experiencelifemag.com Print › | Back › Jumpstart Your Motivation By Gina DeMillo Wagner October 2009 The bad news: If your head’s not ready to work out, your body won’t be either. The good news: The warm-up is a great way to mentally prepare for exercise. It hones your focus, builds confidence and gets the feel-good endorphins flowing, notes Chris Eschbach, PhD, an exercise physiologist and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. “From a psychological standpoint, it gets your head in the game.” Here are a few tips for getting motivated to move. Tell yourself that you only have to do the warm-up and can skip the workout if you still don’t feel like exercising. Usually, by the time the warm-up is complete, you’ll be ready to keep going. If not? Don’t worry, since your body benefits from the warm-up alone. Use your warm-up time as an opportunity to visualize your workout and set some goals for the day or week. Let go of stress. As you begin to move your body, imagine that you’re shaking off the stress of the day. Tension hides in tight muscles and joints, and warming up is a great release. Keep water or a sports drink close by during your warm-up. It will help you stay hydrated throughout your workout, and a sip of cool water can be invigorating when you need a boost. For more on staying motivated, see “Ready, Set, Go! ” in the November 2006 archives.

Jumpstart Your Motivation

The bad news: If your head’s not ready to work out, your body won’t be either. The good news: The warm-up is a great way to mentally prepare for exercise. It hones your focus, builds confidence and gets the feel-good endorphins flowing, notes Chris Eschbach, PhD, an exercise physiologist and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. “From a psychological standpoint, it gets your head in the game.” Here are a few tips for getting motivated to move.

• Tell yourself that you only have to do the warm-up and can skip the workout if you still don’t feel like exercising. Usually, by the time the warm-up is complete, you’ll be ready to keep going. If not? Don’t worry, since your body benefits from the warm-up alone.
• Use your warm-up time as an opportunity to visualize your workout and set some goals for the day or week.
• Let go of stress. As you begin to move your body, imagine that you’re shaking off the stress of the day. Tension hides in tight muscles and joints, and warming up is a great release.
• Keep water or a sports drink close by during your warm-up. It will help you stay hydrated throughout your workout, and a sip of cool water can be invigorating when you need a boost.

For more on staying motivated, see “Ready, Set, Go! ” in the November 2006 archives.

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