Some advice when you start an exercise program

When people start an exercise program they may experience various emotions, from elation to anxiety about not being able to keep it up. Remember the following tips which may help you achieve long-term success:

• Remember why you started
  
  People start exercising for many reasons: weight loss, health, vanity, the doctor told them to, and to recover from an illness. Keep remembering why you started as this will help keep you motivated.


• Do everything at your own pace
  
  Humans tend to be competitive animals. This is great for the winner, and those who come second or third. However, being competitive in the wrong way can kill motivation. If you have to compete, compete with your past self. Compare your performance today with your performance in two weeks' time. Check your weight, heart rate, blood pressure - then take it again in about three weeks and see the difference.


• You have to like it
  
  For long-term success the activity has to be something you enjoy. There are so many activities to choose from. Perhaps there is an activity you really enjoyed when you were a child.


• Join a club with a friend
  
  If you join a fitness club with a friend, or exercise with a friend you may enjoy the sessions more. Some people prefer not to have the stress of someone else around. This depends on you.


• Experts can be very useful
  
  A study found that exercise and behavioral intervention improves fitness and lowers systolic blood pressure.


• Variation
  
  Every few weeks change your exercise program. This is important for your motivation and also for best results. The body improves faster if you change your program now and again. This does not mean you have to change walking/running to something else. It could mean changing your speed and distance, and pacing yourself in a different way, perhaps altering your route.


• Be realistic about your goals
  
  Some people are motivated by goals, others find them stressful. If you need goals make sure they are realistic - and work towards them.


• The longer you keep it up the longer you will continue to do it
  
  After a few weeks your exercise routine starts to become a habit. Even if you find it a bit of a chore at first, remember that after a few weeks it will really become a habit.