Motivation Part I: Good Planning

By:
Liz Neporent

The health clubs are packed in January and empty by February. What happens between being motivated to get in shape after the holidays and being out of shape and lazy one month later? Actually, the problem isn't so much a lack of motivation so much as a lack of planning. Here are some strategies to help keep you fit well into the new century:

Self-discovery: Okay. You know what you want. For instance, you want to be skinny or you want to be stronger or you want better endurance. Now, quantify those statements. Get a fitness test at your health club or do a little do-it-on-yourself testing at home. Weigh yourself. Measure your waist, hips and thighs. Run your fastest mile. You get the idea. Now put the measurements away for one month exactly.

Keep a food and fitness diary for a few days including a weekend day. Write down everything, including milk in your coffee and food taken off of other people's plates. Start looking for opportunities to get activity and make healthier, lower-calorie substitutions.

Break up your larger goals into stepping-stone goals -- small goals that take you through the month. For instance, you'll do some sort of exercise five or six days a week for a month, or you'll cut desserts down to two times a week for a month. Leaving things open-ended sets you up for failure.

Just as you schedule everything else in your life, schedule exercise into your day. If you keep a calendar, write it down. Don't try to work out in your spur-of-the-moment spare time. Spare time has a way of disappearing.

After one month, retake the measurements we suggested you take in suggestion one. This is a new starting point for the next month and tangible evidence that you're doing things wrong or right. Take this opportunity to think about your workouts and what you can be doing better or what you think might be more effective or more fun. Make any changes you want for the upcoming month. Do this every month or every other month.

Treat yourself to something special if you've stuck to your program. Buy that pair of pants you've had your eye on, or treat yourself to a night out at the movies. Whatever makes you happy as long as it doesn't negate your success. (A double hot fudge sundae? Probably not the best reward for sticking to your workouts.) You deserve it.

If you absolutely don't have time for conventional exercise, try lifestyle exercise such as walking, housework and climbing stairs. Without doing anything out of the ordinary, you probably walk between 4,000 and 5,000 steps a day. With a little effort, taking a longer route between classes or walking home, you can probably get that number up to somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000. Shoot for 8,000 and set 10,000 as a long-term goal.

Try these strategies and you really will be more fit by next Friday.

Next: How to beat boredom

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