{"id":43123,"date":"2015-09-02T07:15:13","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T11:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=43123"},"modified":"2021-05-17T04:41:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T08:41:28","slug":"fall-in-love-with-fitness-4-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/fall-in-love-with-fitness-4-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fall in Love With Fitness in 4 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a vicious cycle: First, in a fit of motivation, you decide this is it.<\/em> You\u2019re going to wake up at the crack of dawn to pump some iron<\/a>, or hit up that new treadmill class<\/a> after work, and go all out with your workout routine. But after a few months (or maybe weeks, no judgment!) of sticking to your exercise plan, things go awry. Life gets in the way, and your workouts are put on the back burner until that inner urge to get in shape hits you all over again. Frustrating, right? Know that you\u2019re not alone in your struggle.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>6 Reasons Why You Can\u2019t Out-Exercise a Bad Diet<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have a hard time sticking to fitness plans for two core reasons. One is because the motivation isn\u2019t there,\u201d says Michelle Segar, PhD, a motivation scientist and author of No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness<\/a>.<\/em> The second reason? \u201c[They] don\u2019t give themselves permission to prioritize self-care,\u201d she says. But Segar proves you can fall in love \u2014 and stick with \u2014 a workout routine. Whether you\u2019re an exercise newbie or a weekend warrior, here\u2019s Segar\u2019s cheat sheet to perfect motivation \u2014 or just a friendly reminder to keep going strong.<\/p>\n

The 4 Steps to Fall in Love With Fitness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. <\/strong>Find Meaning
\n<\/strong>The first step in revolutionizing your exercise routine is to determine what working out actually means to you. \u201cYou assign meaning to things based on your beliefs and past experiences,\u201d says Segar. So there are a wealth of reasons you may harbor negative feelings towards exercise \u2014 even just thinking of a workout as one more thing to cross off a crazy-long to-do list can fill each one with a sense of dread. Instead, look for positive motivation (like how awesome exercising makes you feel<\/a> in the short-term) to create an insatiable workout craving.<\/p>\n

To pinpoint your purpose, start by asking yourself whether you see exercise as a chore or a gift. If you see it as a chore, motivation<\/a> is likely your issue. If you think of it as a gift but still can\u2019t make the habit stick<\/a>, chances are you don\u2019t feel comfortable prioritizing it in your day. But the good news: The next three steps can help solve both of these problems.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Raise Awareness
\n<\/strong>Once you\u2019ve found your meaning, the next step is to increase your self-awareness. After all, acknowledging how strong, empowered or connected to your body you feel is one of the best ways to reap the short-term benefits of your time on the mat. \u201cWhen you [immediately] get a positive reward for doing something, it unconsciously motivates you to keep wanting it,\u201d says Segar, who notes that desire is a very powerful motivator. Focusing less on the long-term payoffs (like tighter abs<\/a> or lower cholesterol<\/a>), as great as they may seem, and more on the immediate mental and physical boost, can be the exact motivation you need.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"4
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. <\/strong>Give Permission
\n<\/strong>Exercise is so much more<\/em> than just getting your body moving. It can reduce stress<\/a>, amp up your happiness<\/a>, and offer some solid proof of how much you can accomplish if you put your mind to it. \u201cYet people have a hard time sticking with exercise,\u201d says Segar. Chances are you put your job, your family and what other people want from you ahead of your own needs. So go on, put yourself first with an hour (or even just 30 minutes a day<\/a>!) of workout time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been socialized to not consider well-being important, but you have to [take care of] yourself in order to give your all to everything you care about,\u201d says Segar. Once you realize the day-to-day effects exercise has on your mood, happiness and overall ability to get things done, it will be easier to give yourself the permission to always find time for a quick sweat session.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Reasons to Never Miss a Monday Workout<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Make a <\/strong>Strategy
\n<\/strong>Bottom line: It all comes down making a plan of action. \u201cYou have to figure out the logistics of negotiating exercise within your complex life,\u201d says Segar, otherwise you\u2019ll put yourself back<\/a> at the starting line. One of Segar\u2019s top tips is to think about a space in your day where you could fit in just five minutes of exercise, like doing a loop or two around the office on your way to lunch. (Or this amazing two-minute routine<\/a>. Carrying one of these amazing lunch boxes<\/a>.) \u201cThen ask yourself what excuses you come up with, like that you need to get lunch as quickly as possible so you can return to your inbox,\u201d says Segar.<\/p>\n

Part of your strategy needs to be uncovering your personal sneaky excuses, then<\/em> removing whatever obstacles are standing in your way. It can sound potentially overwhelming, so taking baby steps is an ideal way to start. \u201cIf you were new to strength training, you wouldn\u2019t start with a 20-pound weight,\u201d Segar says. Learning to love exercise is a process, but the payoff is more than worth it. You\u2019ll feel stronger, leaner and happier once you dive in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to fall in love with fitness? You\u2019re in luck: We\u2019ve got a foolproof, four-step plan from fitness expert Michelle Segar that will make you want to exercise every single day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":43155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6],"tags":[266,104,103,341,343],"class_list":["post-43123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-beginner","tag-goals","tag-motivation","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}