Motivating Yourself to Exerciseby Margaret Barr, BSc(PT), MAYou know exercise is good for your arthritis, but maybe you havent found a way to include it in your daily routine. Or perhaps youve tried to make a habit of exercise but havent been able to keep it up. Whatever the reason for the lack of exercise in your life, you know you could get moving if you wanted to. You just havent. To get you started on the right track, heres some advice to help you begin and stick with a new habit the habit of exercise.Knowing yourself and your habitsIf you are like most people, you have your own way of doing things, probably at particular times or in a particular order. Perhaps you have coffee before you get dressed in the morning to help wake yourself up. Maybe you watch TV every evening to wind down. Habits like these can be efficient, even necessary. The problem is, they are often hard to change once they become an accepted part of your life.But life changes all the time. What this means is that, over time, some habits dont work as well as they did in the past. In fact, an old habit may have a negative effect on your present well-being. The trick is to recognize which habits should stay and which need to go so that they are in tune with who you are today.The question that naturally follows is, who are you today? Being a person with arthritis is only a small part of it, of course. In all likelihood you have long-standing family roles like mother, aunt, nephew, grandmother, or son. You may also have a work role such as teacher, dentist, or salesperson. Perhaps you volunteer. You are almost certain to be a neighbor and a friend. And its possible you belong to other communities and interest groups as well. These roles and choices give meaning to your life; they inspire, direct, or motivate you in some way.Coming to terms with arthritis may not change the roles or choices in your life, but it may change the way you think about them and live them. A change to your health is a loss, and a loss is something you grieve. The grieving process is different for each person and for each event. How you grieve depends to an extent on the ways of coping youve learned. But for most people its normal to follow some sort of wandering path of anger, denial, depression, and guilt until they come to a place where they face their challenges, take control, and find a new way of being.What does all this have to do with getting into the habit of exercise? Its helpful to know yourself especially how you deal with losses and gains and changes in your life before you take on a new challenge. Its almost certain that for you to create a new habit, youll have to let something go. It could be an activity or an attitude or a small part of the person you believe you are. But to grow new flowers, youll have to weed out the old stems. Youll need to examine your old habits and find where you can make a change. Getting readyGetting yourself ready to take on something new can be quite a process. Experts describe people as moving through stages of readiness. In the first stage you think thats not for me. Then you progress from maybe thats for me to Im going to do it one day and Im going to try it now until you finally hit on it works for me. (For more on these stages, see Stages of Readiness.) You can go forward or backward on the readiness path. You may realize a change is needed, gather information about it, consider the pros and cons, but still not be quite ready to act on your knowledge and good intentions. Perhaps meeting a special person will make you ready for change, or coming across old high school pictures of yourself on the basketball team. Or a sudden life-changing event, such as being diagnosed with arthritis, may spur you to action, although most often it isnt enough to keep you on a new track over the long term. Getting started, you see, is just the beginning. To make exercise a regular habit youll need not only to be motivated in the short term but also to find ways to stay motivated over the weeks and months ahead until exercise becomes an essential part of your way of life. Motivation strategiesMotivation comes from within us. Sure, we can be ordered, persuaded, or even inspired to exercise, but when it comes time to act, the ball is firmly in our own court. Go back to the stages of readiness. If you are at the thats not for me stage, try to understand why you are there. What would need to happen for you to consider an alternative approach? If youre saying to yourself maybe thats for me or Im going to do it one day, think about what brought you to this point and what you might do next. How will you know when the time is right to get started? What will your next steps be? If you have been thinking about exercise for a while and are almost ready to say, Im going to try it now, you may find something in the strategies described below to help you move toward your goal. Write down why you want to begin exercising. It can help you get started if you believe exercise will have a positive effect on your arthritis and your life. If youre not sure about exercising, what do you need to know? What will you have to give up to get started? Whats scary about the whole idea? Research tells us exercise is the way to go for almost everyone. For a person with arthritis, improved mobility, daily function, and self-esteem along with reduced pain are potential benefits. Thats good information, but as we know, information alone is usually not enough to get most of us into an active exercise mode. You can also learn about exercises benefits at the Arthritis Foundations Web site or by contacting a local Arthritis Foundation chapter. Find out if the Arthritis Foundation has an exercise program in your neighborhood. You might go along and give it a try. Youll find walking, water exercise, and tai chi are popular activities. Also, seeing and chatting with other people who have arthritis may get you thinking a bit more about your own exercise needs. Participants in the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program told interviewers that they experience considerable social support from exercising in a group with others who have arthritis. That may be true for you, too.Note the reasons why you might sabotage yourself. Everyone has excuses for not exercising. Some