10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

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Try these tricks to become one of the fitness faithful.

想成為忠實的健身愛好者嗎？那就來試試以下方法吧。

Let’s face it: it’s not all that difficult to start a fitness routine. After all,most of us have done it more than once.

The trouble, of course, comes with sticking with it. All too often, our initial enthusiasm and energy wanes, we get distracted by other things going on in our lives, or we don’t think we’re seeing results quickly enough—and we throw in the towel1throw in the towel 認輸，承認失敗。.

Yet many people do manage to hang in2hang in 堅持。there, and would no sooner skip their regular workout than3would sooner do sth than sthelse 寧愿做某事（而不另一件）。their morning shower. What’s their secret?

A recent study by researcher Diane Klein, PhD, shed some light on4shed light on sth 使清楚，使了解。the subject. Long-term exercisers (who had been working out for an average of 13 years) were asked to rank what motivat-ed them to keep up with5keep up with 齊頭并進，不落后。their regimes6= regimen生活規則，養生之道。.

承認吧，開始一項健身計劃并不是太難。畢竟，我們大多數人都做過不止一次計劃了。

當然，真正的問題在于如何堅持鍛煉。通常的情況是，我們最初的熱情和精力會逐漸消退，往往被生活中的其他事情分散了注意力?；蛘哂袝r我們覺得鍛煉見效太慢，于是就此放棄了努力。

但是還是有許多人堅持下來了。和每天早起都要淋浴一樣，他們也不會略過日常鍛煉。那么他們成功的秘訣是什么呢？

研究人員黛安娜·克萊因博士最近的一項研究給出了答案。研究要求長期健身者（平均每人堅持健身長達13年）將激勵他們堅持鍛煉的因素按影響大小進行排序。

他們的回答可能會令你感到驚訝。這些健身者對強壯的胸肌和超贊的腹肌沒什么執念，心情愉悅和身體健康才是他們關注的重點。

參與研究的健身者是這樣對他們鍛煉的動力進行排序的：

1.身體健壯

2.心情愉悅

3.精力充沛

4.享受鍛煉帶來的愉悅

5.把鍛煉作為優先事項

6.提高睡眠質量

7.反應機敏

8.身心放松

9.控制體重

10.外貌

那么，對這些動因進行排序之后，怎樣才能成為一名忠實的健身愛好者呢？

WebMD網站收集了10條建議，來幫助你在生活中養成健身的好習慣。列這10條建議的時候，我們咨詢了克萊因博士，以及長期健身愛好者羅伊·史蒂文斯和他的妻子萬達，后者正在努力改變她三天打魚兩天曬網的健身日程，希望養成日常健身的好習慣。這十條建議如下：

Their answers might surprise you.The exercisers were not as concerned with powerful pecs7= pectoralmuscle 胸肌。and awesome abs8=abdominal muscle 腹肌。as they were with feeling good and being healthy.

Here’s how the study participants ranked their motivators:

1. Fitness

2. Feelings of well-being

3. Pep and energy

4. Enjoyment of the exercise

5. Making exercise a priority

6. Sleeping better

7. Feeling alert

8. Being relaxed

9美國的一家醫療健康服務網站。. Weight management

10. Appearance

So, once you have your priorities in the right place, how can you become one of the fitness faithful?

WebMD9美國的一家醫療健康服務網站。has compiled 10 tips for making fitness a habit in your life. To create the list, we sought the help of Klein, along with long-term fitness buff10buff 愛好者，行家里手。Roy Stevens and his wife, Wanda,who is transforming her hit-and-miss11hit-and-miss 時好時壞的，碰運氣的。exercise schedule into an almost-daily habit.

1. Do a variety of activities you enjoy.And remember, there’s no rule that says you have to go to a gym or buy equipment.

“We’ve shifted our perceptions from regimented12regimented 非常嚴格的，死板。exercise to physical activity,” says Klein, assistant professor of exercise, sports and leisure studies, and director of gerontology13gerontology 老年學。at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Having a variety of activities—weight lifting, walking, running, tennis,cycling, aerobics classes—will ensure that you can dosomethingregardless of14regardless of不管，不顧。the weather or time of day.

2. Commit to15commit to sb 忠于某人。another person.“The social aspect of exercise is important for me,” says Wanda Stevens, a stay-athome16stay-at-home 全職照顧家庭的。mom in Austin, Texas. “I’ll let myself off, but if I’ve agreed to walk with a friend after dinner, I won’t let them down.”

She is six weeks into an exercise program, thanks in part to her husband’s support. Roy Stevens, who works as a management consultant, has become her“in-house personal trainer.” They work out together every morning, doing a combination of aerobics, strength training, Tae Bo17跆搏集跆拳道、空手道、拳擊、自由搏擊、舞蹈韻律操為一體，是一種具有減肥、娛樂、健美、強身作用的新型有氧操。, and stretching. If he’s out of town, he gives her a wake-up call,and she takes the dog for a walk.

