite show or book and skip exercise altogether.

So, what to do? The best way to ease into exercise is to pick something you genuinely enjoy. If you love walking, then go for a walk. Start small, just a walk around the block, or aim for 10 - 15 minutes and see how you feel. Perhaps you enjoy riding a bike; again, start with a short amount of time and build up. Don't do anything that makes you overly tired or sore. Enjoy the time out there, and make sure you also enjoy how you feel afterward. 

If you are passionate about a few different types of exercise, then pick one that you are particularly good at. The easier the activity is, the more you'll enjoy it, and the more likely you'll keep returning. If you keep going back, it will soon become a habit, which is the goal!

Make exercise part of your actual schedule. Put it on your calendar. If you have meetings or have to drop your kids off at school or any other work/errands, add exercise to your schedule and treat it like any other necessary appointment. If you have exercise scheduled, you're less likely to miss it. You'll schedule your day around exercise, so you're sure to get it in. Of course, life gets in the way. Other events run over: you don't feel well, your dog did something silly, and you must take him to the vet. It's just one missed day. Get back to it the next day when life settles a bit.

Goals will help you! Set tiny goals each week to motivate you. These could be time goals, increasing your walk or ride by 5 minutes. They could be terrain goals, such as trying out a short hill in the area where you are riding your bike. You could add a different strength exercise to your training plan and see how you feel. Don't get caught up in the "I have to have a major goal to accomplish anything" trap. Getting out there two days a week when you weren't getting out at all is a significant accomplishment. You don't have to go from 0 to 7 days a week at the start. That defeats the plan of starting slow, so you stick with it.

Getting out there should be fun, not intimidating. Perhaps search your neighborhood for walking groups, cycling clubs, or a gym that offers whatever interests you. Exercising with others can be a fun way to enjoy what you're doing and push you a bit. The most important thing to remember is to have fun, continue at it, and create healthy habits!