Life Fitness 5500 manual How to Stay Motivated, At stake

How to Stay Motivated

Maintaining consistent exercise habits is a big challenge. Adherence to a training program results in tremendous rewards. Once you begin to notice how much better you look and feel) you will wonder how you ever got along without a regular exercise program. You will look forward to your next workout.

The physiological and psychological benefits are not immediately apparent. Sometimes it is hard to stay motivated until you begin to see' results. The following tips are a few of the more popular and effective

strategies used by successful athletes, coaches, and sports

physiologists to maintain a high degree of motivation.

1. Be Responsible. When it comes to the bottom line, you make the decision whether to exercise or watch TV, whether to refuse that extra pastry or to indulge. While the pressures of daily life often seem to force you into putting off exercise, remind yourself that it's your health that's

at stake.

2.Be Disciplined. Discipline is the day-to-day ability to make the health-conscious decision every time you have a choice. A routine time and place for exercise is a simple first step. You may even consider writing down your exercise session in a daily appointment book, as if it were a business appointment. This will ensure that other activities will not interfere.

3.Rehearse Mentally. Visualize the actions of exercising, and create a mental picture of yourself in peak physical condition, enjoying the benefits of vibrant physical health. Many athletes and performers actually rehearse their skills with mental pictures prior to taking the field or walking onstage. It prepares them for the activity by eliminating apprehension and makes the activity more exciting, and even more enjoyable.

4.Gain Fitness Knowledge. The press and broadcast media are constantly full of new diets, exercise plans, product descriptions and testimonials about state-of-the-art health programs. There is so much to learn, and so many people and companies are making claims for their own particular offerings, that you must become a shrewd student of fitness to determine what works best for you. Reading authoritative periodicals by expert authors, attending seminars and trade shows, and evaluating each new product and system you encounter willhelp.

5.Be Realistic. The degree of endurance, strength and body tone you can achieve is always determined by your genetic potential, fitness program, and environment. You should not compare yourself just to top athletes or celebrities. You should judge real development by improvement from where you started. The Fit Test program is an excellent tool to demonstrate this improvement. You will develop a

sense of pride and accomplishment when you achieve goals you have set for yourself, and nothing is more motivating than success.

6.Keep a Progress Chart. A daily log, like the one included at the end of this manual, helps you monitor your progress objectively. Subjective comments about how you feel during and after your workouts can keep you aware of subtle changes as you improve, and this is a good way for you to catch yourself in a slump.