Exercising regularly is not easy. It is a constant discussion and debate you have with your body and your mind. The battle is more often, mental than physical. 

This is something I wrote in a post called Running: Beginners Tips. 

A team of all my body parts,
Led by the undisputed leader “my mind”
Working towards a goal of
Reaching the finish line!
Legs say ” We are tired”
Mind says ” you are strong, you have done it earlier”
Lungs say “I need more oxygen”
Mind says “the nostrils are doing their job”
Heart says ” I am pumping too fast”
Mind calculates and says ” it is well within the limit”
Stomach says ” I am hungry ”
Mind says ” there’s food at the finish line”
Finally, all the parts fall in place and run
Mind keeps singing ” run baby run” 

It is always about finding ways to motivate yourself to keep doing it. 

Lot of trainers talk about:

Concentrating on the breath
Listening to good music or podcasts
Joining group classes
Rewarding yourself  when you achieve a fitness goal
Mixing different types of exercises

 In addition to all of that, the below mentioned three hacks help me to keep myself motivated during a workout regime . 

1. Playing with numbers: I would recommend this if you don’t despise simple arithmetics. This is how it works:

If you are supposed to do 35 squats, count it as 10, 10, 5, 5, 5. 

If you are doing 20 pushups, count till 10 and then count from 10 backwards. 

If you are doing 40 jumping jacks, count it as 20, 10, 5, 5 

By breaking the bigger numbers into smaller groups:  

a. You take away the attention from the aching and stretching muscles. 

b. You fool your mind by saying only small numbers.

Today I was supposed to do 45 jumping jacks. I was actually at my 35th one when I  wanted to stop. I was able to pull through because as I was jumping, I did not say 35. The number I called out was 5 and that didn’t seem like a big number. 

2. Smile: Towards the end of the workout or  when you think you cannot do it anymore or when you can almost see the finish line, just force a smile on your face and see how it works its magic.

Natural smiles can reduce muscular tension and increase your performance. Thinking of a recent joke that you have heard or something funny that happened can take your mind away into a more relaxed state. 

By smiling, your mind travels to a happier territory. 

3. Bring on the P.E spirit: Remember how we  looked forward to the P.E (Physical Education) period while in school. It did not matter what we did in that class. 

I was never good at any sport, but, I enjoyed the period. Running, walking, jumping , the different games that we played,  marching and sometimes just cheering for those who ran while I walked. 

How about bringing that spirit back to our daily exercise routine. A P.E period that we choose to include in our daily schedule. 

No matter what you do, keep working out. Stay Fit, Stay Healthy, Stay Happy. 

The earlier articles in this series:

Work In Progress

A Side Track 

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