You are going to work today. Really.  You walk over to your treadmill and unload it.  You hang up all the  clothes and move the pile of papers to another place.  By now you have used up most of your exercise time and the phone is ringing, so you decide to start your exercise routine tomorrow.

The next day you actually start but spend the first five minutes wondering how long you have to do it. You decide that ten minutes is enough.  You stop at seven minutes.

Sound familiar?  I think most of us have that experience.  We buy equipment, use it enthusiastically for a day or two — then life gets in the way and our workout machines become expensive clothes racks.  An honest salesman once told me that the type of treadmills most companies sell have a very low-performing motor, because no one uses them long enough to make the poor performance noticeable.

Are you doomed to failure?  No, you just need to use part two of our “Plan to Win” program.

Plan out exactly what your exercise routine will be — ahead of time. 

Here’s how:

Make it reasonable.    The trouble with overly ambitious plans is that you can’t keep them up.  You will be sore the next day and even more sore the day after. It’s a fact. People won’t do painful things for the long haul.  So make a plan that is doable for you.  That’s why the step program is a winner for life.  Start where you are and add to your average step total each week.  You may not be able to go to the gym every day, but you can take steps.   Dig out your pedometer from the junk drawer and put it on.  How many steps are you going to take each day this week?  Write it down.

Make it enjoyable.  Look for active things you enjoy and set a time to do it.  Why not make a date to go bowling?  Decide on some time to work in your garden or flower bed.   Arrange to go for a walk with a friend. If you schedule some fun, active things into your week, it will happen.  If you have a vague idea that you will exercise this week — it probably won’t.

Make it fit your schedule.  If you have only an hour to get ready for work in the morning, the chances of an early morning workout are slim.  (And that’s probably the only thing that is slim!)  Write out your daily schedule. Where will some exercise fit?  Do you need to get up earlier?  Work out at lunch?  Add exercises to your daily routine. (More on that in a series coming up soon.)  How much time will spend exercising? Figure it out ahead of time and prepare for it — and you can do it.

Plan for interruptions.  The phone always rings when I start to workout.  There are two options here. Either let the caller leave a message, or talk through your workout.  I have had many a pleasant chat while I am busy adding steps to my daily total.  I can also talk easily on my whole body vibration machine.  Some things, though, require concentration.  Plan on how you will handle the unexpected.  Young moms may want to set out cups of water, take toddlers to the bathroom, and settle the kids with puzzles or blocks so that those most common interruptions can be avoided.

The biggest factor in success for your workout is to plan what you will do, when you will do it, and how you will handle the distractions.  Then do it!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown