Day 5: Choose Your 30 x 3 Exercise | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
Welcome to Day 5 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon.
Today we’ll be committing to — dun dun DUN! — an exercise program!!
Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to complete them.
We only have 10 minutes, so move fast, act quickly and stop over-thinking. Just throw yourself in. Ready?
What You Need:
- Your diary.
Important Note: Get medical clearance if you need it
It’s a good idea to get the all-clear to exercise from your medical professional if:
- You’re new to exercise
- You haven’t exercised in a long time
- You’re significantly overweight
- You have a medical condition or concern
- You’re nervous about exercising.
Step 1
The first step today is to have a little talk with yourself and make peace with the idea that you are going to become a regular exerciser.
That might be something you’re OK with already. Cool – then this will be pretty easy.
Or it could fill you with dread and panic. In which case, take a deep breath because I’m going to let you in on a secret – one that anyone who’s ever lost weight will confirm if you ask them.
As you start to lose weight, you start to enjoy exercising. It may seem hard to believe now, but it’s true.
So comfort yourself that soon, a kind of pleasure will start to kick in. Maybe not a rocking good time, but a definite this-isn’t-so-bad-ness. You just have to get past the beginning.
Step 2
Next, let’s find out what you like and don’t like, workout-wise. Some questions can help:
- Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors?
- Do you like to work out alone or in a group?
- Do you prefer high or low impact activities?
- Do you prefer a consistent or varied pace?
- Do you want to start easy or be immediately challenged?
- Do you prefer music, TV, or your own thoughts when you exercise?
- Do you feel most energetic in the morning, afternoon or evening?
Once you’ve considered your answers, you’ll find it easier to choose a type of exercise that will suit you.
Step 3
Bearing in mind those preferences from Step 2, you need to:
- Choose something active
- Be prepared to do it for at least 30 minutes at a time
- Be prepared to do it at least 3 times a week.
In total, that’s 1.5 hours a week. Less than a movie.
If you feel resistance welling up and find yourself formulating excuses why you can’t spare 1.5 hours a week, then gently remind yourself that:
- This amount of exercise is a small price to pay for looking good, feeling good and getting healthy
- If you don’t exercise, you run the risk of all sorts of expensive problems that will cost you a lot more time in the long run
- People with greater time pressures and more weight to lose than you have done it, and you can do it too
- There are wonderful rewards waiting for you, as you identified on Day 1.
Choose from the list below, or feel free to add something else. Just be sure your choice raises your heart rate and makes you sweat. Pilates, yoga and shopping can be added extras, but they generally don’t burn enough calories to be good weight-loss choices.
- Walking – brisk
- Walking – hills
- Running
- Jogging
- Skipping (with a rope)
- Cycling – outdoor
- Cycling – stationary
- Elliptical machine
- Treadmill
- Boxing
- Exercise classes – including step, combat, attack,
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Dance classes
- Sports that raise your heart rate and make you sweat – eg tennis, squash etc
- Exercise DVD.
Step 4
Now the part that makes all the difference.
Enter your exercise sessions for the rest of the month in your diary. Yep – put them right in there, at the times you’ll do them.
You’ve just made exercise dates with yourself. Please don’t be rude and stand yourself up.
Bonus Step For 52 Weight Loss Missions Members
Revisit Mission 9: Fit Exercise Into Your Life to remind yourself how to see exercise sessions as commitments. Prepare your answers for those times you’ve scheduled an exercise session and your boss/colleague/friend says, ‘Can you [stay late/attend a meeting/go out]’?
Check in!
And you’re done!
Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.
See you tomorrow!
Presently doing Cross-fit workout 3-5 times a week, 15-25 minutes. Will add on some walking/running to get the times up to 30 minutes plus at least 3x/week.
Already kickboxing 4 nights a week, but took a break from strength training while building this routine. April is my month to commit to the strength training on days I don’t have KB class.
