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04 Feb 2007 01:35 PM

Be Your Own Yoda: How to Keep Yourself Going

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Star Wars is one of my favorite series of films. In fact, the original Star Wars movie, released in 1977, was one of the first movies I ever saw in a movie theater. In the second movie of that series, Luke is tutored by Yoda in the ways of being a Jedi Knight and during the course of the grueling physical and mental training, he tells look: do or do not, there is no try.

Do or Do Not; There is No Try

So how can you become your own Yoda? It's not necessarily about having the motivational tapes or having a drill sergeant yell at you or even a personal trainer providing you with your motivation. It's about being able to motivate yourself and to recognize that you aren't trying to get to a point where you workout, you do workout. You don't try to walk a half-mile everyday, you do walk a half-mile every day.

But there are other ways to become your own Yoda, you just need to provide yourself with the right motivation. For example:

• Don't start jogging if you loathe running, trust me; that just sets yourself up for failure. You want to do things that you like, so if one of your favorite activities is shopping - go to a favorite mall and power walk from store to store
• Be aware of your medical condition because if you have a difficult problem like asthma or chronic illness, you need to talk to your doctor and get evaluated as well as listen to them for tips on how to deal with it - I know one person with tremendously bad allergies who works out outside as often as they can, but during the height of allergy season, they take themselves inside
• Go for comfortable clothes, clothes that are weather appropriate and worry less about looking good than you do about feeling comfortable in what you are doing
• Make your exercise convenient, there's nothing worse than having to really drop everything you are doing, go far out of your way and in order to do something you don't want to do - can you see the problem here?
• Music is a powerful motivator, use it - listen to music that inspires you, gets your blood moving and encourages you to keep going apace. One woman I know listens to gospel music every morning on her 45 minute commute; she hates traffic and being up early, but the gospel has a way of getting her heart beat up and her blood thrumming, by the time she get to work, she's in a great mood
• Find people who can support you, whether it's your spouse picking up some slack to help you make time or a fitness partner to join you or an exercise class to keep you on track with a great instructor or personal trainer - we all need different kinds of support, figure out what kind you need and go for it
• Don't bite off more than you can chew, setting yourself an impossible goal; when you do this, you create a situation where you will be unhappy, unsuccessful and ultimately sabotaged
• Take your time, I'd rather you spent five minutes really enjoying your workout than 30 minutes hating it - because that five minutes can be built into ten and that ten into twenty and that twenty into forty
• Give yourself rewards - whether it's a meal out, a movie, a musical or a new dress or shirt, find a way to reward yourself for the milestones you achieve

This is how you start the path to doing and not trying. Are you your own Yoda?

Related Articles:

Why Aren't You Exercising?

Who is Your Hero?

Friday Fitness: The Psychological Benefits of Exercise

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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