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Just keep going What if there was a magic pill you could take to make you exercise harder? Believe it or not, it just might be possible! According to a report in the FASEB journal, a team of Swiss researchers discovered that when the brain hormone, erythropoietin, was elevated in mice, they were more motivated to exercise. OK, so we’re a long way off finding a safe tablet that’s suitable for us humans, so for the meantime, we’ll have to rely on good old-fashioned self-will and enthusiasm! Isn’t it more satisfying that way, too?
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Talk about it “Set yourself realistic goals for what you want to achieve. Then tell people,” suggests Catherine. “For instance, if you go to work and you plan to do a gym session that evening, tell your colleagues about your plans. If you’re tired at the end of the day, it’ll be a lot harder to just drive home after you’ve told everyone you’re going to the gym!
I’ve told everyone I’m training for the stunt register, and it’s helping to spur me on. I think telling others what you intend to do reinforces it for yourself,” she adds. -
Go with the flow “If you really don’t feel in the mood for a planned workout or training then choose something that will suit your frame of mind better,” says model and beauty entrepreneur catherine peck (undercover-glamour.com). “for example, if you’re really stressed and feeling rundown, or have pmt, why not go home and do 45 minutes of yoga – while watching the television if you want – to relax, stretch and calm your muscles and mind? you’ll feel better for this than just slumping in front of the telly.” or, if you don’t have time to hit the gym, try doing our fat-blasting workout at home (page 24) as modelled by catherine – you’ll see that she practises what she preaches!
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No more excuses “My best tip is to just go and get on with it!” says Pilates instructor Karen Laing. “No matter what your head is telling you, put on your shoes and training kit and make yourself go out of the door to your workout. Ignore the weather and any other excuses and just do it.”
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Enter an event Signing up for a charity fitness event is another sure-fire way to get you to stick to a training plan. There’s nothing like the thought of not being able to complete the course to spur you on to train for it!
Especially if you take Catherine’s advice and tell everyone you’ve signed up, and asked them to sponsor you. Your event could be anything from a 5k walk or run to an ironman triathlon, depending on your fitness levels and goals. Make it a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be an ultra-marathon across the Sahara desert! See our events section on page 112 for ideas. -
Tune in “Tune in to how you feel after you’ve done your fitness session, versus how you feel if you haven’t,” advises karen. “you soon learn that the energised, positive, postworkout you is far happier than the groggy, lethargic, grumpy you who got lazy. so get on and do it!” for more motivational and other exercise advice, check out karen’s blog alittlefitter.com
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Fit celeb trick Find a time of day that works best for you, says super-fit TV presenter Zoe Hardman: “I’ve played sport my whole life and my fitness is really important to me, so I always train in the morning. I try to get up at 7am and work out for 90 minutes to kick-start the rest of my day.” Zoe focuses on how being fit makes her feel rather than how it affects her looks: “It [exercise] keeps my mind in a really good space, especially working in TV. My motto is to be happy, healthy, train well and eat right. Fitness, for me, goes hand in hand with being happy. The best part of my week is getting up on a Sunday morning when the sun is out and going for a ride on my bike or a gentle run.” It beats calorie counting on the treadmill!
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Make it fun “Training doesn’t have to mean going to the gym solo,” Catherine reminds us. “You can make friends at tennis clubs, swim classes, running groups, and so on – if you don’t turn up, people will question it next time you go! I find that I can be really tired and my regular trampolining lesson doesn’t appeal at all, but the thought of catching up with people and being social does, so I go, and then I feel better once I’m there,” she says. “Make your workouts sociable and fun!”
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