You know you’ve just got to do it. There are many reasons why we have to exercise; over weight, low energy, family history of heart disease, chronic aches and pains, etc. You simply can’t deny the benefits of exercise. The evidence is everywhere.

Photo: Contributed - (Flickr user, yourdon)

You simply can't deny the benefits of exercise.

People are realizing that quality of life is more important than quantity of life. People don’t just want to live longer, they want to live better. Life is a plethora of constant change. Each day brings its own challenges and adventure therefore, we need to acquire the strength and resilience required to meet the 21st century life head-on.

Meeting and succeeding life’s challenges is a function of our state of health – emotional, physical, social, intellectual, occupational, and spiritual. If one of these states is neglected, it will affect the state of the others. This is especially the case if we don’t have physical health.

Unfortunately, many of us have difficulties reconciling our knowledge with action. We know that a health maintenance program is important, but actually doing it is hard. Secondly, when events like celebrations, or holidays, or illness disrupt our program, it is hard to get back into a regular routine. Therefore, ask yourself if you are ready to either commit or re-commit yourself to a consistent physical health program because you know that it is a necessary component of a healthy lifestyle.

The key word here is “ready”. To help you be ready and successfully commit your time, energy, and resources to an exercise program, be S.M.A.R.T. and consider these five categories when starting your exercise program.

• S = specific: Be specific in what you want to get out of your exercise program

Eg. “I want to be consistent and develop a habit for exercise,” “I want to loose weight,” “I want to strengthen my back,” “I want to improve my golf/hockey/running.”

• M = measurable: What will be the measure by which you consider your goal to be reached?

Eg. “I will know that I’ve developed an exercise habit when I am consistently exercising 3x/week for 45 min.”

• A = attainable and R = realistic: In order for you to reach your goals, it has to be attainable and realistic.

Eg. “I am turning 50 and I want to be 125 lbs, a goal weight that I’ve always set for myself and have never been able to reach.” This is probably an unattainable and unrealistic intention for your exercise program.

Eg. 2. “I have a new baby in the house and can only get away to exercise 2x/week.” This is a challenging but very attainable and realistic intention for your exercise program.

• T = timeline: Give yourself a time line in which to reach your goal, this will help you to stay motivated.

Eg. “I want to loose 5 pounds in 2 weeks.”

Considering these five points will help you to be successful in your exercise efforts. If you need guidance answering these five programming ideals, talk to a personal trainer. He or she is trained to help people set fitness goals.

Making physical fitness a regular part of your week will positively enhance every other aspect of your life. I know what it has done for my life and for those who come to my classes, but only you will be able to testify to the benefits you will receive from your exercise program. Prepare your mind with the above considerations and then put your body into action. Start today and you will be where you want to be sooner than later.