by Andrew Freyne

Created on: August 13, 2009

Exercise! Oh how this very word has tormented me for many years! As we all know regular exercise is important in order to maintain a healthy body as well as a healthy mind. For years I have wanted to indulge in exercise; I have wanted to get involved but for some reason I lacked the will! I didn't have the energy for exercise and I actually felt quite intimidated in relation to taking that first step! Well, I guess there is a common saying and you've probably heard it before; whenever starting something new, whatever it is, you should begin by taking small steps, you should move forward slowly at an easy pace that suits you. So, when I eventually decided that I wanted to get involved with exercise I was thinking to myself how I should go about it; I really didn't like the idea of venturing into a gym! What was the alternative? Well I came to the decision that I would purchase some home exercise equipment!

I didn't have any exercise goals to speak of, I just wanted to get fit and perhaps lose some weight; I think that this is probably a common goal for the majority of people. Anyway, I purchased three exercise machines from one of those glamorised shopping channels and now my flat is no longer a flat but a home gymnasium! The feelings that I was experiencing at this time were amazing! I had decided that I was going to exercise on a regular basis and nothing was going to get in my way! Initially I started exercising about twice a week, well I didn't want to over do it! Like I said, I think it's good to start slowly and this is exactly what I did. I had so much motivation at the beginning as you know whenever you start something new. The good feelings were not to last though! My motivation was beginning to disappear and I found myself giving up, very bad news! So, I decided to take another approach!

I started to note down exactly what I wanted to achieve. At the top of my list on the first line I wrote 'lose weight, lose the pounds, no matter what it takes!' I then wrote down how often I would exercise and for good balance I thought that three times per week would be appropriate. There was one other thing that I needed, something very important! I needed motivation! Where was this going to come from? I had no one to support me in my endeavours! Well, upon reflection I realised that I had purchased some coaching tapes in the past and these contained some really upbeat positive music. I guess you can start picturing an absurd scene of me jiving on my exercise machines to the sound of music! Well, if this is the case then you are right!

I tried this new method and found that it actually worked, I had found my little niche as it were! I exercised and I continue to exercise three times per week but before getting onto my machines I always shove the magic tape into my stereo and always make sure that the music is blaring away and that the voice of the coach on that tape is urging me on, pushing me forward as it were. This works for me and I'm sure that it can work for you too. They say that music is very powerful and this is so true. By utilising this technique I have not wavered from my exercise goals. My motivation has remained constant and I am also achieving my major goal of actually losing some weight around the waist! These are my tips for maintaining my exercise goals, they work for me and I really encourage you to take that step and utilise this technique, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Good luck.

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