“Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood.” – Unknown

You don’t need me to tell you how crucial exercise is for your body and mind. But I will anyway… Exercise makes us healthier, more energetic, sleep better, eat better, think clearer, and feel happier.

If ever there was a quick strategy to boost our mood, it’s exercise. Exercise is used as a low-intensity treatment for depression and anxiety, I think that highlights how valuable it is to our wellbeing.

Despite it’s value, so many of us can struggle to get motivated or find the time to fit exercise into our busy lives. We have mastered the excuses as to why it can wait (usually until Monday), ‘This week is too busy’, ‘It’s my cat’s birthday on Saturday’ and so on. What’s your excuse?

Despite your best reasons, I bet you want to exercise regularly. Think of your top five goals right now. Does one include exercise in some form or another? I reckon it does. I asked my Instagram followers that question and they all (those that responded) answered yes. So I’m generalising the crap out of those results.

Whilst I’m not saying exercise is the be all and end all for happiness, I am saying exercise is a healthy habit you can adopt, and that it will contribute nicely to a more content life.

By no means am I a fitness fanatic or walking around with a toned tummy. My exercise is based on what makes me FEEL GOOD. My regime is based on what I am enjoying at the time and what I feel like doing. That might be a HIIT class, yoga class, a walk, or a run. My goal is to move, not feel like I’m having to do something I hate or get no pleasure from. I might even just exercise really lightly and not push myself at all that day. Don’t get me wrong, SOMETIMES if I’m not in the mood at all, I will let myself off, sometimes, that’s all.

I have had my time of struggling with exercise, believe me. I used to do it purely to try and lose weight, that was the problem. When I made the connection between exercise and my mood, everything changed. Before that, I never really committed long term to exercise (apart from when I got addicted at 18…Not great either).

So if you’re struggling to start exercising, stay motivated or get into a routine. Here’s just a few ways that can help get you started:

1. Stop waiting for motivation: So many people tell me they don’t have the motivation to exercise. I have news for you – the motivation is not going to come first. Action first, and then the motivation comes. Hence getting started is the hardest part…but it’s not so bad once you’ve started.

2. Make it enjoyable: Exercise doesn’t have to be hard and boring. Try out different types and find what you like. Mix it up, that’s fine too. Just move in a way that works for you. It’s not often you dread something you enjoy.

3. Start small (stay small if you want): People seem to think it’s not worth it if they can’t run five miles or do a HIIT class without stopping. That’s not true. Go for a walk, or take more breaks. Start small and usually, you will naturally end up wanting to do more. The majority of my exercise is done in 30 minute sessions.

4. Lose the excuses: If you want to exercise, the excuses just have to go. Identify your go to excuses and be ready for them. When I go to the gym in the evenings, around 4pm, I start coming up with reasons not to go. The most common excuse is not having time. You do have time, if you can spend ten minutes (and the rest!!!) scrolling through social media, then you do have time. Come up with a statement you can repeat to yourself as soon as the excuses start, I challenge myself with “so you’re choosing not to feel good?’, simple, but does the trick.

5. Schedule it: Decide in advance when you will exercise and put it in your diary. Then follow that plan and not your mood. Yes sometimes, life can get in the way. But not usually, so be honest with yourself.

6. Make happiness your goal: You want to be happy, right? Remind yourself how good exercise is for your wellbeing. If we begin to see exercise as this amazing activity that can make us feel great and clear our heads, then that can really be the shift we need to get us moving. My best decisions are made on that stepper. You will still be thinking whilst exercising, it’s just a healthier kind of thinking.

To quote Gretchen Ruben (quoting Voltaire) “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” In other words, instead of pushing yourself to an impossible “perfect,” and therefore getting nowhere, accept “good.”

What I take from that is that a walk is good enough, a 15minute home work-out is good enough. Do what works for you, but start now and reap the benefits. Exercise will contribute to a healthy mind, and with a healthy mind, the possibilities are endless.

Carly Ann xx