Need to kick-start your training? It’s time to make
workouts more rewarding…
Sticking with any long-term fitness regime
can be a challenge. And constantly having to muster the motivation to exercise
in the first place can often be the biggest challenge of all. Sometimes it just
doesn’t seem to matter how much we want to lose weight or get fir; if we’re
short on time, or something seemingly more important needs to be done, our
exercise plans go out the window. So when H&F heard about a new initiative
that encourages combining exercise with doing a good deed, we wondered if this
might be just the thing to help us all keep our fitness goals on the straight
and narrow.
Get connected
The Good Gym (goodgym.org) is a
London-based project that aims to make exercise more meaningful by connecting
people who want to get fit with local, physical volunteer work. This includes
pairing runners with isolated, less mobile people in their area (jog to their
home, deliver something nice such as a newspaper or treat, have a brief chat
and provide some friendly human contact, then get on your way again), to
working with community organizations to shift rubble and clear overgrown land.
For many taking part, this initiative provides a positive motivation to
exercise – knowing a project or person is dependent on them and their help –
and a more fulfilling useful and less self-centred way to work out: why run on
a treadmill like a hamster when you could combine your workout with some
volunteering and feel great physically and mentally?
“The more reasons you have to exercise the
better” says top UK personal trainer Dan Roberts (danrobertstraining.com) who
is also National Fitness Ambassador of the Rays of Sunshine children’s charity
which grants the wishes of chicken with serious illnesses
(raysofsunshine.org.uk). “Combining a good deed with exercise is not only a
really nice thing to do, but as most of us are motivated by guilt just as much
as pleasure, it’ll double your chances of exercising because you’ll feel guilty
if you commit to a project or person and then don’t turn up! Also, many of us
blame limited time for not exercising or doing charity work, so combining two
worthy deeds (one of your self-worth and one for a fellow member of society)
makes sense.”
Face value?
Of course, simply exercising to look or
feel better doesn’t mean you’re self-centred, but there are ways to make
working out even more rewarding. “The trick is to understand your values.” Says
Roberts. “If you enjoy company, joining a running club or gym where everyone
chats after classes is a great idea. If you prefer quiet contemplation a home
yoga DVD may be better. Remember, exercise is simply moving: there are endless
ways to combine movement with things that make you – and others – feel good”
Make exercise more fulfilling
Sign up for a charity run or walk and raise money for a good cause. The added pressure to complete
your challenge will boost your motivation when you don’t feel like training.
If you’re part of an exercise group, encourage them to do something for the community, whether it’s
picking up litter or delivering fliers for a local cause to help raise
awareness.
Don’t stick to a type of exercise you
hate just because you think it’s good for you.
Evaluate which workouts reward you physically, mentally and emotionally, so
you’ll go back for more.
