Why you should have FUN with exercise

So many reasons to be active in this phase of life, and especially this time of year and lots of ways to do it.  This is the 3rd in a 4-post series where I will share my favorite ways to stay active as well as some of my goals for this new season of life! 

Have you ever noticed, when there's something on the line - a contest, a prize, your pride, someone watching - you're more likely to complete the task. It's why we talk about accountability partners, or why coaches even have a job.  If we were all self-motivated, we wouldn't need coaches or programs to keep us going!  So, in order to accomplish any of our goals, especially fitness goals or goals that we need to ‘make’ time for, we have to be intentional.  And in order to be intentional, the reward has to be worth the risk.

One of my favorite tricks is to use this psychology on myself.  Start with the thing that feels hardest for you to do and make it feel fun - going to the gym, starting the run, going BACK to the gym on Day 2, taking a cold plunge, finishing the book.  As my mother calls it 'Eat the Frog'.  Whatever your frog is, give yourself a reward for doing it, and turn it into something you’ll really enjoy.  Not only will you look forward to it the next time, but you’re rewiring your brain to actually like eating the frog!  It's a brilliant strategy for motivation.   And bonus, will help you stay on track to achieving your goals.

A few years ago, I wanted to start waking up earlier (with a better attitude) in the mornings because I’m NOT a morning person, but my family bounces out of bed like Tigger.   So in order to take the first step, I started buying my favorite type of coffee to have on hand.  Every morning, I would wake up excited to make my favorite coffee.  A small change to make, but made a HUGE difference in my attitude in the morning.  Now, I don’t necessarily need to make coffee first-thing, but I can wake up now with an optimistic view of the day.  

Here are 3 steps to get you started:

1. What is the big goal you have?
2. What are (minimum of) 3 baby steps to get there?  Think of these as stair steps, breaking our goal down to smaller pieces that are manageable each day. 
3. What is a fun reward after completing each step?  

It’s like my favorite saying ‘how do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.’ If you can rewire your brain into processing these small steps as fun and the work you’re doing is moving towards a goal that will ultimately make you really happy, then you’re that much more likely to achieve it.  

What are some of your favorite rewards?  Leave them in the comments!