Dr. Joseph Mercola, a well-known health advocate, has an interesting take on exercise. He believes that it should be prescribed, like any other medication, in daily doses. “The simple act of writing out a prescription for exercise is an excellent approach to being proactive in regard to your health. It's also far more logical, inexpensive and actually radically reduces your risk of most every chronic disease known to man. A daily exercise routine is one of the main factors in achieving optimal wellness.” Whether you think about it or not, each day you are faced with the option to get your daily dose of exercise or not. Will you find the time to hit the gym today, or will the busyness of the day leave you exhausted on the couch? Quite frankly, you don’t have reasons to not do it—you only have excuses. If you are like most then exercise isn’t at the top of your list of favorite things. You’d rather be immersed in a bowl of ice cream, enjoying their favorite TV show or dining out with friends instead of sweating in the gym. But the fact is that your favorite things add inches to your waist, and you know that a larger waist equals an increase in health problems, not to mention an overall decrease in your quality of life. It’s time to get serious about exercise. Step 1: Change your attitude toward exercise. If you go into it with a bad attitude, chances are you won’t enjoy it. It’s time to accept the fact that you can enjoy exercise. Consider the following:
Have you written off exercise based on a particular type of routine – maybe you would enjoy something different. The truth is that no one can deny how great it feels to accomplish a challenging workout. It’s rewarding, invigorating and feels great. You simply need to find the right form of exercise for you.
Try to pinpoint the main reason that you dislike exercise. Is it the uncomfortable workout clothes that you own? Maybe it is time for a new style. Is it trying to decide what machine to use at the gym? Maybe it is time for a personal trainer (more on that later). Is it the pain that you feel in your shoulder when swimming? Maybe it is time to find a new form of cardiovascular exercise—one that won’t aggravate your injury.
See, the truth of the matter is that there are many different forms of exercises that will give you the results that you want. Don’t like the gym? There’s a program for you. Don’t like running? There is an alternative. Don’t have the time? There are time friendly exercise routines that will give you incredible results in just 20-30 minutes. Like I said, when it comes to exercise you have tons of options. But it all starts with ditching the excuses and asking a qualified fitness expert like me for the right program for you. Is it really that easy? Yes. Exercise is your new prescription medication -- don’t forget to take your daily dose!