Staying Motivated to Exercise

from Parents Magazine

The benefits of exercise come not from occasional no-pain, no-gain workouts but from consistent daily effort. That requires motivation, which is sometimes hard to come by. If you're having trouble staying motivated, try these steps:

Schedule your workout each day. Make an appointment with yourself, write it in your date book in pen, and treat it as seriously as you would a doctor's appointment.
Record your progress. Keep a log of how many minutes you exercise each day. You'll be pleasantly surprised to see how quickly the time adds up.
Start a streak. If you've exercised for 10 days straight, it's a lot easier to motivate yourself to walk again on the 11th day.
Mix it up. Avoid boredom by doing a variety of activities and exercise.
Make it a part of your social life. Instead of meeting a friend in a pastry shop, meet for a brisk walk.
Reward yourself. Set a goal and buy yourself a bouquet of flowers when you reach it.
Keep it fun. If you think of exercise as drudgery, you're unlikely to stay with it. Pick activities that are fun, and you'll enjoy exercise more.

Originally published in You & Your Baby: Pregnancy.

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