The length of your list of New Year's Resolutions is inversely proportional to your success in making them stick. REALLY?? Hard to imagine, but the longer the list, the less likely you are to have success. So say Baumeister and Tierney in the book Willpower. We are almost half way through January. How're you doing so far? Is your resolve starting to wane? If so, keep reading to find out how to keep your determination strong.
We each have a finite amount of willpower and using a little bit in a lot of places gets you right back to square one, and more discouraged than ever. So, choose one thing you want to change. My advice? Change your exercise routine, because, when it comes to your health, the right exercise changes everything. Don't believe me? Check out this must-see video on exercise. It could change your life. If you are already hooked on exercise, send it to your favorite couch potato. Oh, and don't forget to throw that list of New Year's resolutions away.
For the Exercise Addict:
I may be preaching to the choir for a large fraction of Boulderites. For many, exercise is a vital part of most every day and if something gets in the way of enjoying it, you get cranky, but still, you keep going. Don't do it. If you start to feel a little niggling pain in your knee as you descend the Sanitas Valley trail, figure out what it is. The sooner you address stiffness (often the first sign of a problem) or pain during or after exercise, the more quickly we can help you resolve it and get you back on track.
The Hidden Secret to Getting Regular Exercise:
If exercise is not something you enjoy, you'll need all the help you can get to make it happen. You need GLUCOSE. Sounds absurd, but it's true. Having enough glucose in your brain when you are wavering will help keep the resolve going. So planning to exercise during lunch hour or at the end of the day, when glucose reserves are low, might sabotage your efforts. If those are your only available times, have a snack an hour before you head out the door and you won't as easily find an excuse not to go.
We asked nutrition experts Lisa Lanzano & Jane Reagan of Essential Nutrition for ideas to keep glucose levels stable and therefore keep you motivated to exercise.
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