Consistency is Key

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

14 Aug 2006 08:30 AM

In my personal experience, the greatest success I measured in any fitness program I engaged in occurred when I did it regularly - day in and day out and only taking the days off that I designated. No matter how hard you work or how much exercise you do - if you are not consistent about it, you will not achieve the results you wish.

For example, I have heard the following far too often:

I can only work out for ten to twenty minutes a day and how is that ever going to be enough?

I'll tell you how it's enough. If you work out for fifteen minutes a day, five to six days a week, that's 75 to 90 minutes of exercise weekly. So that may not be ideal -it's so much better than nothing and you will see results in climbing personal energy levels and an increase in personal strength.

Early last year, I started a fitness program and I saw some measurable success, but it wasn't until I became extremely consistent that I started seeing the results I wanted to have. And I began at just 15 minutes a day and I gradually worked my way up to 30 minutes a day and finally 45 minutes a day.

At the height of this personal program, I was walking 90 minutes a day on my treadmill - I didn't go for speed and I didn't go for hard inclines, I went for a steady, consistent pace that would burn 450 to 500 calories a day. In three short months, I dropped four dress sizes, improved my health, felt the best about myself I had in a long time and really saw an increase in my personal level of happiness.

So what if you can only exercise 10 minutes a day or 15? The point is to do the exercise and to be consistent. Currently I am doing the Fitness Magazine You Can Do It challenge and I'm having a great time with it. It's helping me reshape and shake up my routine and I'm performing it consistently - I feel great.

How are you feeling today?

Related Articles:

Personal Value: Your Health is Everything

Balancing Our Lives

Can I Exercise After the Baby is Born?

Making Your Home into an Healthy Zone

What Does Exercise Do For You?

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.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger