Ever feel annoyed, depressed, down with the world, lazy, or just lacking in energy? Chances are - in my non-medical opinion - you could do with a little more exercise. I find that whenever I let the world to get down on me, I realize that it’s been a couple of weeks since I had a good swim or cycle.
So set some health targets. Easy to set, hard to carry-out! It’s easy to say I will exercise three times a week, but why do we get so easily distracted? Very few people regularly exercise three times a week for a minimum amount of 20 minutes of aerobic exercise. But this is often cited as a minimum of exercise to keep healthy. I tried this way and it didn’t work for me. So I use a different approach - it’s more fun and has a higher chance of keeping me on track and motivated.
Set output targets (not activity targets)
The big flaw with most “x-times per week” exercise programs is that they are activity-focused and this - while being a good way to exercise - is not particularly motivating. Perhaps this explains why the vast majority of people who take out gym memberships (often in January) never go after month three. Repetitive tasks in a gym is just too boring. There are a few ways around this. One of my friends hired a physical coach to motivate her with new challenges and this can work for the duration of the coaching. I prefer an output based approach to exercise. My health goals are based around triathlon races. This year I have a target to complete four Olympic distance races from May to September. Having these races in my calendar, gives me clear targets for my exercise schedule. I know that 12 weeks out I need to be doing regular exercise and this provides me with the motivation to time block exercise into my calendar.
Set a range of performance targets
Even though I am an age-grouper (amateur) triathlete I still set a range of targets for myself. When I started out two years ago there were:
1. To finish healthy
2. To finish ahead of my training partner
3. To finish in a “good time”
4. To finish in a personal best.
It’s always my primary goal to finish healthy. I cannot afford to be in hospital on a drip for a couple of days after the race - mainly because I hate hospitals and wasting time!
If I feel good about my performance during the race, I may look out for my training partners and want to finish ahead of them. If things are really good and I feel good on the run section then I may push the run and finish in style and seek out a personal best. But simply finishing healthy is a victory. Set yourself a range of health goals that allow you to be successful across the full range. When I finished a half Ironman distance race in Hainan in 2008, it was in a much slower time than I had expected due to the blistering heat. But just to finish that race, in which many professional athletes had dropped out, was an achievement in itself.
Have fun with a group
The final tip is to join a group of people who also share the same love. Whether it’s a dancing group, the swimming or cycling club, you will draw a lot of motivation from the fact that you are surrounded by people with similar interests. Use the best performing people in these groups to spur you on. Have fun, but certainly, have some health goals this year.