Most of us start the new year in love with our new workout gear, only to see it gather dust in the closet a month later. Here's how to keep your interest in activity alive and kicking.
In her book Outdoor Fitness, exercise guru and author Tina Vindum recommends this three-pronged approach: meet, play, love.
- Meet. When you have a workout buddy who's planning to meet you for a run or cardio class, you'll be more motivated to follow through. And group workouts and classes offer a built-in support system, with shared goals, social interaction and stick-to-it instructors. Yep, it definitely pays to sweat well with others.
- Play. Think outside the box when it comes to getting active. Any single workout is bound to get stale if you do it over and over. Mix it up a little. Every third day or so, try something that you've never done before. This strategy can also help you use different muscle groups and keep your body from reaching a fitness plateau. Nothing exciting coming to mind? How about African dancing, rope jumping or roller skating? Even if you're not feeling that ambitious, you can always try small changes like a new isometric exercise, a new workout video in your own home, or a new batch of tunes on your walk.
- Love. Every once in a while, as you're trying new activities and sports, you may happen upon something that you absolutely love. And that's great. Find a way to integrate that new activity into your routine regularly, whether it's swimming, skiing, snowshoeing, doing jumping jacks or simply walking a new route that's really pretty. Ideally, your day-to-day activity strategy should be something that stimulates your mind, body and emotions.
