Building a behavior and maintaining it for a lifetime can seem intimidating, especially if the behavior is not something you were born doing. When building exercise as a behavior, recognize better health is a behavior practiced daily. It is a process; it takes time and patience.
It’s important to recognize health starts from the inside, out. Many times when we participate in physical activity, the first physiological changes are made inside the body. Better blood circulation to organs, improved resting heart rate and blood pressure, changes in blood cholesterol, increased lung function, regular bowels, better blood sugar regulation and absorption, hormonal changes, which increase euphoria and relaxation, are only a handful of amazing reactions taking place when a person initially starts exercise and maintains a regimen. Once the body continuously is exposed to bouts of exercise and it adjusts to this new experience, then external body composition changes become apparent. Scales don’t tell the entire story.
Here are some practical tips to help you stay motivated in the journey of maintaining exercise:
• Your health needs to become priority. If you do not view your time and actions for your health as imperative as taking care of your family, house, finances or even career, then do not expect long-term changes.
• Recognize your life will not instantly change with the initial incorporation of exercise into your lifestyle. Do not be surprised when you encounter barriers, such as unsupportive family member or friend, while you transition to maintain exercise.
• Find a support system or person to join you for workouts. Sometimes working with another person or having a wellness coach helps with accountability.
• Join a fitness center that offers a variety of programs for its members such as: organized group sports, group exercise classes of different intensity levels, a variety of equipment and academically certified and trained wellness staff. You will be surrounded with multiple opportunities for physical activity, which can assist you through the process.
• There are no short cuts. You will have to put effort to take care of your own health. No one else will do this for you.
Currently in the Avalon Park YMCA, The Coach Approach® – An Exercise Support Process, created by Dr. Jim Annesi, a leading expert in the field of exercise adherence, has recently been implemented in order to assist members with building exercise as a lifestyle habit. YMCA members meet periodically one-on-one with a certified Wellness Coach, discussing long- and short-term goals, challenges — whether they be physical or mental, and likes and dislikes pertaining to exercise. The coaches also teach the members how to use the skills in creating and sustaining a consistent exercise routine.
The primary purpose behind Coach Approach is to break the common start-and-stop cycle and replace it with the habit of consistent exercise through the teaching of self management skills. Members focus on increasing energy, decreasing stress and fatigue rather than physical changes of weight loss, which are usually slower to achieve and can be defeating psychologically.
At the YMCA, our mission is to improve lives of all in Central Florida by connecting individuals, families and communities with opportunities based on Christian values that strengthen spirit, mind and body. If you are ready to kick the inactivity habit and break the start and stop cycle of exercise, then get started today.