On July 11, Becca and I watched the Kevin Costner movie, “McFarland USA.” It is based on the true story of the 1987 cross country team at McFarland High School. Costner plays Jim White, a football coach who is fired from his job and lands in the very small, very poor town of McFarland, California. He ends up taking a group of poor farm workers’ children and turning them into cross country state champions. The movie is very inspirational and I highly recommend it.
At this point, you are probably wondering if Editor Donnie Douglas has given me movie review duty at the paper, right? Actually, I wanted to share with you how this movie has influenced my recent exercise motivation. In the movie, the kids got up at 4 a.m. to work the produce fields, ran several miles afterward to school, and then went to cross country practice. Recently, I have been really lazy with getting my running in. For the past month, I have set my alarm, rolled over and gone back to sleep. Seeing the hard-working kids of McFarland has been a great motivation. I am proud to say that since Saturday, I have been getting up and out to run.
Staying motivated to exercise is a daily challenge for most people. Between work, family and other obligations, it is very hard to keep your routine. Here are some tips for keeping your motivation high and your body weight low.
— Set goals: At work, we set goals right? Then why not set them for exercising? Goals for fitness need to be realistic and achievable. If you are just starting out exercising, a goal might be 10 minutes a day walking gradually working up to 30 minutes or more.
— Make it fun: None of us want to do things in life that are not fun, and exercise is no exception. If you do not like to run, then why do it? If you are tired of your exercise routine try something new. Join a class, take up a recreational sport or whatever. Just get moving.
— Make physical activity part of your daily routine: Exercise, like everything else on your daily calendar, should be scheduled. Also, besides your appointed time, you can sneak some activity into your other activities. Take the stairs at work, park in the farthest spot at the mall or ride a stationary bike while watching TV. Extra activity is great!
— Use the buddy system: Finding a friend to exercise with is a great way to stay on track. If you are not feeling it, your buddy can nag you and vice versa.
— Reward yourself: After your workout, take time to savor the good feelings that exercise gives you. Also, set a longer-term goal in which you will reward yourself with a present like workout shoes or clothing. Keep in mind, however, that rewarding yourself with a bag of Oreos is counterproductive.
— Be flexible: If you find yourself too busy to work out or simply just don’t feel up to it, take a day or two off. Don’t beat yourself up, rest a bit and get back at it as soon as possible.
Staying motivated for fitness is not that complicated. Whether you are motivated by friends, the goal of good health or feeling lazy as compared to a group of hard working kids you saw in a movie, just use it!
