A good friend of mine recently asked me how to get started and keep motivated to exercise. Getting overweight in his mid forties, he was starting to fear that it's too late.
I'm not an expert in exercise or fitness, but I have managed to maintain a steady regiment of exercise for over 35 years.
Whenever asked this question, I always ask the same thing: "When was the last time that you went an entire day without finding time to eat?" Most people can't remember such a day.
Then I tell them that they need to make exercise as high a priority as food, no excuses, no bullshit.
But that can be the easy part. The hardest part is picking exercises that are sustainable. And in my opinion they have to be FUN once you are in decent shape.
For me, machines are a great workout, but not sustainable. I don't know anyone who has used an exercise machine consistently for more than six months, and that's because it's WORK not FUN.
For me, fun is gliding down a hill on skis after climbing to the top. Fun is riding up and down rolling paths on a bicycle. Fun is hiking up a mountain. Fun is running effortsly through the woods.
It also has to be an exercise that's easy to do, right from the house.
Nowadays at 66, my daily excercize is cycling, and I try to ride EVERY day, no excuses, no bullshit, and this sometimes involves some creative planning. A lobotomy also helps 😀.
For example, today's busy schedule only allowed me 90 minutes of free time between 6:00 - 7:30 AM, so I make the best of what I got. I started my ride promptly at 6:00 AM, in the dark, in the rain, in 40 degree temperature.
I realize that this is probably crazy by most standards, but I've developed such a strong habit of riding every day, that I feel guilty missing a day, and would spend the entire day feeling like something was missing.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Later,
Steve
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