Stay Motivated to Exercise

We all know that exercise is needed for a healthy lifestyle, but many have difficulty staying motivated to stick with it. The same program (President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports) that brought us the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, back when we were in elementary school, now has programs to keep adults moving.

Link to the President's Challenge Web Site. Click on "Adults" on the left side of the page. Choose. "Sign up" to register for either the "Active Lifestyle Program" or the "Presidential Champions Program". Select the "Active Lifestyle Program" if you are less active than 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. The goal of this program is to meet the goal of 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week, for 6 out of 8 weeks. When you accomplish this, you will receive the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. Select the "Presidential Champions Program" if you are already active and want to challenge yourself to say active or increase your activity. In this program you will be collecting points for all your activity, and working toward bronze, silver, and gold awards.

Log all your physical activity on the web site. Through doing this you will realize that all physical activity counts. You will be getting points typical household activities (like gardening, mowing the lawn, housework, etc), as well as those we typically think of (like walking, running, lifting weights, swimming, etc).

As you complete each goal and earn your award (certificates, ribbons, and metals are available for nominal costs), set another goal, and keep going.