If you are a walker or a runner, there is no doubt that you have a goal that you have set for yourself. Perhaps it is to walk, or run a road race of some distance, loose weight or just simply to be fit.
Regardless of the goal, achieving the goal will be hard. Let us be honest right up front, there is no goal, which is simply going to be a walk in the park. If it is truly a goal, it is going to be hard.
To make matters worse, every grocery store shelf is filled with magazines touting the next best diet, the next best exercise program, or the quickest way to a flat stomach. Everyone is bombarded with so much information; it makes it tough to know what to do. Frustration and confusion can set in very quickly and there is the possibility that your fitness program is dropped by the wayside and forgotten forever.
Do not worry. I am here to provide some common sense advice to help you.
First, I want you to know that your workout program is for YOU and nobody else. Do not workout to please others. Do it for you and you alone.
Secondly, workout because it is good for you, not because you want to look great in a bikini or because you want to look like you are 18 again. There is the possibility that neither of those two goals will be achieved. However, let me say this, if you workout consistently and make it part of your life, you will increase your chances of achieving your goals substantially.
Thirdly, make working out part of your life. Workouts should be as common in your life as brushing your teeth. Do not just plan to workout three times each week, do it. You also do not need to run out and buy that expensive membership to a fancy gym that takes you 30 minutes to get to then another 30 minutes to get back home. Then when you arrive home, you find out you have a million things to do before bed, which creates a tremendous amount of stress, and the benefits of working out just do not seem to be there.
Rather than the gym membership, try just stepping out the front door for a 20-minute walk three times a week. When you add it up, that is one-hour of walking every week. In time, you can increase the time, distance, and intensity. If you are running late and do not think you have the time to workout. Get the shoes on and walk 15 minutes. Remember, do not just plan to workout, do it.
Lastly, make working out a little fun. Invite your friends and neighbors; eat ice cream after a long walk to reward yourself. Do not worry too much about what the scale tells you or what magazine say you should be doing. Workout for you, for your lifetime.