Happy New YearJanuary 12th, 2010I hate writing ad copy. I hate it so much that to avoid it today, I went to dunkin donuts for coffee and a dozen—of course, I was planning to take the dozen home later. After I ate one. Or two. As I enjoyed the second donut, it struck me—lots of people feel this way about exercise. Just as ad copy is critical to my business success, they know exercise is crucial to good health. But they'll do almost anything to avoid it. And probably have avoided it for a long time. What folks don't know is that our brains are so incredibly wired for efficiency, that once you stop moving, your brain will keep generating that message to your body—"don't move"—on its own self-feedback loop. Results? It's nearly impossible to move! Why am I telling you this? Because this is that time of year when we collectively beat ourselves up about not succeeding with last year's new diet, new work-out, new outlook...and I think it's important to know that starting a new workout isn't simply an act of willpower. And failing to maintain one isn't a failure either. Lots of things have to fall into place for a program to work. First of all, you need to find the right one for you. If you step back to my home page, you can download my report titled The Top Ten Things to Look For In a Work-Out Program for some help. Second, keep in mind that any workout you do that engages your mind as well as your body will also produce cognitive flexibility (i.e. improved "problem solving"), something we can all use more of, especially as we age. And that brainpower is addictive. You'll want to come back for more. And third, grab a friend, because we are also wired to be social. Aside from all that accountability, working out with a friend just plain feels better. So as we roll into 2010 and everything it promises, let's all exhale, take a good look at what we can and cannot commit to, and then move toward it. As long as we don't stop, we'll get there. |