Most of us know that exercise is good for the body, decreasing the risk of health problems. Fewer people know about the mental health benefits of exercise, including decreased depression and anxiety, increased self-esteem, improved sleep, and improved cognitive functioning. In fact aerobic exercise is about as effective at reducing depression as therapy and antidepressants. Despite the benefits of exercise, most Americans fail to exercise enough to experience these benefits, even with the best intentions.
People who start exercising often fail to continue for a variety of reasons. Common reasons for quitting include lack of time, lack access to exercise options, poor choice of exercise, and injury. When people are successful, they select exercise options that are close in proximity, have social support, find a workout partner or group, and adopt a positive mindset with commitment and determination.
If you’d like to experience the benefits of exercise, here are a few things you can do:
- Make sure you are healthy enough to exercise by consulting a physician or medical practitioner to reduce the risk of injury.
- Expand your definition of exercise to physical activities beyond working out in a gym; people are even more likely to stick to sports and outdoor activities, even walking counts, and a variety of activities can be healthy and rewarding.
- Select an activity that you’ve done before or something that sounds fun.
- Find ways to make it easier to exercise, remove barriers by scheduling and using effective time management skills, and get new comfortable exercise apparel or gear appropriate for the weather and the activity.
- Use music to enhance the experience or find a partner or even a pet, if you walk or run, and if both of you are healthy enough to keep up.
- Be mindful, breathe, and pace yourself to make sure you have a safe and positive experience that you’ll want to practice again.
To start exercising and keep it up, adopt a positive mindset, learn about sustaining motivation, and don’t forget to have fun!
