Progress Motivation

Making Progress and Keeping Active

It is hard to keep on track and motivated to do things for long periods of time…..whether this is on a weekly basis or for longer periods of time.

Taking a little more time and effort to exercise beyond the normal daily activities undertaken is one thing that is often very low on peoples’ agendas or not considered of any importance. The body is a machine and needs to be well maintained to function well and efficiently. Unfortunately, mostly over time and with age, structures can change and alter shape, so logically it would seem important to attempt to get things back and keep things in the best working order as possible. But does this happen?

Old habits, old ways; are they serving you well or do you need to rethink what you are doing? Changing ways and habits can be hard frustrating and threatening but exercising in the old way may not be serving you well anymore.

Changing some habits may need to get done for the results your body requires.

Say for instance you have a problem with your back or balance- are you undertaking the most effective ones to keep you upright and safe? You may have been doing a lot of aerobic exercise for many years and this has served you well from a cardio vascular perspective but if you have problems with balance then you will need to work on things that will improve the situation such as undertaking more strength training work especially for the muscles of the lower limbs or more specific exercises for a back problem.

If you have arthritis / joint problems then you might need to alter your exercises to protect you and prevent further problems with the joint damage. Non weight bearing exercises might be more suitable to reduce the load on the joints which might be causing pain and restricted movement as a result of doing too much.

It is possible to improve your lot but you may need find and work on the right format (be shown a new way of doing things), time to practise, persistence to keep on track to get the results.

Keeping Count and Making Progress

Sometimes it is important to stop and consider the way things are being done to enable new ideas / habits fit in with the old ones if they are and will more be beneficial to your lifestyle.

Tips to keep you on track:

• Manage regular sessions of exercise or fit small bits within the daily routine to accumulate the benefits
• Maintain the right attitude for success for a healthy active lifestyle
• Develop and set realistic goals to fit your needs – write them down
• Use checklists to watch, record and monitor progress
• Give yourself reminders and rewards for your efforts
• Find/ have support from many sources;share your achievements with others
• Spot routines that are helpful and those which are not
• Use environmental cues.to create new habits and behaviours
• Be as active as possible in a variety of ways

Challenges:

• Anticipate challenges, plan and find ways to overcome them
• Make a commitment to exercise regularly; consider it as a long term investment
• When encountering challenges – be prepared to deal with issues using active problem solving, understand, predict and control critically important aspects
• Recognise risky situations and avoid them whenever possible, develop coping / alternative strategies