excuses are justified, but others are just negative thinking. Turn the negatives into positives. Here are some common excuses and (in parentheses) some positive ways to counter the negative thinking behind them: I dont have time. (Ill walk the six blocks home from work.) The weather is bad. (Ill ride my stationary bike today.) I have to look after my family. (Ill do that video while the baby naps.) I hate exercise. (Ill feel great when Im done.) It hurts. (Ill move better if I do a little bit every day at my own pace.) I cant afford it. (I can park the car and walk more.) I cant get to the gym. (I can find a ride.) I dont feel like exercising. (Ill try a light workout for 10 minutes and see how I feel.) Im bored with the gym. (Ill sign up for aquatic exercise this time.)Look for the possibilities and everything becomes possible. Put your know yourself knowledge into action to help you over the hurdles. You can find time in your day for exercise, there is a way to get to a class, and you do have a friend who will walk with you. Write down how you will feel when you accomplish your first goal. You might make a contract with yourself, with a special treat as a reward when you complete it. Choose the right kind of exercise for you. Yes, youll have doubts as you go along. Yes, youll need commitment and persistent motivation especially when you reach the it works for me stage. So choose activities you like or an activity youve always wanted to try, and be open to having a go at new ones. Variety is the spice of life. Walk to work on a different route, explore the neighborhood. Grow some flowers, ride a bike, join a dance class. If youre not enjoying the exercise youve chosen, you can always change it. Note, however, that if you arent currently active, or if youre not sure exercise is right for you, youll need to check with your physician before you begin exercising. Set yourself a reasonable goal. If you dont want to burn out quickly, make sure your goal is reasonable. Better yet, set yourself three different reasonable goals. Decide how often and for how long youll exercise (a behavioral goal), the result youre aiming for and when youll reach it (an outcome goal), and how it will improve one of your day-to-day functions (a functional goal). For example, these could be your goals if you join an exercise class: Ill attend a 45-minute class twice a week. Ill be able to do 8 repetitions of each exercise by the end of eight weeks. Ill be able to climb the stairs without getting short of breath by the end of eight weeks. Before you go to the first class, decide on small rewards for reaching milestones along the way. You might ask a friend to treat you to a coffee at the end of week two, or you might take yourself out for lunch when you are able to do 4 repetitions of each exercise. At the end of week eight you could show off your new fitness level by meeting friends in the mall and walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Make a commitment to your plan by writing your exercise sessions on a calendar. Then write down how you will deal with potential problems and those niggling negative thoughts that might come up as the weeks go by. Keep a journal handy, or line up a friend to get you through a tough day. Say how you feel and what you did. I felt strong today. I added two more exercises to my routine. I was tired today. I slowed down my pace and did fewer repetitions. My joints were less stiff after doing my exercises. I walked around the park. Youre aiming for your goal, but the route there is flexible. In the above example, if you find at week four that you have not mastered all the exercises, review your endpoint. Is it still reasonable or will you need to adjust the time frame? Alternatively, if you are able to do 5 repetitions of each exercise by the end of week two, you will need to move your goal forward and decide if you need to set yourself another goal. Its important to the final outcome that you feel challenged, but not so challenged that you are overwhelmed. Helping yourselfA famous quote from the German writer Goethe says, Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. The following are some more strategies to keep you motivated. Imagine yourself as an active person walking on the beach, riding your bike to the store, flying a kite, or performing the flowing, meditative movements of tai chi. Your joints are limber, you have energy, and you feel good about yourself. When the going gets tough, hold on to this image and the belief you can reach your goal. Tell your family and friends what you are doing and ask for their support. Be specific about what you need. For example, you could say, I need you to call me every Friday so I can tell you about the number of minutes of exercise Ive done this week and what my plan is for next week. Believe you can do it even if you have doubts. Keep taking that next step. Make exercise work for you. Include variety in your routines change your workout location, sign up for a group class, or buy a new piece of workout gear. Mix it up walk, swim, cycle, hike, or paddle. Be happy with your choices and have fun! Go at the pace thats right for you. Find the level of activity that challenges you but that you can perform comfortably and safely. Feeling comfortable and safe with your exercise is going to keep you coming back. Set yourself up for success! If you miss an exercise session, plan the next session. Dont give up and dont beat yourself up. Focus on what you achieve. Be aware of negative thoughts. Be gentle and patient with yourself. With practice you can learn to replace negatives with positives. Write down what you do well instead of what you forget to do or dont do. Are you ready? Know yourself. Believe. Persist. You can do it.Last Reviewed on June 6, 2010Margaret Barr is an exercise consultant and freelance writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Statements and opinions expressed on this Web site are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the publishers or advertisers. The information provided on this Web site should not be construed as medical instruction. Consult appropriate health-care professionals before taking action based on this information. Copyright 2010 R.A. Rapaport Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.