{"id":1213,"date":"2019-10-24T00:51:06","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T00:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alternativemedicine.today\/?p=1213"},"modified":"2019-10-29T00:57:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T00:57:10","slug":"how-to-start-exercising-if-you-hate-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alternativemedicine.today\/?p=1213","title":{"rendered":"How To Start Exercising If You Hate Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting an exercise regimen is hard. No wonder: for most of human history, the idea of scheduling time to expend a bunch of energy for no reason would be laughable. Studies show that hunter-gatherers typically only sit down for two to three hours a day. But as our lifestyles have changed, more and more of us spend most of our lives on our butts. And it\u2019s literally killing us: statistically, heart disease is most likely the way we will die.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of systemic reasons why South Africa is a particularly difficult place to get enough exercise: apartheid city planning, poverty, crazy crime rates, and a poor food environment have meant that it\u2019s not easy to build sports and movement into your day. Stats show that around half of South African adults live completely sedentary lifestyles.<\/p>\n

Here are five practical steps to building an exercise habit. One that sticks this time\u2026<\/p>\n

1. Decide why you care <\/strong><\/p>\n

Learning to exercise is tough. There will be many moments you\u2019ll want to give up. So, spend some time at the start is extremely clear what\u2019s motivating you.<\/p>\n

There are real benefits to exercise that goes beyond looking hot naked. Exercise slows the aging process on a cellular level. People who exercise are happier and less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression. Exercise lengthens your lifespan (every an hour of running adds an estimated seven hours to your life expectancy). It can boost your brain health and prevent diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

2. Set clear, specific goals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t start an exercise program with the ambition to run the Comrades: you\u2019ll quickly feel like you\u2019re failing and want to give up. Start with a shorter-term goal, something that\u2019s achievable within 1-2 months, like wanting to be able to run 3km without stopping.<\/p>\n

In fact, evidence shows that the \u201csweet spot\u201d for health outcomes isn\u2019t a crazy amount of exercise: it\u2019s just over 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (eg a brisk walk, ballroom dancing) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity (eg swimming, boxing, running, soccer) exercise every week, broken down into chunks of time that are at least 10 minutes long. So, something as simple as a brisk 25-minute walk every day can have a huge impact on your health.<\/p>\n

3. Create a plan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Find a program that suits your goals. If you want to pick up a new sport, research local clubs and find out when they meet. If you want to start running, take a look at something like the Couch to 5k program. If you\u2019d like to try a gym program, the Fitness subreddit Wiki has a great list of routines for beginners.<\/p>\n

Then, go and schedule it into your week. If you use a calendar app, add the workout sessions you want to do. Figure out the details of how you\u2019ll put your plan in motion.<\/p>\n

4. Remove the friction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be real: Your brain is going to look for any excuse to skip a day\u2019s worth of exercise. So, try to pre-empt all of the excuses it might give you, and remove them.<\/p>\n

Imagine that your brain is a whiny six-year-old child who really does not want to do PE. What systems would you put in place to make sure that they have no excuses?<\/p>\n

Whatever you do, NEVER allow exercise to be negotiable (\u201cI\u2019ll skip the session I planned to do today, and do an extra-long one tomorrow instead\u201d).<\/p>\n

5. Get over the discomfort hump<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not sugar-coat it: when you\u2019re starting out, exercising is hard and it feels awful and every second is agony. Luckily, this won\u2019t last forever: most fit people say that they actually really enjoy exercising (which, I know, feels like an impossible concept if you\u2019ve never been fit). The trick is to find a way to distract yourself through the gross bits until you get fit enough to enjoy yourself.<\/p>\n

Maverick Life<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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