How to Exercise [2011 in Review]

One of the weirdest resolutions I achieved this year was establishing a good exercise regimen. I say weird, because this particular resolution was connected to having a healthy pregnancy (which didn’t come to fruition), and even then, I was only taking it half seriously. But here we are, less than three weeks away from 2012, and I can happily say that I “exercised anyway.” I’m healthier and stronger (emotionally and physically), I have tons more energy, and I just love that I now have post baby curves along with regular exercise firm. Here’s how I did it:

1. Exercise when you have any sort of problem to crunch. My husband has gotten used to be saying over breakfast, “I was thinking about [insert thorny problem here] at the gym, and I think we should do this [insert brilliant solve here].” Whether it be a plot point or career point, when I have a problem nagging me, I’ve learned that the answers I seek can be found with 30 minutes on the elliptical. I encourage everyone to try hitting the gym with a question that needs answering.

2. Get up earlier — especially if you’re not a morning person. If you’re going to be miserable, be miserable at the gym. Not only will the gym be less crowded, but you’ll have the added benefit of ticking the hardest thing off your to do list at the beginning of the day.

3. Set your clothes out the night before and put them in the bathroom. It’s almost impossible to get up, take a piss, and then go back to bed with your exercise clothes staring you down. Also, if you share a bedroom with a still-sleeping partner, this makes it easier to get dressed and out the door without disturbance.

4. Concentrate on exercising regularly, not well. My regimen is that I exercise from 20-30 minutes five days a week. It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter what I do or how I do it as long as I put in the time. Exercise is kind of like writing, in that at the end of the day, the folks that write regularly most often turn a bigger profit than the folks that write exquisitely, but in fits of inspiration. Instead of saying, “I’m going to hit the gym and do this really intense workout program that I saw on TV,”  try just hitting the gym regularly for about three months — then you can do that really intense workout program if you’re so inclined (hint: you probably won’t be). One of the things I’ve noticed as a regular at my gym is that the biggest success stories belong to those who exercise consistently — as opposed to intensely. If I see a newbie killing herself at the gym during the first few weeks of her membership, I know that I’ll barely see her for the remainder of her membership year. The other day, I couldn’t find my wallet and I asked the clerk at the front desk to look me up. She did so without asking for my name. That’s how I knew I had really achieved my exercise goal.

5. Get rid of your scale. Measurements kill momentum. If you see that you’re not losing weight (usually because your gaining muscle), you lose motivation even if your pants are getting looser. If you see that you are losing a bunch of weight, you lose motivation because you’re thisclose to your goal weight, why keep exercising? If you incorporate exercise as a general way of life as opposed to a way to lose weight, then you’re more likely to lose a bunch more weight than if you do the reverse. My rule is that I don’t look at the scale unless I’ve skipped exercising for more than three days in a row.

6. Don’t challenge yourself. I did the eight-week Shape Bride Workout — awesome app, and totally worth the very little money if you’re looking for a good cheap one — and guess what? I lost weight and got way more sculpted without being a hero. I hate mountain climbers, so when the app asked me to do them, I did high knees instead. Still lost weight. I could probably do the strength routines with 20 pound weights, but it would really burn. I did them with 15-pounders on high-energy days and 10-pounders on low energy days — still lost weight. Sometimes I really didn’t feel like doing any exercise whatsoever, so instead of a dynamic cardio routine, I’d just climb on the elliptical for 20 minutes and call it a day. Still lost weight. Basically, when it comes to exercise, getting to the gym is way more important than challenging yourself at the gym. Save the challenges for later on when you get bored.

7. Get your playlist together and keep on updating it. Good music makes any gym routine fly by. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done an extra few minutes of cardio, just to hear certain songs all the way through. In fact, here’s my current playlist on Spotify, just in case you’re looking for inspiration. Please excuse all the stripper music. For whatever reason, music that either features verses about or is favored by pole dancers makes for just great cardio.

Got any great exercise tips? Let me know in the comments.