1.做自己喜歡的各類運動。記住，沒有要求說你必須去健身房或者買健身器械才能鍛煉。

克萊因表示：“我們已經將鍛煉的定義由嚴格的健身運動擴展到了一般性的體育活動?！彼翘锛{西大學諾克斯維爾分校從事運動、體育和休閑研究的副教授，同時也擔任該校老年學專業的系主任。

參加多種多樣的體育活動，如舉重、競走、跑步、打網球、騎自行車、有氧運動等，能夠使鍛煉不受天氣和時間的限制。

2.和別人結伴健身?！敖∩淼纳缃还δ軐ξ襾碚f是非常重要的。”萬達·史蒂文斯這樣說道。她是得克薩斯州奧斯汀市的一名全職母親?！坝袝r我會讓自己休息一下，不去鍛煉，但是如果我和朋友約好晚餐后一起散步的話，我就會說到做到，不會讓他們失望?！?/p>

萬達的健身計劃已經堅持六周了，部分要歸功于她丈夫的支持。羅伊·史蒂文斯是一名管理顧問，他是萬達的“家庭私人教練”。他們每天清晨一起鍛煉，做有氧運動、力量訓練、跆搏健身操以及拉伸。如果羅伊不在家，他就會打電話叫萬達起床，之后她就會帶著狗狗出去散步。

3.把健身作為優先事項。羅伊·史蒂文斯說：“這是必須的，沒有討價還價的余地?！?/p>

20多年前，羅伊還在空軍樂隊，從那時起他就開始健身了，當時是為了控制體重?！拔覀兯奶幯莩觯渌讼铝塑嚾コ噪u翅喝啤酒，我去跑步?！焙髞恚_了一家餐館，每周要工作70個小時，他依然保持著健身的習慣。

把健身培養成為一項不容置喙的習慣還有另一個好處。你的朋友和家人會了解到健身已經成為你生活的一部分，他們就不會再說：“要不今天就算了吧？”

4.把健身作為早起的第一件事。萬達·史蒂文斯有兩個在上幼兒園的孩子，除非她碰巧有空，否則很少有時間鍛煉。隨便一件事情都可能打亂她晚餐后散步或者上普拉提課的計劃。但是當她開始為了健身起得比孩子們早之后，這些都不是問題了。

3. Make exercise a priority.“It has to be a non-negotiable,” says Roy Stevens.

He began exercising to manage his weight when he was in the Air Force band some 20 years ago. “We’d travel,and other guys would get off the bus and go eat wings and drink beer. I’d go running.” He’s maintained the exercise habit even during his years working 70 hours a week as a restaurant owner.

There’s another advantage to making exercise non-negotiable. Friends and family members learn that it’s part of your identity, and give up saying things like, “Why don’t you take it easy18take it easy 放松，別過分勞累。today?”

4. Exercise first thing in the morning.With two preschool children,Wanda Stevens couldn’t find time to work out except on a hit-and-miss basis.Any number of things could sabotage her good intentions to walk or go to Pilatesclass after dinner. But all her excuses vanished once she started getting up before the kids so she could work out.

“I didn’t think I was a morning person,” she tells WebMD. “But it’s working for me.”

Experts agree that a morning schedule is best. “If you go to a gym, it should be located between your home and work,” says Klein. “Exercise, take a shower, and you’re energized for the day.”

5. Or, exercise on your way home from work.The next best thing to exercising first thing in the morning is to do it on your way home from work,Klein says.

“Don’t go home first,” she says. “I learned that the hard way. There aren’t a lot of people who are so motivated that after they go home and change clothes will go back out again and exercise.”

6. Exercise even when you’re “too tired.”Chances are, you’ll feel better after exercising.

“It energizes us,” says Klein. “You breathe deeply, and your body makes better use of the oxygen exchange.You’ll get an exercise-induced euphoria during the activity and for some time after.”

“我以前不是一個習慣早起的人，”她對WebMD說，“但事實證明，對我來說早起鍛煉的確是個好辦法。”

專家們也認同晨間鍛煉是最好的?？巳R因說：“如果你去健身房鍛煉，那么最好選擇一家位于家和辦公室之間的健身房。鍛煉之后洗個澡，接下來的一整天都會精神抖擻?！?/p>

5.或者在你下班回家途中健身?？巳R因認為，僅次于晨間健身的就是在下班回家途中健身。

她說：“不要先回家，我就嘗夠了教訓。沒幾個人回家之后還有動力再換衣服出去健身。”

6.再累也要健身。運動之后你很有可能會感覺好一些。

克萊因表示：“運動能使我們充滿活力。（運動時）你會深呼吸，這時你的身體就會更充分利用氧氣交換。在運動過程中和之后的一段時間，你都會感到運動帶來的愉悅心情?！?/p>

如果萬達覺得太累不想起床鍛煉，羅伊不會體恤她。他說：“她當時會生氣，但過一會兒就好了?！?/p>

If Wanda Stevens thinks she is too tired to get up and exercise, Roy shows her no sympathy. “She gets mad, but then she feels better afterwards,” he says.

