Fitness: Staying Active

Content provided by Healthwise

Introduction

It’s one thing to start an exercise or activity program. It’s quite another to turn it into a habit so that you're staying active week in and week out. If you're having problems staying with your plan, don't worry. You're not alone.

You'll be glad to hear there are plenty of tips and tricks you can use to get yourself back on track and stay there.

If you haven't started a plan yet to get more active, it may be helpful to read:

Fitness: Adding more activity to your life.

Many of the benefits of being active, like having more energy and just feeling better, happen soon after you become more active. But some of the most important health benefits come with being active over time.

Key points

• Your reason for wanting to stay active is very important. It won't work if you're doing it because someone else—your spouse, your children, your doctor—wants you to. Youhave to want it.
• If you started a program to get more active but don't feel like you're making any progress, it may be time to update your goals.
• If you started a program to get more active but are having trouble keeping it going, it may help to figure out what's getting in your way. Then you can figure out how to work around those barriers.
• Keep at it, even if you slip up along the way. It can take at least 3 months of repetition to form a habit, so every day is a step in the right direction.

 What is involved in staying active?

 Why do you want to stay active?

 How do you stay active?

 Where to go from here

Return to topic:

Last updated:	February 21, 2008
Author:	Cynthia Tank
Reviewed By:	Catherine D. Serio, PhD - Behavioral Health, Richard B. Kreider, PhD, MX, DPC, FACSM, FASEP - Exercise Physiology
Editors:	Katy E. Magee, MA, Denele Ivins