Each morning, often as I am working on this blog, I consider my plans for the day. What do I want to accomplish? This habit started several years ago, thanks to Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People . While I highly recommend the book (or the audio tapes), this link does a nice job of summarizing the principles in the book – Seven Habits Condensed Summaries. While I have found all seven habits worth considering, today I want to concentrate on the seventh habit – the principle of balanced self-renewal. Quoting the summary:

Suppose you came upon someone in the woods working to saw down a tree. They are exhausted from working for hours. You suggest they take a break to sharpen the saw. They might reply, ” I didn’t have time to sharpen the saw, I’m busy sawing!”

Habit 7 is taking the time to sharpen the saw. By renewing the four dimensions of your nature – physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional, you can work more quickly and effortlessly. To do this, we must be proactive. This is a Quadrant II (important, not urgent) activity that must be acted on. It’s at the center of our Circle of Influence, so we must do it for ourselves.

The Physical Dimension.

The physical dimension involves caring for your physical body – eating the right foods, getting enough rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis.

If we don’t have a regular exercise program, eventually we will develop health problems. A good program builds your body’s endurance, flexibility and strength. A new program should be started gradually, in harmony with the latest research findings.

The greatest benefit of taking care of yourself is development of your Habit 1 “muscles” of proactivity.

I will assume that you are one of the many readers who either has committed to exercise or would like to. The LA Times has a well considered piece on keeping your New Year’s Resolution on exercise – Resolve all you want, but fitness needs a real plan. This article does not have quick fix ideas, rather it goes through the steps one should take to achieve fitness success.

“People spend an inordinate amount of time planning a trip or a wedding, but when it comes to getting in shape, people are unwilling to plan,” says Charles Stuart Platkin, author of “Breaking the Pattern: The 5 Principles You Need to Remodel Your Life” (Red Mill Press, 2001).

That resurrects old patterns and habits that didn’t work then and won’t work now: “If every year you join a gym but you hate going to the gym, then maybe you need to come up with something else that provides you with cardiovascular and strength training.”
Platkin, founder of the Nutricise weight-loss program, suggests rediscovering some long-forgotten but favorite sport, such as racquetball or swimming. If socializing is important, get a workout buddy (preferably one with equal zeal), join a team or make friends at the gym.

If just the thought of setting up an exercise routine seems daunting, break it into manageable steps, says Jerald Jellison, a professor of psychology at UCLA. “If you’re going to join a gym, bring a checklist of things you want to know, such as the quality of the instructors, the kinds of classes they offer, and when they’re open.”

So each morning, as I am considering my day, I think about exercise. Is this an exercise day? If so, where and what are my plans. For example, today I plan to run on my treadmill in the afternoon after work. Yesterday I went to the gym and used an elliptical machine plus I did some leg strengthening work. Tomorrow I will workout with my trainer. This exercise variety – variety in activities and sites – works very well for me. But I must emphasize that I have developed this plan over time, understanding myself, my motivations and my habits.

Each person should find a system that works for them. I know people who do the same routine almost every day. While that system works for them, I would not work for me. Do you need variety or consistency?

Why are you exercising? What are you trying to achieve?

Setting unachievable goals is one way to almost ensure dropping out of a fitness program. Expecting to run a marathon by spring or dropping 30 pounds in a month is unrealistic for most people. Instead, focus on training for a 5- or 10-kilometer run before tackling anything more. Also, replace amorphous objectives with specific ones. Says Maidenberg, “What is the goal and how will you know when you succeed?”

Goals are very helpful. I set modest goals each 2 months. I also have some long range goals that I am working towards. For example, I have used body fat percentage as a goal. One of my two month goals have been to decrease my body fat by at least 1%. I am now nearing my overall goal, and will be resetting my goal towards maintenace.

I also have strength goals. I decided that I wanted to be able to bench press my weight. So I worked with my trainer to develop an exercise plan to achieve that goal (which I achieved 2 months ago). I am working on a long term goal to be able to do pull-ups. We have a plan and work towards that each week.

Often goals remain unattained because people focus only on their ultimate objective, which doesn’t come fast enough. Resolutions are broken during the critical first few weeks of a new exercise program, when the pounds haven’t come off, abs haven’t gone flat, and getting up early and schlepping to the gym is still an excruciating chore. Small victories are frequently ignored, but they shouldn’t be.

“Do you feel like you have more energy or can handle daily hassles better?” says Marcus, coauthor of “Motivating People to Be Physically Active” (Human Kinetics, 2003). “Do your clothes feel a little less tight? Do you just feel less bad? Short-term benefits could be having time for yourself to take a class, dance like you don’t really get to, socialize and laugh. The fitness part is almost secondary.”

Marcus and others advise keeping a diary of not just weight loss or time spent exercising, but also notes about positive changes in mood, sleep habits and overall health. “Write down if you did something active for 10 minutes. Then try to get in two 10-minute sessions. Feeling like you’re making progress motivates all of us.”

Jellison recommends looking to friends or family for positive feedback, “one or two people who are sincerely interested in the details of your progress,” to act as designated cheerleaders.
There’s also nothing wrong with a tangible incentive every now and then — as long as it’s not a piece of cheesecake. “When you lose 5 pounds, buy yourself a CD or call a friend,” Jellison says.

If you are planning to make a resolution involving weight loss and exercise, really plan. Think through what you are trying to achieve. Break it down into achievable steps and celebrate each attainment. You can achieve amazing things once you understand how to plan each day and work towards each intermediate goal. Good luck and Happy New Year!!!

Related posts:

1. Can you lose weight through exercise?
2. Thanksgiving resolution – year 4
3. Expresso fitness – my exercise obsession
4. The President, fitness and health
5. Do you favor a public plan?

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