Part of having A Splendid Life means taking care of ourselves, respecting our bodies, and giving them what they need. A big part of that is nutrition of course, but just as important is exercise. We don’t move around like we are meant to because now days we spend most of our time behind a computer.

Most of us start out exercising with great intentions, but how many of us keep it up for six months, a year, or more? At my gym, January is a zoo. There are no machines available and the parking lot is completely full. I always laugh because I know that come mid-February, everything will be back to normal. All the regulars will be there and there will be plenty of available parking spaces.

Often I think the problem with creating a sustainable exercise routine is that the original goal that we have in mind is either short-term (I have to look like Heidi Klum in 12 weeks!), or because instead of starting out slow, we start out like we’re professional athletes and we either get injured, or we just can’t sustain that level of intensity becuase our bodies aren’t adjusted to it. You should never do anything that makes exercising feel like a chore. That just equates to burn-out. At first you’ll only miss a day here and there; Eventually though, you start to look back and wonder just how long its been since you went to the gym. There’s no point in trying to get into an exercise routine if its so intense, (or makes you so miserable) that you can only take it for about a month.

What we should be thinking about is more long-term goals. Forget that you need to lose 15 lbs and instead think about how you want to be able to run 5 miles without effort when you turn 40 (I promise you those 15 lbs will come off all on their own if you’re working towards a healthy goal like that). Or think about how much you enjoy doing something and remind yourself that if you stay in shape you can continue to enjoy the things you love.

My first piece of advice when starting a new exercise routine is to figure out what it is that you could see yourself doing long term to stay fit. If you hate running, but you start a running routing because its efficient (as I once did), it will only be a matter of time before you remind yourself how much you hate it and just stop. If you enjoy swimming, invest in some good swimming gear, forget the gym and instead join a rec center or local pool. If you love to rock climb, put your time and energy into that. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to stick with just one thing; I just think too many people go to the gym to work out and end up doing the same thing everyday and its not even something they like!

My second piece of advice is to consider that low to moderate activity that is regular and consistent is a million times better than super-intense activity that kicks your ass and because of that you don’t do it on a regular, long-term basis. As an example, I ran for a about a year. I hated every mile. It’s just not for me, but I did it because I just wanted something efficient so I could “get it over with”. Well, after about a year of that I just quit. And it took a while before I could get back into a routine doing something else. Now, I walk a lot. I am an avid hiker, so walking during the week at open space parks is the best fit for me because I know I will enjoy it and feel good when I’m done. It doesn’t feel like I’m wasting time, and it’s never something I can’t wait to “be over”. Walking my dogs at the park for an hour doesn’t get my heart racing like running did, but its still good exercise. Besides, when I go hiking or rock climbing (or whatever) on the weekends, I get my heart going. So, find something you like. If you like to dance, take a dance class instead of whatever goofy cardio class your gym offers.

My last piece of advice would be to expose yourself once in a while to something new. Maybe once every couple months you go to a new class, maybe kickboxing or yoga. Just to try it, because you never know when you’re going to find something new that you love that is equally good for your body. Then you might end up with not one steady exercise plan in your life, but two that you use to mix it up a bit. The body thrives under new activities. It uses muscles in new, unfamiliar ways and that helps your overall fitness and strength.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you HAVE to do this level of cardio, or that you HAVE to lift weights regularly. While I agree exercising your heart and strengthening your muscles are both very important to overall fitness, it doesn’t do you any good if you hate to do them and so you do nothing at all. Do what you love, because any level of regular activity is better than bailing out on the “cool workout plan” because it makes you miserable.

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