Have trouble sticking with exercise? Or anything else? I struggled with “sticking with” exercise most of my life. I even felt like there was something wrong with me, like I would never be able to make it a part of my life. But I have and I’ve learned if it’s important to you, you have to make it a priority. Whatever “it” is. I’ll refer mostly to exercise here, but this quote could really apply to most things. If you want to start exercising and stick with exercising and make it a regular part of your life- you need to make it a priority.
Before I started exercising I watched my husband start running. He started very methodically and he never missed a run. To the point that it could be really freaking annoying. He ran on Christmas, he ran on Easter, he ran when we had people coming over and the house was a mess. I supported his goals and this health kick he was on, but come on!
He always said he had to make it a priority. And I always mumbled something sarcastic under my breath. But he did (usually) do his part to make sure his other priorities- the kids and me and work- had their due time too. He would leave the house at 4:30 in the morning to get his run done before work. So he was living what he was preaching, not just skipping out on other stuff.
When I started my first workout program his words stuck in my head. And they definitely fueled me sometimes. Suddenly I was the person working out before the company came. I was the one exercising on Thanksgiving morning when we were hosting. Maybe I did it as payback, haha. But either way, it worked. Seven and a half years later I am still making it a priority.
I’m not saying exercise comes before your kids or anything else. I’m saying I give it importance. It ranks high on the list of what needs to happen on a given day. I will give up other stuff before I give up exercise.
If something is important to you, you need to make time for it. Not find the time, make time. If it’s not important to you, but you know it should be (like exercise for health reasons) you have to look at why you’re doing it and change your mindset. Work on your mindset, find what fires you up, and then you’ll be more likely to make it a priority.
Why you should make exercise a priority…
♥helps alleviate depression and anxiety
♥it boosts your mood
♥stress relief
♥better sleep
♥healthy coping mechanism
♥self-esteem
♥self-confidence
♥it’s so good for you physically
♥lowers your risk for disease
♥boosts brainpower
♥good for your heart
♥improves bone density
♥improves energy
♥makes you more productive in other areas
♥helps you achieve and/or maintain a healthy weight
♥keeps you looking and feeling younger
♥set a good example for loved ones
For all these reasons and more, you need to make exercise a priority!
Strict Beginnings to Build Habits
Making it a priority is especially important in the beginning. When you start exercising, you need to make it a habit. So it’s important to follow a workout calendar or schedule, to do it regularly. I’d even recommend exercising seven days a week in the beginning. Because sometimes one “day off” snowballs. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy; you can have “active recovery” workouts in there so your muscles get some rest. But keep the routine going.
If your “it” is something other than exercise most of this applies. If it’s important to you you need to give it importance in your life. You wouldn’t skip an important meeting at work or blow off an assignment. You need to give it that kind of importance.
Once exercise has become a priority in your life, you are so much more likely to succeed- to lose weight, get stronger, be healthier, feel better. It will open up a whole world and make you feel so good. Making exercise a priority changed my whole life- like dramatically. Like for real.
Have you struggled to make healthy changes? Has exercise changed your life? I’d love to hear from you! Comment here, send me an email (mary@stayathomefit.com) or connect with me on Facebook or Instagram.
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