Exercise: Getting Started is Half the Battle

If you are like me thoughts of exercising are like house chores, something you put off until you become uncomfortable in your own house. Just like your weight, you will put if off until you find yourself uncomfortable in your own body and breathing heavily when you walk one flight of stairs.

Every how to guide to losing weight starts off with a statement like, jog or walk thirty minutes a day, or ride your stationary bike for an hour, or better yet jump down on your Pilate's mat and do an intense forty five minute session. Just the thought of sitting on the floor takes me right back to the couch to watch the latest shows I have recorded on my DVR.

I want to propose an easier way for couch potatoes such as myself to get started with an exercise routine.

Give yourself an easier starting point if you have a stationary bike, go dust if off and bring it into your bedroom, forget what Feng Shui has to say about exercise equipment in your bedroom as a deterrent to finding or keeping a mate in your life. If you don't shed a few pounds you won't have to energy to go find a mate in the first place, or you may not feel as attractive or confident knowing you are carrying around a few extra pounds, so leave the stationary bike in the room, work on a little self love before finding that partner.

Don't try to cycle as if you are in the Tour de France, take it easy. Start off with a level one for resistance, and keep cycling for as long as you can. If that is only 3 minutes then so be it. Hey at least you did that, and you can tell your friends you have started and exercise routine, and they will ask questions about your routine, and this will encourage you to work a little harder, because they will be looking for results!

The second day you will not feel like the bike is your enemy, because you did not over do it on the first day, and you will want to hop on again, even if its for three minutes and thirty seconds, your body will start to feel a little better, and believe me you will look in the mirror after your six minutes and thirty seconds and think you see a difference, even if there is not a visible change you will have a mental change immediately.

If you find yourself bored very easily, try something else to break up your routine, if you like to jump rope, go out and buy a decent jump rope. Start off slow, if you can only manage five skips, then hey that's great! Try a few jumping jacks, any amount will definitely get your heart pumping.

Day two of jumping rope try six skips or even ten, you will notice the cardio affect is immediate with the jump rope, who says exercise has to be long and drawn out, if you can get that heart rate up even for a few minutes, that's better than not at all, I don't care what the fitness channel says, you cannot start off with thirty minutes of exercises if you haven't worked out in a year or more, you will burn out quickly.

If you want to do something in your house, try walking from room to room, or walk the length of your living room back and forth until you get tired, you do not have to go outside, or buy an expensive treadmill just to walk, if you have small children in the house with you this is a great way to get your daily exercise in. I have actually run up and down the hallway in my house to get exercise and your heart rate accelerates just the same as if you are in the gym or on a track, the body doesn't know you haven't left your house. If you like to watch TV as soon as you get home try to stand up and get in a couple of squats while watching, you will get distracted while watching your program and will probably knock out twenty squats before you realize it!

The key ingredient here is to just get up! Even if you are not doing much, you are still doing something. Don't become overwhelmed with this need to be and Olympic athlete. Take it easy and start off with achievable goals even if it seems like a small amount, before you know it the pounds and inches will start to disappear. Getting started is half the battle!