Staying Motivated To Exercise

Welcome!

This is my first post here, and I am eager to get this blog started. First let me introduce myself. My name is Shannon, I am an active mom of two, wife as well as many other things. I am starting this blog to hopefully inspire and motivate other moms like myself to live a healthy life. I want this site to serve as a place for you to get tips to live a healthy life.

I thought I wound start with exercise.

Do you? How much? Did you know that the CDC recommends that we engage in 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week? That breaks down to about 22 ish minutes a day of brisk walking. They also recommend two or more days a week of strength training.

Hmm.. So, who does that? Do you exercise over 20 minutes a day? Or a few days of intense exercise? I find it so hard to stay motivated to exercise sometimes. There are days where I literally drag my butt out the door to get exercise in. I always feel better after, but the initial step out the door is the challenge.

Tips to stay motivated:

-Think of it as your time. This can be a great time to get time away from the house, kids, work, etc so make it about you, and learn to enjoy that.

-Get a goal-This doesn't have to be about weight. I have goals each day that I run, as well as weekly goals, and even long term goals like competing in an upcoming race. Focus on the goal and achieving your goal not on the exercise. Some of my goals are running so many miles per day/week/month.

-Remember how you feel after you have exercised. As much as I hate going for that run sometimes, I always feel better after. I might be tired, and have sore feet but I feel more healthy as well as having a sense of accomplishment.

-Remember why you are doing this. Health, weight, fitness goal, lower blood pressure, reduced risk of disease, etc. etc. right?

-Be positive! Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you are having a rough day, do what you can and make up for it on the next day. There is no reason to hold yourself to a strict unrealistic expectation. The trick is being consistent.

How about you? What gets you motivated to exercise? How to you stay motivated?