By The Hospital for Special Surgery
Tired of your exercise program getting sabotaged? Plan ahead to overcome the obstacles to success. Take your problem-solving skills and apply them to your personal health and fitness.
No Time- Exercise first thing in the a.m. Extracurricular activities are less likely to get in the way.
- Go for a short, brisk walk on your lunch break.
- Get off your subway or bus stop several blocks early and combine your commute with exercise.
- Combine activities: Have "walking meetings" with business colleagues.
Walk on the treadmill while watching the news or your "soap".
- Delegate. Let your spouse and children share the workload. Think of it as your duty to teach responsibility, teamwork and a strong work ethic to your loved ones.
- Prioritize. Don't let errands and workload sidetrack you. You'll get more done after you're energized with exercise anyway!
Too Tired- Exercise as early in the day as possible. As the day rolls on, mental fatigue makes it easier to talk yourself out of it.
- Recruit an exercise buddy. The two of you can keep each other going.
- Don't stay up and "zone out" during the Late Show. Turn off the tube and get your sleep.
- Modify your intake of high sugar foods. They give you a quick high, followed by a real low.
- If you're planning on exercising after work, have a late afternoon snack to give you energy.
- Find activities you enjoy or which provide you with the stress release, stimulation or social time you need. You'll look forward to being more active.
Bad Weather- Choose appropriate exercise clothes. The right choices can keep you warm and dry in the cold, cool in the heat. High-tech fabrics and new garment designs make it easier to handle weather extremes.
- Find indoor options: fitness club, home equipment, exercise videos or t.v. shows.
- Walk around the shopping mall, but leave your wallet at home!
- If nothing else, stretch or do some abdominal strengtheners while watching television.
Child Care- Working moms generally have better success if they exercise during lunch or around the workday when child care is already in place.
- Do a babysitting exchange with neighborhood parents. One of you watches the kids while the others go for a walk or play tennis.
- Teach your kids to enjoy physical activity by doing it with them! Street games, bicycling, hiking...
- Swap workout time with your spouse.
- Choose at-home options that could be done when kids are napping - yoga, fitness video, indoor bicycle.
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