Making Fitness A Way of Life (by Haley)

I have to be honest, I love it when I am sore from exercising. It makes me feel “hard core” or like a “for real” athlete. I love to come home after working out dripping with sweat and my face beat red. That shows my intensity, right? You can tell how intense I am by what I wear when I exercise: an awesome 2009 race shirt, basketball shorts that really belong to my younger brother, Sketchers that weren't really made for running, an old school ipod, ponytail, you get the picture. For me, it's not a fashion show. . .

Although my sister Sarah may think I am skinny and don't even try, I actually make a tremendous effort to exercise regularly. I am by no means the perfect exerciser, but for the last 8 years I have rarely missed a day working out. That doesn't mean I'm perfectly fit---I just do what works for me. Today I thought I would share 10 things that have helped me make exercising not only a habit, but a way of life:

1. Pick a time to exercise- Choose a time of the day that works best for you to exercise. If you aren't a morning person, don't exercise in the morning. If you're not a night owl, don't exercise at night. Just be consistent though in the time that you choose, so that you're more likely to do it every day.

2. Exercise for 30 minutes- Only exercise for a half hour a day. An hour is a huge commitment and 15 minutes defeats the purpose. A half hour is long enough to get your heart beat up and feel active. If you want to work out for longer than 30 minutes by all means go for it, but make sure it is at least 30 minutes. As you can see below, my cell phone is about as nice as my ipod. . .

3. Do something you enjoy- Don't decide you're going to run every day for 30 minutes if you hate running. Don't say you're going to go swimming every day if you don't have access to a pool or know how to swim. If you like dancing, then dance for 30 minutes every day. If you like to hike, then go hiking. If you are single and have a crush, sign up for something that you know he'll sign up for! Exercising is intended to be fun and natural.

4. Tell your friends- When you have decided to faithfully workout every day, make sure you tell your close friends. I say this because they will ask you about it. If you tell five friends those friends will be asking you frequently how it is going. If you aren't exercising, you'll feel guilty pretty quick and hopefully start up again.

5. Make it fun!- Make exercising fun. If you hate being alone, invite friends to exercise with you. If you need time alone, exercise by yourself. If you want to listen to music while doing it, grab your ipod. If you like to be in nature, then make sure that you exercise outside. If you can't miss any Psych episodes, then workout infront of the tv. Make it an enjoyable experience. It actually is possible to enjoy exercising!

6. Sign up for something- Once you pay the money and have signed your name, you're committed. Sign up for a dance class or to run a race. It is a scheduled time that you have to workout. Working hard for something will also get you excited to be even more active. It worked for me!

7. Keep track- Keep track of your progress. Record on a calendar how you are doing. Give yourself a little smiley face each day you exercise for 30 minutes and a frowny face when you don't. If you are training for a race, record how fast you ran that day. Keep track of your progress so you're excited to improve and workout a little harder the next day.

8. Reward yourself- Just like little kids love prizes, so do adults! Give yourself little milestones. If you workout for 30 minutes each day for a week, you can treat yourself to ice cream. If you workout for 3 solid weeks, go to a show. You decide! Yeah, these Reese's Pieces really hit the spot!

9. Make it simple- Make working out simple. The more complex it is, the less likely you are to actually do it. Don't over do it or it won't happen. Start easy.

10. Push yourself- By push yourself I don't mean make yourself run a mile in 3 minutes, I mean be committed. When you are tired and don't feel like working out, push yourself off the couch and go! When you would rather watch one more episode of Pysch, push yourself out the door. It is not impossible, it is possible. Tell yourself you can do it and you can! Tell yourself you're hardcore and you are!

For me, eight years ago in the summer of 2005 I started to faithfully workout. My sister Heather and I were living together in college and decided to go running every morning. The first week was tough since neither of us were runners or even exercised much. It didn't take long though for us to realize how great it made us feel and how awesome our mornings became. I had no idea the effect it would have on my life. After a summer of running every morning, it was in me. It stuck. It became a habit and now eight years later, it is a way of life.