When It Comes to an Exercise Plan, It Pays to Be Open to Options

Exercise can and should be done in ways that keep us excited and wanting more while suiting our individual tastes? The reality is that for some, spending a quarter of the day at the gym after having already exhausted three quarters of it on the job and with family/friends, does not work? Or perhaps you are just not a morning person like me, and the idea of getting up 5am or so every morning before work to jog in the park might be too much for you. And don’t even get me started on those winter mornings!
Shouldn’t exercise be sweet, fun and fit into our schedule?

• From my personal experience, I have found that squeezing in minutes of exercise in inventive ways have been most effective. Adapting exercise alternatives that are fun and simple while allowing for significant exertion of energy at the same time, can be a great encouragement to sticking with an exercise routine. Among others, I’ve found Pilattes, Billy Blanks Tae Bo, and dance to be good options.

• For those who have a regular gym or jogging routine, or have the luxury of a personal at-home gym, I commend you highly. For those who don't, know that it’s fine to take a different route and be a little unconventional.

• Do what feels right for you. Submitting to exercising in a way that deep down you know is not you is a form of self-sacrifice which does not serve you. I personally think that too many of us do things we simple hate with the thought that grown-up life has to be about doing a bunch of things we don’t want to do. Try as we might, humans are hardly ever able to keep doing anything we don’t like doing for too long, and if we succeed in forcing it, we usually suffer tremendous mental and/or physical burden.

• Try something that you probably always wanted to try out anyway, for eg. tennis, volley ball, dancing, etc.. Have you ever tried just putting on the radio and dancing to whatever is on or putting in your favorite dance cd? Try it in the living room or dance half-naked in front your bedroom mirror after a shower just for the heck of it! That last one is totally optional off course!

• There are no rules and if nothing else, just to get moving in whatever way is pleasing and fun to you, can relieve some stress.

Life is too bountiful and gives us too many choices to deny ourselves options. Exercise is one area where there are definitely options.