7. Log your activity.Write down the things that are important to you. It could be how much time you exercise each day, how many steps you walked,how far you ran or cycled, what you weighed, etc.

Some people make a game of it. You may have heard of runners calculating the miles it would take to run from their homes to Boston (home of the famous marathon), figuring how far they run in an average week and setting a target date for “arriving” in Boston.

8. Be aware of all the indicators of progress.It’s great when your clothes fit better and you can lift heavier weights or work out longer without getting exhausted.

But there are a slew of19a slew of 許多，大量。other progress indicators, such as:

Getting a good night’s sleep.

Thinking more clearly.

Having more energy.

Realizing your muscles aren’t screaming after you’ve helped a friend move furniture.

Seeing your resting heart rate drop over time.

7.記錄你的運動。將那些對你重要的事情記錄下來?？梢允悄忝刻戾憻挾嚅L時間，走了多少步，也可以是你跑步或騎行了多遠，又或者是你的體重，等等。

有些人樂在其中。你可能聽說過，一些跑步愛好者會算出從家到波士頓的距離（波士頓是著名的馬拉松比賽地），再計算他們平均每周跑多少英里，然后根據這個定下一個“抵達”波士頓的目標日期。

8.留意一切進步的信號。衣服更合身，能舉更重的物體，鍛煉更長時間而不會感覺精疲力盡，這些都是進步的表現。

但是也還有許多其他的信號，例如：

? 睡眠質量更好

? 思維更清晰

? 精力更充沛

? 幫朋友搬家具之后，肌肉不再感到酸痛

? 發現自己的靜止心率逐漸變慢。

? 醫生向你表達祝賀，因為你的膽固醇、血壓、骨密度、甘油三酯、血糖的狀況都有所改善。

Hearing your doctor congratulate you on improved cholesterol20cholesterol 膽固醇。, blood pressure, bone density, triglycerides21triglyceride甘油三酯，脂質的組成成分，主要功能是供給與儲存能源，還可固定和保護內臟。,and blood sugars.

9. Walk—with a pedometer22pedometer 計步器，步程計。(or a dog).“If you enjoy walking and haven’t exercised for awhile, 10 minutes three times a day will give you 30 minutes,”says Klein.

Use a pedometer, and work up to at least 10,000 steps a day. “Nobody starts out with 10,000 steps,” Klein says. Find out what your daily average is, and,the next week, strive to walk 300 extra steps each day. Increase your steps each week.

“Better yet, walk the dog23walk thedog 遛狗。,” Klein says. That’s how she motivated her sister to exercise. “Twice a day she walks her dog, which is good for them both and provides companionship.”

Wanda Stevens also enjoys walking her border collie24border collie邊境科利狗（毛色黑白相間，常作牧羊犬）。and finds there’s another benefit: “It relieves the guilt I felt over not giving her enough attention now that we have kids.”

10. Reward yourself.Are you telling yourself that you don’t deserve a reward for something you should be doing anyway—or that once you can zip your jeans without lying on the bed, that will be reward enough? Well, honestly, how inspiring is that?

9.帶著計步器（或狗）散步。克萊因說：“如果你喜歡散步，但是又有一段時間沒有鍛煉了的話，可以每天運動3次，每次10分鐘，這樣加起來每天就運動了半小時?！?/p>

使用計步器計算步數，每天至少走10000步。克萊因表示：“沒有人一開始就能走到10000步?！毕人愠鲎约浩骄刻熳叨嗌俨剑较乱恢軤幦∶刻於嘧?00步，然后再逐周增加步數。

克萊因還表示：“帶著狗狗一起散步效果會更好?！彼褪沁@么鼓勵她妹妹鍛煉的?！八刻戾迌纱喂罚@對她和狗都有好處，也能讓他們彼此做個伴兒?！?/p>

萬達·史蒂文斯也喜歡和她的邊境牧羊犬一起散步，她發現這么做還有一個好處：“有了孩子之后，我們對它的關注就少了，帶狗狗一起散步能夠減輕我對它的負疚感?！?/p>

10.自我獎勵。你是否認為做自己應該做的事不應得到獎勵？又或是認為一旦不用躺在床上才能拉上牛仔褲拉鏈，就該獎勵自己？老實說，這有多激勵人心？

Experts say that making behavior changes is hard, and rewards motivate.So decide on a goal and a reward, and work toward it. You might buy yourself a video you’ve wanted after you stick to your fitness plan for one month, or buy new walking shoes when you achieve 5,000 steps a day. Do whatever works for you. ■

專家們說改變行為習慣是非常困難的，而獎勵則會鼓勵你做出改變。定好一個目標和實現目標的獎勵，然后努力去實現它。如果你能堅持健身計劃一個月的話，你可以給自己買一直念念不忘的錄像帶。當你每天可以走到5000步的時候，你就可以獎勵自己一雙健步鞋。只要是對你有用的方法，都可以試一試。 □