I hate exercising but need to . . .
If you have pre-diabetes you know the benefits of exercising. Besides changing your diet this is the next best thing you can do to reverse the condition or prevent it from happening to you. However, working out is just plain boring to most people.
We all want to have a healthy and fit body but to get started and follow through consistently day after day, week after week is not something we look forward to. Exercising is not a sport where you are competing with others. Working out is a one-person show. It’s you and the treadmill, cross-trainer, pool, weights or whatever mode of exercising you are using. And unless you are the loner type who is self-motivated there is no way you will continue doing it. Sure you will do it for a time but will soon get bored. Whats the solution?
What motivates a gym rat to want to workout everyday?
We are all addicted to something. Whether it’s your smart phone, the latest show on TV, drugs, reading, sex, food or whatever. There is something we all love to do. What’s at the top of your list? Mine is reading, keeping up with the latest fitness trends, writing (lots of room for improvement) and spending time with family.
In the same way your addiction controls your day, a gym rat is into exercising daily. They have a need to stay fit. Maybe it’s to avoid extended illness, to look good for their partner, stave off the aging process, spend quality time with the their kids, or just to have more energy for their daily tasks. I am sure some are simply narcissistic and like to admire their bodies.
I am not inferring that we should all become gym rats and be obsessed with exercising, but we can take a lesson from what motivates them.
Here are four fixes you can use to prevent exercise boredom
The old saying is true . . . ‘motivation will get you started but discipline will keep you going‘. It takes an attitude of doing it everyday no matter what. Exception being illness and even then it depends of the type. To accomplish anything that doesn’t involve luck takes self-discipline.
Here are the best ways I find to stay disciplined to exercise everyday.
Get a friend to help – To cut down on the boredom, either get your close friend(s) to join you or make friends with those who are already doing it. This is what I did to keep going. I had a few buddies at my local gym who had the same goals.
Goals – This is just as important as incorporating a friend. Set short-term and long-term targets. Give yourself something to work towards – a healthy retirement, getting married, looking good on your next vacation, good medical checkups, preventing and reversing pre-diabetes, playing with your kids, spending quality time with family and friends. Your goals should be evolving.
Variety – Change up your routine periodically. Doing the same workout every week is sure to be a turn off.
Of course there are other things you can do such as – comparing before and after photos, change gym facility, improve your home gym with new equipment and upgrade the music you listen to – but those listed above are proven to work.
Don’t get discourage if you don’t see results immediately. You didn’t get out of shape in two weeks. It may take a few weeks to start seeing positive feed-back from all your dedicated workouts. Your focus and energy will get better, your posture will start to improve, blood sugar levels will start to normalize and you will be sleeping through the night. You will lose weight and get toned but it doesn’t happen after a week or two of working out.
The important thing here is to just get started. What’s holding you back?
Visit How to Prevent Pre-diabetes where you will find a variety of pre-set exercises you can do at home or at a gym facility. You will also get additional motivational tips to keep you going.