Motivation to exercise.

The main three reasons that have been found to be the largest factor hindering people in starting an exercise regime are: 1. Lack of time (e.g. too much work to do or need to study)

2. Lack of energy (e.g. too tired after school to do anything)

3. Personal self-image (e.g. not the sporty type)

A few simple suggestions to overcome this:

For reason 1,

1. get a daily/weekly planner and keep a schedule of your activities. By doing so, you are able to see when and where you have free time in the week to slot abit of exercise in.

2. try to induce incidental exercise into your life. this could simply mean taking the stairs instead of the lift (which my parents hate when i make them do it) or walking to your destination which could be only 2 bus-stops away. It does not necessarily have to be exercise you are doing. you just need to be physically active.

For reason 2,

1. The lack of energy could reflect your dietary choices. Too much oily food or starchy food may result in making you lethargic due to the oil or insulin spike you experience when everything gets digested. or you may not be eating enough to maintain your energy needs thus the lack of energy. It could also reflect your hydration status where the lack of hydration may indicate the lack of water volume in your muscles for optimal functioning. So look at your diet and do small little changes. Remember, many small steps add up to a big step.

2. The reason you are lacking energy to move about is because you already don't move about. When your body is accustomed to being sedentary, it takes alot more to get it moving. If it has the habit of moving about, moving about no longer becomes a difficulty.

Lastly, reason 3,

1. Nobody was born to be sporty. Athletes are trained to be professional athletes. How you make yourself out to be depends on your actions. If you choose to be a sedentary person, you will turn out to look like one. If you are afraid of people judging you while you are outside, work out in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Do simple bodyweight exercises or simple cardio movements such as skipping at home first till you are confident enough about yourself to head out to exercise. On a greener note, you could actually use objects you have at home to assist you in exercising. 1.5L bottles can be filled up to provide some form of resistance for you to perform a range of exercises at home. your sofa can be your workout bench you use while watching tv. Stairs in your house can help you with lower body conditioning. Reuse objects in your house to provide you the capability of exercising at home and that way it helps the environment at the same time as those objects do not go to waste.

So what is your reason for not exercising? Think about starting before it's too late.