We all could get in better health, but maybe it’s been awhile. Maybe you’ve gained more weight than you wanted. Maybe the thought of doing a huge workout scares you silly.
Stop thinking like that.
You can get back on track if you just start slow and easy. No one is expecting you to run a marathon by next weekend. And if you’re expecting that from yourself, you need to stop it. You need to start thinking of a long-term plan instead of a quick fix.
If you can start with a five-minute walk, do that. Depending on where you live, you may be able to walk down your neighborhood street. If you live in the city, you can walk down the sidewalk. The thing to do is – set a timer on your phone for two and a half minutes. Start walking. When the timer goes off, turn around and head back home. It may seem silly, and you may feel like you didn’t get very far – but over time, you will add minutes and distance. It will gradually build, and before you know it, you’ll be walking around the black; every few weeks you may be walking an extra block.
It doesn’t matter if it takes several weeks or maybe even a couple of months to build up to a thirty minute walk each day. The fact is that you are taking your health seriously, and you’re making small adjustments every day that will add up and give you great benefits. By this time next year, you could be walking for an hour or more each day – all because you decided to simply start with five minutes today.
Here’s a simple way to add time each week. For the first week, take a five minute walk every day. Each week add two more minutes to your time…
Week One – 5 minutes
Week Two – 7 minutes
Week Three – 9 miutes
Week Four – 11 minutes
After four weeks, you can start adding five minutes each week…
Week Five – 15 minutes
Week Six – 20 minutes
Week Seven – 25 minutes
Week Eight – 30 minutes
See! Within two months you’ve already made it to half an hour per day. Form there, you can keep adding time to your walk, or you can add an extra walk each day – one in the morning and one in the evening. The second walk doesn’t have to be half an hour long; you could start with ten or fifteen minutes and gradually add onto it like you did in the beginning.
Focus on the health benefits and how much better you’re going to feel once you build up some momentum. In the beginning, that five minute walk may seem like torture, but do not give up! If three minutes is all you can start doing, then start there.
You did not get out of shape in two weeks. And you’re not going to get back in shape in two weeks either. Simply set your mind to start doing this and to keep doing it for the rest of your life.
It can transform your life!
Consider checking out the following book that can give you ideas on getting active – right from home…