January 2004

When Working Out Isn't Working For You

Heather Moreno

by Heather Moreno

Get Motivated: Part 1

You know how you feel after a good workout… vibrant, energetic, like you really accomplished something? And one of the great benefits we often don’t stop to think about is that exercise is incredibly cost-effective. Really! A recent UCLA/RAND study found that obesity is actually more costly than smoking. Obesity was shown to increase a person’s healthcare costs by 36% and medication costs by 77%, while smoking led to increases 21% and 28% respectively. Given the great benefits of exercise, not to mention the potential downside of not being in shape, why isn’t everyone doing it? The most common challenge boils down to this: waning motivation.

If you want to start exercising or simply get better results from your workout program, I recommend four main points of focus to help demystify the motivation game. This month I will cover the first of those four points.

Let’s be realistic—hectic, stressful schedules leave busy professionals little time or motivation to exercise. So give yourself a break… set realistic goals based on your fitness level, your current exercise program and how it all fits into your lifestyle.

If you focus only on a long-term goal, like losing 30 pounds, it usually takes awhile before you feel successful, doesn’t it? It is helpful if at the beginning of each week you set daily, measurable and achievable goals for the upcoming week. For example, using an accelerometer (a tool worn on your waistband that measures calories burned) and heart rate monitor to track daily progress will measure the effectiveness of your program and help monitor your results.

By breaking your longer term goals down into short term goals that can be measured daily through heart rate and calories burned, you increase your chances of achieving success everyday. This motivates you to stick with your program so that you can reach your long term goals. Join me next month for motivation tip #2.

About the Author

Heather Moreno is President and Founder of PeopleFit USA coaching, and is co-host for a national television show, INSIGHT for Women. She can be contacted at www.PeopleFitUSA.com or by calling toll free: 877-348-2100.