Its easy to run before you walk when it comes to exercise, at least in your head it is. Good intentions often cloud good judgement and we tend to underestimate the power of our routines. A thought has very little effect until it is turned into an action. I decided that I am going to get fit again and think that going for a run would be a great option. The problem so far is that all I have done are a few thoughts. I have hardly raised a heart beat. Even after some really vigorous thinking. Every now and again in a spare moment I think about how I have the best intention to go for a run.
Whats going on here! Why cant I take action! Its difficult to break free from our existing lifestyle and go after our goals when we are prisoners in our own routines. The routines are such that they require little thought to action. Just like driving a car really it becomes second nature and instinctual to live our lives on a day to day basis. Its kind of comfortable isn’t it. The problem is this doesn’t help us go after what we really want. Which in this case is a fit trim healthy body that can help me enjoy active living and last till a ripe old age.
Well if I cannot add to the routine or modify the routine lets work within the routine. Lets walk first before we run. Baby steps here we come! So here is my secret to sneaking exercise into your lifestyle without the requirement of any internal arguments or thought.
Every time you go to bathroom complete an exercise. Thats right in the hallway before you enter or after get physical. For me its press-ups and sit-ups. Start off small but make this a must do! Every time you go perform the task. Soon you will be completing 4-5 sets of physical activity each day or start avoiding the bathroom altogether!
Now what I like about this is that there is no lead up to the activity. For example, you don’t need to go through a rountine of behaviors before you even get to the exercise. So no getting dressed, or driving and its free. The chance of avoiding exercise is greatly diminished. You simply must go to the bathroom eventually and therefore do exercise.
Now if you psychologists out there are worried about associative conditioning, as I am sure you are, then lets mix this up a bit for fun. You don’t need to do the bathroom, next week it could be when you do the washing or get out of bed. You can even do other activities like squats or star jumps whatever takes your fancy. Soon their will be a gym in your head and a gym waiting around every corner of your house. Soon you will be walking towards you goal and really soon you will be able to start adding new actions into your routine like going for that run. Until then ring your own bell like a really smart Pavlov’s dog.
