Start Moving!
We all know that exercise is good for us and will keep us healthy, but ask yourself as well as you health care team: "How can exercise benefit me?"
Some benefits of exercise
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What motivates YOU to exercise?
Ask yourself this question. For some individuals the benefits of exercise alone can be a motivating factor to start exercising.
For others it may be as simple as:
"I want to be able to walk up a hill/flight of stairs without losing my breath."
"I want to fit back into the pair of jeans I wore last year."
"I want to be able to play with my kids/grandkids without getting tired."
"I want to challenge myself to walk/run a road race."
All of the above are considered long term goals. You should set your long-term goal target for 6 months to a year. Goals are a wonderful way to give you incentive to continue with a regular exercise routine. Short-term goals should be set along the way to help you keep motivated.
You should set your short-term goal target for 2 to 4 weeks. Some examples of short-term goals are:
- Do a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes 3 days a week for the next 2 to 4 weeks.
- Increase your exercise time by 2 to 5 minutes every week/every other week for the next
2 to 4 weeks. - Wear a pedometer and work up to 15,000 steps a day - this can be achieved by increasing your daily activities ( short walks 2 - 5 mins during the day, parking farther away, etc.)
Keep track of your exercise sessions. Use a notebook or calendar to mark down when you exercise. There is an online exercise log available at www.justmove.org.
See the article "Exercise Success: Dos and Don'ts" for more information on getting started.
Some useful resources for exercise and health information
American Heart Association - www.americanheart.org
American Diabetes Association - www.diabetes.org