Did you ever feel enthusiastic about starting a new exercise regime, joined the gym, bought new gym clothes started a plan and then eventually in a month or so you lost all motivation and going to the gym seemed like a stressful idea. Did you buy a new treadmill and promised yourself to use it every day and after a couple of months it turned into a clothes hanger?!

Well, you are definitely not alone. Below we discuss few myths about exercising that might be the reason behind your lack of motivation.

1-  It takes special equipment and needs to get a gym membership 

While going to the gym and sign up for classes is a very good way to exercise, it is definitely not the only way. Exercising at home is a great option especially if you are a mum with a busy schedule 

All you need is a mat and a small corner

2-  I have to exercise for hours almost every day to benefit 

My favorite moto when it comes to exercise and fitness is “consistency beats intensity” any time. 

We are talking here about improving your health and fitness level, not if you want to run a marathon or sign for a bodybuilding competition, 30 minutes a day and being active the rest of the day could be enough to get you to achieve your goal. Still, if you think 30 minutes won’t get you motivated, check the next point 

3-  I have no time

You could do 10 or 5 minutes routine several times a day. When you wake up before you change or get in the shower before you go to bed, or between commercial breaks while watching your tv show. And if you are a mum you can make exercising a fun time by including your little ones, they usually get very excited to join in and will also teach them that exercising is an important part of their lives

Why this 5 minutes a Day could be your best choice?! because it will help you to see exercise as an achievable goal, so you won’t quit and slowly you will feel more energetic and ready to increase this time when you can. It will also have great benefits on your health way more than doing nothing. There are also some studies that suggest that doing just a few reps of any exercise around meal time (like squats and push-ups) sends a signal to your brain to start burning the incoming calories. In fact, studies show that people who use these short exercise bursts during the day increased their appetite controlling protein and had more satiety during the day.

4- I have no energy

Exercise not only helps you lose weight and get in shape, it is also a great way to increase your energy levels and reduce fatigue as you perform your daily activities. It also can help you sleep better and reduce back pain. 

5- No pain no gain

Exercising shouldn’t hurt. Period. As a matter of fact, when you feel pain it’s a signal that you should stop. Soreness, on the other hand, is normal and you should feel it 24-48 hours after exercise. Exercising should be challenging, but never painful.

My Advice to you is 

• Wear comfy yoga pants and top during the day so you can do your exercise routine whenever you get the chance. 

• Put on comfy walking shoes whenever you can when you go out, so you can walk and use the stairs more. 

• Make use of the many exercise classes on youtube. Many of them offer a variety of different exercises that you can try and see what motivates you the most (but always check with your doctor to see if you are clear to do all exercise movements)

• Download an application that helps you track your daily steps and try to reach 10 000 steps a day

• Challenge your body by putting out achievable goals and give yourself enough time to reach them. These goals could vary from increasing your pushups or squats repetitions, doing a handstand, or increasing your plank time by half a minute.... etc. Challenges will keep you focused and motivated.

• Last but not least, remember to have fun and enjoy the amazing body that you have.