Finding the Motivation to Exercise

Everyone should be trying to keep active, but lots of people are simply not doing enough exercise. It is therefore not surprising that so many people are struggling to control their weight. Of course, diet has a role to play as well, but it is not the only thing causing weight gain. If you're piling on the pounds your first instinct may be to alter your diet. Clearly, this is worth considering, but you could also think about increasing your activity levels, as this will enable you to keep consuming a reasonable number of calories without continuing to gain weight. Exercise isn't only important for weight control, though, as keeping active is the best way to keep your heart healthy.

Thus, if you're struggling to find the motivation to exercise, you really need to think about your long-term health, because if you completely ignore your fitness, you could end up paying for it later down the line. It is surely better to get into a routine of doing exercise on a regular basis so that you don't gain an excessive amount of weight in the first place and find yourself struggling to lose it. You may think that you don't have the time to exercise and that you'd prefer to occupy your free time doing anything other than exercise, but you may want to think again. By keeping active, you could increase your life expectancy, which will obviously give you many more years to do what you want!

Sometimes, it is hard to kick-start your fitness plans, but you generally find that once you get started you actually enjoy doing something physical. By going for a run or a bike ride you get your heart pumping and you feel alert and energised. Plus, your brain releases endorphins, which actually help to alleviate negative emotions and enable you to de-stress. Consequently, you will actually find yourself wanting to get up early to go for a run or making time for a trip to the gym. You still have to take the first step, though, and make a commitment to work on your fitness. It can be tough, but you could always ask a friend of relative to exercise with you.

What you really need to do is find an activity that you can enjoy, so that you won't think of exercise as a hassle. If you're a social person, you may decide to take up a team sport so that you can socialise whilst exercising. If you prefer doing your own thing, you could always take up running or swimming, for instance. Ultimately, if you're going to stay motivated to exercise you need to find an activity, or range of activities, which you want to do. You could always try to fit exercise into your daily schedule, by leaving the car home and riding to work on your bike, for example, or walking more.

Once exercise has become part of your routine you will no longer question whether to stay in and watch television or go to the gym, because you will be able to appreciate the benefits of keeping active. You should notice that keeping your weight down isn't as difficult and that you feel more energetic and more positive, and, hopefully, these positive feelings will be enough to help you stay motivated to exercise regularly.