Tag: mental health and exercise

Sexy exercise? One Way to Keep Your New Year’s Resolution

Image credit: Five Words

Image credit: Five Words

I use Grammarly’s Plagiarism Checker because who would I rather be, than me?

According to usa.gov losing weight and exercise are among the most popular New Year’s resolutions.  According to my 9 year old we should all stick to our resolutions because it will “make the world a better place.”  And according to me making and reaching personal goals can provide a good boost to self esteem and thus mental health.

But what happens when we find ourselves running out of steam when it comes to our “get fit” and “exercise more” and “be more active” resolutions and it’s only January 16th?

I’ve done quite a bit of thinking about this.  I want to offer some tips that are fresh and unique, as most of us already know the standard:

  • exercise with a buddy
  • find something you love to do
  • set small, attainable goals

While these are great pieces of advice, they’ve been shared a million times (and at least 3 or 4 times by me!).  So after searching my brain, my gym and those exercising around me I’ve come up with some new ideas to keep you moving in 2014:

Be someone you’re not.  In this post I wrote about the rush I got when I participated in a flash mob.  One of the things that was so exciting was that I felt like I was someone I’m not: a young dancer.  We can use this same idea when it comes to exercise.  Take Zumba for example.  This super-popular salsa dancing workout is not only fun and good exercise, but it also makes participants feel like they are young, hot, Latin Lovers with sex on their mind and on their hips.  Who doesn’t want to feel like that – if only for a moment?  And I’ve heard boot camp-style class participants say things like: “I feel like I’m a soldier” or “I can pretend I’m a professional athlete” during the intense workouts.

Who do you want to be?  A zenned-out yogi?  A Las Vegas showgirl? A prima ballerina? An NFL player? Let your fantasies dictate your workouts – and who knows who you might become.

Do something you shouldn’t.  I used to have US Weekly delivered to my office each week; but I stopped my subscription a couple of years ago when I determined that the magazine and its covers (about fat new moms, cheating spouses and boozy celebs) were not consistent with good mental health.  But here’s the thing: I miss it.  Like a creme-filled donut, I know the magazine isn’t good for me, but there are times I crave it anyway.

Here’s my trick: I let myself read trashy magazines ONLY when I am on the elliptical, stationary bike or treadmill.  My theory is, the good of the exercise cancels out the smut of the magazine and just like that all my problems are solved. phew.

Be a little bad.  Being a little bad can sometimes feel pretty darn good.  Incorporate this conundrum into your workout routine.  While working out, wear something a little risque, listen to music that is explicit but with a super-motivating beat or watch videos you wouldn’t want anyone else to see.  Why not? I bet the prospect of getting a glimpse of someone wearing those see-through Lulu Lemon pants steered quite a few people to yoga classes they wouldn’t have otherwise attended.

Be a little naughty, and those workout resolutions will be a lot easier to keep.

 

Is Exercise Stressing You Out?

Hiking anyone?

Hiking anyone?

Do you ever find yourself confused about exercise?  I do.

There’s so much conflicting information out there, it’s hard to know what to do.  So many of us do nothing.  And our inactivity is making us sick.

I recently went to a conference for fitness and healthcare people, and the news is bad: we are getting bigger and less active.  Our unhealthy lifestyles are leading to all sorts of chronic diseases and conditions.  And it’s just getting worse as the years go on.

As I sat there listening to the dire news in one ear, in the other I heard fitness professionals debate the different forms, modes and means of exercise:

  • strength vs. endurance
  • yoga vs. crossfit
  • running vs. walking

By the end of the two day conference I felt overwhelmed and ready for a Snicker’s. Then it hit me.  Lots of people feel like this too: caught between experts feuding about gluten and the exact number of minutes of exercise we need for optimal performance. And what do we do while these feuds are going on? Watch TV and eat Doritos. Just digging ourselves deeper into the hole of our unhealthy lifestyles.

So what can we do?

Stop listening.

No, I’m not saying that fitness, health and medical professionals (including psychologists) don’t have lots of good things to offer.  But when the constant stream of advice and directives becomes paralyzing, perhaps it’s time to turn it off and actually get active. Most of us can find something we enjoy doing: walking, bike riding, dancing, gardening – maybe your “thing” isn’t the newest craze or the hottest trend but it sure beats sitting on the couch.