If you are one of the minority of
people who regularly goes to a gym for exercise, then congratulations! It means
you have the right priorities and terrific discipline. But it's fair to say
that at times, even for committed exercisers, motivation often flags, and there
are days when it requires a Herculean effort just to put on our workout clothes
and walk through the gym doors.
If you're lucky, the sights and
sounds of exercise are all you need to motivate yourself to get moving. At
other times, you still may not have the slightest urge to get started. For
those days, here are some ways to get the most out of your workout.
1. Avoid the mirrors. Many fitness locations line exercise rooms with mirrors to
allow you to watch your form as you work out. Yet a study of 58 women found
that those who exercised in front of a mirror felt less calm and more fatigued
after 30 minutes of working out than those who exercised without staring at
their reflection. The national exercise chain, Curves, deliberately designs its
small gyms without mirrors so women can concentrate on each other and the
workout rather than on how they look. Other gyms are beginning to offer
“reflection-free” zones. If yours doesn't, mention the idea--and the study--to
the gym manager.
2. Try using
aromatherapy oils known to enhance energy,
such as rosemary. Mix them with water and store them in a squirt bottle in your
gym bag. Give your gym clothing a few squirts before leaving the dressing room
so you can smell the oil as you work out. If you're in the midst of a more
meditative, slowerpaced workout, such as Pilates or yoga, try lavender oil
instead of rosemary.
3. Create your own
personal gym mix tapes, CDs or
digital recordings, and listen to them as you work out. Researchers from the
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found that people who listen to up-tempo
music got significantly more out of their stationary bike workouts. They
pedaled faster, produced more power, and their hearts beat faster than when they
listened to slow-tempo music or sounds with no tempo. Overall, they worked
between 5 and 15 percent harder while listening to the energizing beat.
Although the type of music you choose is up to you, pick something with a fast
beat that makes you want to break out in dance. You can custom-design your own
exercise music to burn to a CD or download to an MP3 player at Internet sites
such as www.mywalkingmusic.com or www.workoutmusic.com.
4. Think of someone
who irritates you. Then step on the treadmill, stair
stepper, stationary bike, or elliptical machine and sweat out your aggression
as you run, climb, or cycle. You might even imagine that you are running an
imaginary race against this person. You'll get in a better workout--and blast
away anger and stress at the same time.
5. Drink a bottle of
water or juice on your way to the gym.
If you show up for your workout already dehydrated, you'll feel overly fatigued
during your session, says Craig Horswill, Ph.D., principal scientist for the
Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington, Illinois. “Nearly half of all
exercisers are starting their workouts at a real disadvantage--by arriving at
the gym already dehydrated,” he says. “When you're dehydrated, you can't work
as hard, you don't feel as good, and your mental function is going to be
compromised. Consequently, you're not going to get as much out of your
workout.”
6. Think you can and
you will. So simple, yet so often ignored,
positive thinking can help you power your way through a workout. In a study of
41 adults ages 55 to 92, exercisers who thought positively were more likely to
stay active than those whose minds often uttered those two evil words: “I
can't.” Whenever you find yourself making excuses, mentally put those
self-defeating thoughts in a locked cabinet in your brain and replace them with
positive messages such as, “I feel great” or “Bring it on.”
7. Turn off the tube
when exercising. It's tempting to try to lose
yourself in television programming as you slog away on the treadmill or
stationary bike. Yet a 1996 study found women worked out about 5 percent harder
when they weren't watching TV than when they were. Although your favorite TV
show may take your mind off your workout, it also causes you to lose touch with
your effort level. You unconsciously slow down or use poor form as you get
caught up in what you are watching. If television sets line the workout area,
get on the equipment closest to the monitor tuned to C-Span. Sure you'll glance
up at the monitor from time to time, but unless you're a complete political
junkie, you probably won't get sucked in.
8. Work out with a
friend. If you're feeling stale and are
thinking of skipping your gym workouts, ask a friend to meet you for a gym
date. As you walk or run on the treadmill, you can share stories of your day.
Thirty minutes will go by before you know it. You can also encourage each other
to work a bit harder. Your friend can also help you find the courage to
approach unfamiliar gym equipment, as it's easier to laugh off your foibles
when you have a trusted companion nearby.
9. Set a short-term
workout goal. We all know that goals help
motivate you to work harder, and that the best exercise programs include
measurable goals to achieve weeks or months down the road. Sometimes, though,
when your motivation is drooping, a goal for what to achieve over the next 30
minutes is really what you need. So pick something achievable: Maintain a sweat
for 20 minutes, or cover two miles on the treadmill, or give just your arms a
really good strength workout. A target like that gives you focus to get through
on even the tough days.
10. Change your
routine every three to four weeks.
This will keep your body guessing - improving your result - and fuel your
motivation. In the weights room, alternate exercises and modify the way you
lift weights. If you usually do two sets of 15 reps, complete one set of 15,
then increase the weight for another set of 8 reps. On cardio equipment, switch
from the treadmill to the stair stepper etc. Mix up your exercise classes as well,
switching around from Pilates to aerobic dance to yoga to kickboxing.
11. Slow down. In one American study, participants who lifted slowly -
taking at least 14 seconds to complete one repetition - gained more strength
than participants who lifted at a rate of 7 seconds per rep. Slower lifting may
help increase strength because it prevents you from using momentum or improper
techniques.
12. Invent a
competition with the person on the next treadmill. If you're on the treadmill and you're bored, glance at the
display on someone else's nearby treadmill. If you're walkig at 3.5 miles per
hour and he or she is chugging away at 4mph, see if you can increase your speed
and catch up, as if it were a race. The other person won't even know you're
racing.
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