Most of the women I work with struggle with exercising. They feel like they have so much on their plate, they’re always on the run and there is always something more important to do than exercise. Yet, they keep bringing up creating a healthy life style as one of their main goals.

When I ask what stops them from living a healthy balanced life they say:

• I don’t have the time
• I’ve got to do so much stuff
• I plan to do it but than something comes up
• I run in and out and I’m always on the go
• By the end of the day I have no energy and in the morning I have to work

The next question I usually ask them is what toll not exercising has on their lives.

They are very clear about that: feeling guilty for not taking care of themselves, neglecting their health, no outlet for stress, having no energy and having extra weight.

So how do you break the cycle? How do you stop beating yourself up and start excercising, like you did when you were younger and life was less demanding?

Commit to an achievable, measurable goal and get very clear about your motivation

Let’s check this out:

Achievable goal ? start with a small easy goal, one that’s realistic for you. Maybe ideally you want to exercise 5 times a week. Start with twice on the first week. Maybe you want to run 5 miles every day. Start with half a mile twice a week.

Measurable goal ? How many times a week? How long? What time will you start and what time will you end? How would you measure your success? It’s not enough to say ?I want to get in shape!? You have to be able to easily answer all those questions and then, you’ve got to write it in your calendar. Monday from 8:00 ? 8:45 am: exercise. Clear and measurable. No flexibility, no doubt.

Your motivation ? this is a very important yet often overlooked step! If you don’t understand why you’re doing it, it?lll be hard for you to stay motivated. I asked one of my clients this week how would she feel if she was able to exercise like she wants to. She said: ?I will feel energized, stress-free, happier, healthier and peaceful.? She had to get in touch with the benefit in order to get motivated to do it.

Your commitment ? Commitment, in this case, means a few different actions:

You write it down in your calendar

You commit to yourself and to your coach (or to your friend) so they will hold you accountable. No excuses!

You create an affirmation, to remind you of your motivation. You retrain your brain by practicing the affirmation every day. For example:

Exercising makes me happy, healthy, energized and peaceful.

So every time you hear the voice in your head telling you: ?don’t go. You have too much going on.? Remind yourself:? Exercising makes me happy, healthy, energized and peaceful.

And remember: start with an easy goal. Small step. Your small success will create more success in the future.