Obsession, Compulsion or Flat-out Non-Adherence

There are a few different types of exercisers out there. You have your completely obsessed and disciplined exercisers who workout 7 days per week for at least an hour at a time. Then, there are the compulsive exercisers who only workout when they feel some emotion that drives them to do so. Finally, you have the ones who start, stop, start, stop and just cannot seem to adhere to a regular exercise program. You may fall into one of these groups or perhaps a combination of the two. Some of the really obsessed folks have a propensity toward burning out after about a year, then pick back up again so I classify that as a combination. In any case, staying consistent and progressive and successful in an exercise program is probably one of the toughest committments any average person can make. Here are some ideas as to how to combat the different obstacles that get in the way.

1. "I hate exercise."--Unfortunately, this comprises a large portion of the population. For a lot of people, exercise can downright be painful especially if you've never been active. Try to isolate what you hate about it and what activities bother you more than others. Generally, once you've isolated the culprits you can modify activities. You might trim the time down, take out actions that are really uncomfortable, start exercising with a friend or just start small and work your way up to more advanced styles.

2. "I don't have time."--The most popular obstacle. And yes, a lot of folks probably don't have time. But then, you probably don't have time for a lot of things. We call it time management. You can find time to do anything that you want to do. This goes with the above obstacle, if you hate it you won't find time for it. Try scheduling it in to your dayplanner, blackberry, palm pilot etc. Perform it as you would any other chore or errand and plan for the unexpected (sick children, dog ate your homework or whatever.)

3. "I don't have the motivation."--What is anyone's motivator? It could be fear of not looking good, fear of bad health, joy at the endorphins released, joy at simply having it done. Try to set short and long term goals for yourself and then make every effort to reach them. Pre-plan your exercise programs so you won't have to decide what to do when you start. Trainers can help with that if you can afford it. Everyone has to exercise, the question is how to get yourself to do it.

4. "I always hurt myself when I start." ---If you haven't worked out in a while, I don't recommend the advanced spin class or to spend a full hour doing cardio or lifting the exact weight that you used to be able to lift. Condition your body gradually. Do a 5-10 minute warm up, maybe two to three core activities, 2 back, chest and leg exercises and 15-25 minutes of cardio. See how your body feels and increase gradually from there. Don't plan to exercise every day....schedule your days and keep to 3 days per week to start with and add from there. Then, you have half a chance of sticking with it.

5. "I don't see any results."--Your body is not the same as the person next to you. You cannot exercise the exact same way that someone else does. First, establish your goals. Do you want to lose weight? Increase cardiovascular capacity? Improve strength? Improve flexibility? You may want all of the above, but it helps to narrow it down to priorities at the beginning. Then, perform a program that will get you toward that isolated goal for about 3 months and then change. You should progress in this time frame and thereby be conditioned enough to add on.

Exercise does not come easily to anyone and if you have a family, a job, a dog etc. you may believe that you don't have time to do it. What you don't have, is the option not to exercise at all. It doesn't have to be in a gym, you can take walks, work on house projects, go ice-skating, play a sport...whatever. Just get and stay active and your body will thank you.