Here’s my problem: I am in the hospital right now with my handicapped daughter, so i don’t have access to my stationary bike, nor my datebook to pencil these times. Any suggestions for dealing with these types of interruptions?
this is what I have been doing for a week now.. get up 4.45am.. exercise video for 30mins.. strength training.. then I go for a 15min walk down hill then 15 mins all the way back up what feels like a mountain.. but I am loving it.. I found to fit in things getting up early is what works for me.
OK I am committing myself to do 30 mins on the cross trainer a minimum of 3 times per week. If I am feeling up to it I shall do more. I have rheumatoid arthritis and find the cross trainer the best form of exercise for me as it doesn’t seem to put any pressure on my joints. It is marked in my diary so we have a date, no excuses now.
I plan to go to the gym 3 times a week to use the treadmills, ellipticals.. and I’m going to check the class schedule to see what they have available for the rest of the month! Hopefully they have a schedule down (the location is new) so I can make a few dates with my friend who’s also working on losing weight to take classes together!
I’m already exercising at lest 30 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week (give myself weekends off!). Recently started the C25K running/jogging program, and I’m on week 3. Then I do strength training of some sort on my non-running days. So I’m there!
I am going to try to make a more realistic goal of exercising 3 days a week. If I do more wonderful, but I’ll make sure that I get at least three days in. Then I won’t be discouraged and quit when I can’t do more!
this I got! training for a 1/2 marathon with 20+ miles a week! proud to say I AM A RUNNER. I’ve not said that outloud yet so today is a big day. we started (my girl pals and i) with the couch 2 5K program january 2011 and haven’t stopped since! YAY ME!
I enjoy the most success when I alternate indoor (the gym and occasionally exercise tapes at home) and outdoor cycling or walking. Variety is the spice of life! I think a fitness class thrown in sounds good too. Committing to excercise 3X a week but love it when I get it in 4 or 5 days in.
Oh MAN….Now the time to get serious. My day starts at 4:30am and I get home from work at 5:00pm. Usually get home, change into jammies, and start dinner. Change of plans! Hit the treadmill or run to the pond and back (3miles) then dinner. Family will have to be patient! I CAN DO THIS!
I am lucky that my husband is working on getting healthy and we have started to work out together. My biggest problem is losing motivation. It really helps me to be accountable to someone other than myself. 🙂
I do an exercise DVD 6 – 7 days a week. I use mostly Leslie Sansone DVD’s. I also downloaded a workout by Kendall Hogan – “Slim Down Cardio” workout. And I walk.
outside on rare occasion (I used to walk 2 – 3 miles everyday before we moved to another state 5 years ago…now there are too many loose dogs!).
My husband always asks me to go to the gym with him for crossfit in the mornings. I know have dates for exercising and dates with my husband! 😀 Here’s to feeling better and getting my energy and motivation back. I know from previous experience that when I keep up with exercising regularly I feel awesome and have so much energy for the day.
For me if I don’t exercise in the morning it won’t get done. However, if I do my main workout in the morning then a 15 minute toning workout at night I will be able to accommodate my other family/household responsibilities. Committed to it starting today.
I’ve added exercise 3 days a week to my electronic calendar…with reminders. I’m going to start with my old standby of in-home walking with Leslie Sansone. Once I’m a bit more in shape, I want to begin doing some High Intensity Interval Training.
Walked another 3 miles and even added a few minutes of running!
I am a regular exerciser so this is not hard for me either, although now that summer is getting here and my schedule gets busier I will have to put more planning in to get the exercise accomplished.
So glad that warmer weather is here, because I love to walk! Committed to walking at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I’d prefer mornings, but I have to get it done before the kiddos get up. The problem there is that DH leaves at 5am, and I’m just NOT going to get up at 4 am to be back in time for him to leave. Nope. So evenings will have to work. Also, I’m going to get out on the trampoline with the kids as much as I can. They LOVE it when I do, plus it’s GREAT exercise.
Ugh! This is the hardest for me. I lack motivation for actual ‘exercise’…so I’m going to commit to walking 3 times a week. Also, I actually LIKE doing crunches so I’ll fit in 30 of those a day, every day, to make up for my laziness. I plan on doing some hiking and exploring this summer, so I need to start getting into shape.