Four Steps to Being Inspired to Exercise

Our bodies are magnificent instruments. Almost without any effort they operate day after day, year after year. They digest, they move, they smell, they feel and they breath. The air we breath. There is nothing in life as simple and as profound as the air we breath. The average person could probably live four to six weeks without food and an average of ten days without water. But air. Air is a completely different story.

We must replenish our air supply millions of times a day. Every breath is the food of life. It is how our cells renew themselves. In fact, oxygen is even a key ingredient in weight loss. Our bodies simply cannot metabolize fat without oxygen and water. It is no accident that our magical bodies, when asked to work harder, demand more oxygen. Energy is metabolized when we work out, and it needs oxygen for the process to work. The more we move, the more air we need. But how do we find the inspiration to ask our bodies to work harder to begin with? That’s the million-dollar question.

For some of us, exercise is a love affair, but for others, it is a chore, or not part of our lives at all.
The very word inspire, broken down to its Latin roots, means to give breath. So finding a team of supporters to inspire us, as we make a renewed effort toward every-day movement and self-care is irreplaceable. It can mean the difference between success and failure as we try to create a life of physical activity and health. Why not build your own team of supporters? A small team. Your personal team can include friends, coworkers, relatives, a trainer at the gym – anybody can be part of the group that in-spires you to claim your right to be healthy and live longer. Next, build a plan around that team.

Try following this four-step recipe for your new life:

Step 1. Invite the RIGHT people to be on your team. Remember, this is the team to INSPIRE you. Don’t ask anyone to join who has a history of criticizing or demeaning you. For this effort to work you will want to choose upbeat, motivated team members who you genuinely enjoy spending time with. Consider inviting those friends you love, but rarely have free time to see.

Step 2. Pick a specific day of the week to MOVE with each member of the team. By setting up these four “inspired movement” sessions, you will not only feed your body, but your soul with thank you too. FOUR days a week, you will have one hour with someone you enjoy and feel encouraged by. Maybe Monday morning is a friend from the gym, and Wednesday evening is your spouse. By setting specific times, you become accountable not only to yourself, but also to your teammate.

Step 3. Plan activities that you enjoy. This sounds simple, but with a friend, exercise becomes playtime again! Saturday speed walks and Thursday racketball. Maybe one of your team members loves Yoga or swimming. It doesn’t matter what you do, just be inspired and get MOVING.

Step 4. Remember that breathing isn’t just about exercise. Pick a friend to really talk to. Talk about WHY you overate, your fears, your hopes for your new body. BREATH and open up to someone. Seek their inspired responses. Conspire with them to make NEW plans for your new life.

The Today Show recently did several shows on life expectancy that looked specifically at men and women living past NINETY years old, who were still healthy. Dr. Thomas Perls, Director of the New England centenarian study stated clearly that part of how long we live is based solely on LIFESTYLE CHOICES. (You can see how your own choices effect your lifespan at www.eons.com.) He stated that exercise is HUGE to a healthy life and to subtract at least FIVE years due to a lack of exercise. He went on to share that the three legs of a long life are: eating healthy, staying active, being social.

So creating a supportive, spirited support team not only turns exercise into fun, friend-filled breaks in your week, it also gives you more years to spend with those friends! This encouragement can truly help you to make the lifestyle changes necessary to live the good life and turn being physically fit into something you look forward to.

The truth is that we simply cannot have healthy bodies without consistent exercise and movement. Our hearts WANT to work. Why not start by choosing your team. You will be amazed at the support, friendship and intimacy you will discover by asking those four people to help you on your new road to health and wellness.

To your inspired life! Laura Fenamore
Body Image Mastery Mentor
www.LauraFenamore.com