How to start being active

by Elena INSPIRE HEALTH May 17, 2021

There are many advantages in increasing your activity level, and it can have dramatic positive effects on your life. But how do you get started? Let me show you how to do it in 4 simple steps.

You are interested in becoming more active. The change can be a challenge. Where do you start?

Step 1 (the one that not many people actually talk about). Making a decision. 

I know you might be saying “hey, that's too obvious!” But in reality, making a decision can be crucial to your success. Think about it. If you kind of want something, or you're somewhat interested in doing something – is a totally different state of mind from you absolutely wanting something or making a full commitment to something.

Ask yourself why you want to be active. Close your eyes and feel the desire to make a change in your whole body. Really feel that desire. Then make a decision; from now on, you are a person who is active. Congratulations!

Step 2. Write down your activity goals. I recommend starting a journal, so you can keep track of your progress and see how it compares to your goals. 

Your goals must be very specific and quantifiable; they have to be measurable otherwise, how will you know when you've achieved them?

Have both short-term and long-term activity goals. For example, I want to walk my dog for 1 hour each day, or I’ll ride my bicycle for 5 kilometres twice a week for 3 months, or I will go for a yoga class 3 times a week for 6 months. Create goals that inspire you.

Step 3 is: start to incorporate small activity habits into your lifestyle right away. Remember that repetition is the key here. That's the secret to creating lifelong habits. 

Let me give you some ideas of what those small habits could be:

• when you wake up, take a five deep breaths, feel how energy is flowing through your body. Then stretch, make sure you wake all of your body up and set yourself up for a successful day.
• keep good posture and positive attitude during your day, try to consciously focus on the positive.
• park as far as possible at your office parking lot, and give yourself a gift of a few extra steps every day.
• choose the stairs instead of the elevator everywhere you go. If the floor is too high up, you can still use stairs for a few floors before hopping into an elevator.
• start noticing when you sit at the office or at home for too long, and find ways to stand up or walk around.

Once you those small changes become a part of your lifestyle, move on to:

Step 4: start doing an activity you used to enjoy or always thought would be fun to do. It could be swimming, hiking, walking with a friend or bike rides. It's your choice!

Bonus tip: Set up reminders on your phone for when it’s time to do an activity; it can trigger you to remember it when you first get started. Add some energizing music to it that will help you to change your state and encourage you! Focus on having fun when you perform your chosen activity! The more fun you are having, the better chances you have to keep exercising regularly.

I hope this article was useful to you. Let me know in your comments what is your favourite activity and why.

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