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 JUNE 11, 2004 Positive Attitude to Exercise The key to exercising regularly is to keep things interesting and to have a positive attitude, says Steven Jonas, MD, a New York preventive medicine specialist and co-author of "Just the Weigh You Are" (Chapters Publishing). "I workout to race in triathlons. I might not exercise regularly if I didn't race," Jonas says. If you like the stimulation of competition, try singles tennis or full-court basketball. Or, if you have access to water, try your hand at something different, like kayaking or skulling. "Find something that works for you, and exercise will make you feel energetic, revved up and positive," he says. Studies show that exercise works only if you do it on a regular basis. "For the overwhelming majority who are contemplating regular exercise, the hard part is the regular, not the exercise," Jonas says. Once you get started, how do know that exercise is working? The early clues are psychological more than physical. "You will feel satisfied and gratified because you have taken control of your health, and will feel better about yourself," he says. Some people set unreasonable goals and end up hating exercise. "But if you start out the right way, you might find that's not the case," Jonas says. Set goals in small increments. Start out by walking slowly and then jogging in between walking until you build up to 20 minutes of pure running. If you are concerned about your health, there are other things you can do besides exercising. Eat right, stop smoking, always fasten your seat belt, put up smoke detectors in your home and have fire extinguishers handy. "Making those little changes sets up a positive attitude that just might get you into exercising," he says. |
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