Finally, Simple Steps to Get Started !

Lately I've been scrolling many blogs and pages about exercises and fitness in general, but there was one thing that caught my eye.
   You see, people talk about fitness and dieting in general. And even if they concentrate on a group specifically then they never say how to get started. Instead I see only exercises meant for advanced people and what if you are not one of them ?
  Another thing I discovered that most of the stories are just one big bubble. It tells you some thins but not the whole story, so enough about my opinions. Lets get started, literally.

The main problems:

Why is it so hard to make the action of exercise a habit ? Some people get into the routine rather quick and others start off good and loose their motivation soon after.

Too Difficult: 
People tend to set their goals a bit high at start, and because of that they lose alot of ambition and enthusiasm really quick. I'm not saying there is nothing wrong about setting your goals high, but be careful though. I remember how i started my routine for running. The night before i decided that I would go for a 5 km run and increasing my speed throughout the way. The thing was that I couldn't run more than 2 km cause I just got tired and frustrated at myself.

Too many goals:
Often we set out to do too much. When we discover healthy lifestyle for us, then we immediately want to start running, lifting weights, eating healthy, quit eating sweets, stop drinking soda. But lets face it, you cant focus one one completely if you have about 5 more in your mind. Then we try to do everything just a little bit, and actually still lose focus on the first one.

Not enough motivation: 
It's not the lack of distsipline, but lack of motivation. In my opinion the most powerful motivators are public pressure and logging your habits. There are also many other important factors.

So I'm going to share 4 simple steps to get started and to get going.

1.Set one easy, specific and measurable goal:

Written:
Write it down, post it up. If you don't then it's just not that important.
Easy: 
Don't and I mean DO NOT set a difficult goal. Start as simple as possible, like start by doing some sort of exercise for 5 minutes a day and thats it. If you can do that gradually build your way to 10 per day. Then go 15 after two moths. Then you won't get the pressured feeling as well that it would take too much time out of your day. So my point is: build up a habit.
Specific: 
Be specific about everything. I mean be specific about the exercise you are going to do, the time you are going to do them, where and so on. Make an appointment with yourself that you just can't miss.
Trigger:
I strongly recommend that you have a trigger. A trigger is something that you do every time before you start to exercise. I always watch a motivational video before I get started. The trigger is something that will never help you forget. Right after lunch, right after Coffey, right after you brush your teeth, a trigger is something that you never forget.
Measurable: 
Be measurable, I mean that when you have to say what you are going to do you are able to say it definitely. For example: walk 10 minutes a day, run 1/2 mile, do 3 sets of 5 push ups. Each of those has a number that you can shoot for.
One goal:
Stick to one goal for one month. Don't start a new one before the old one has ended. If you can bare it, set the one goal for 2 moths. If you don't stick with that, then you are scrapping your goal.

2. Log it daily:
This is a key habit. If you log your workout, you will start to see progress ad that will motivate you to keep on going. Make it a habit of logging right after you have don't the exercise. And don't make the log complicated - just write down the date, what you did and how much.

3. Report to others:
I think this is key. You can do it on your blog, on an online forum, with your spouse, or friends or family, or a workout partner, or a coach, or a group, or a class. However you set it up, make it part of the process that you have to report your daily workout to other people. It could be using an online log, or on a forum, or through email, or the phone, or just by telling your co-workers what you did this morning. But be sure that they know your goal, and that you are going to report to them, and be sure that they are expecting it every day.

Add motivation as needed:
The first three steps might be enough for you to get the habit going. But if not, don’t just give up. If you miss two consecutive workouts, you need to look at why, and add a new motivation. Rewards, more public pressure, inspiration, whatever it takes. Read this article for more on this. You can add one additional motivator, and then see if it works. If you miss two more consecutive workouts at any time, add another motivator. And so on, until the exercise habit sticks.


Remember a healthy mind needs a healthy body.
Keep training !