Change your mind !!!

Changing the Way You Think

We all get emotionally attached to certain ideas, especially when it comes to exercise. While some people love it, a lot of us see if is an obligation, a chore, even torture. It may be hard to believe that exercise can actually feel good.

It can feel good to move your body. It can feel good to be strong and confident and know you can make it through a workout. That confidence translates into other areas of your life. If you can exercise, what else can you tackle?

If you're only focused on weight loss, you're missing out on all those good things. So, how can you change that?

• Keep It simple. If you're confused about what to do, start with the basics —you need at least 20 minutes for the body to get going, so start there. Get out your calendar, find 20 minutes of time on 3 different days and do something—walking, running, going to the gym, vigorous yard work—whatever you want. Make it a habit first and work on your time and intensity later.
• Be patient. Part of allowing yourself time to make exercise a habit is being patient...you can't start where you want to be, which may be more than you can handle. You have to start where you are right now. That means easing into it and allowing both your body and mind to respond to what you're doing. The weight loss will eventually come, but not right away.
• Be more mindful. If you exercise regularly when was the last time you left your music at home and spent some time focusing on how your body feels? While music is a great motivator, why not set a goal to do one workout a week with no distractions? Leave your heart rate monitor, magazines and music at home. Forget about calories, intensity and the rest of it and focus on how your body feels. Try different activities. Go slower or faster and see how your body responds. Take some time to learn about your body and you'll be able to create workouts based on your own rules instead of someone else's.
• Find something to enjoy. If exercise seems like a chore, skip your normal workout and try something else. Take a walk outside if you can and look around. Notice the scenery. Take a new route. Breathe in the air. Breathe deeply. Sometimes just being outside is a reminder of how wonderful it is to have a healthy, functioning body.
• Mix it up. The nice thing about cardio exercise is that you can choose any activity that raises your heart rate. You don't have to do the same workout every session, nor every week. If you've been doing the same workouts try something new. Changing up your cardio is easy, so do it often and you'll discover more activities you enjoy. You can even just change up the workout you currently do. For example, if you gravitate towards treadmill workouts, try mixing it up with interval training.
• Appreciate your body. It's easy to focus on the things we don't like about ourselves but, just for a bit, think about how your body is right now. If it's in good working order, or at least close to it, think about how that feels. You can stand, walk, move. Just taking a few moments during your workouts to imagine what it would be like if you couldn't do what you wanted can help remind you how amazing your body is—no matter how it looks.

It takes time to change how you think about things. Part of making exercise a part of your life might involve opening your mind to different possibilities. Just for a moment, imagine what it would be like to exercise because it feels good--not just because it helps you look good.

Imagine how much more motivating it would be to exercise because you want to, not just because you have to. It really is possible to make exercise an enjoyable part of your life. Being more present in what you're doing can help.