Getting Motivated to Move
For lots of people who have signed up to the Snooze and Stride Challenge, the choice is to chip in with a bit of exercise. Which is pretty fantastic for us and pretty fantastic for everyone who is getting their exercise.
Some people are probably keen on their exercise because they know that inactivity can lead to lots of health problems. Some people are probably keen on their exercise just because they get that exercise high. Doing something you enjoy anyway sounds like a great way to pitch in with our team.
But what about those of us who just don’t love exercise? Well, there’s still the ‘fundraise in your sleep option’. But maybe you want to take this chance to get in the exercise habit. Well some helpful people over at The Conversation have put together some evidence-based suggestions that can encourage you to get into it.
You can follow that link for the full read or get the very quick summary of things to try right here ….
Figure out ‘why?’ for you personally. Is it about your own health? Is it for your kids? What makes you want to maybe do it? This is an intrinsic motivator.
The rest of these are external motivators. These are not the rewards that come from within like that internal motivator you’ve just discovered.
Try exercising with a friend.
Reward yourself with something you only get once you’ve achieved a goal. The actual reward is up to you.
Try an activity tracker whether that’s on your phone or on your wrist.
Choose something you enjoy. It turns out it’s easier to go with something you like.
Start small and then build up. A marathon on the first day might be ambitious.
Listen to music. Probably something more upbeat than whale song.
Walk a dog. Well that’s what it suggests in the article but maybe you could try a cat. Or a rabbit. Probably not a goldfish.
Make a financial pledge that you forfeit if you don’t keep going. This one is about making * not doing it * hurt somehow.
Of course there is another external motivator you could try. You could find a worthy cause that could use your fundraising talents.
Just another random idea.