Exercise - Choose your own adventure

Judging by the cover, I choose the turtleneck

One of the reasons I started writing this blog was to encourage others to join me in my effort to get better and help convince people that self improvement is within everyone's reach. In my discussions with friends and family, I've learned many people think they have to subscribe to drastic training programs to improve their health. Even worse, they think the only way to improve their fitness is to spend hours inside a gym. But there is hope for the non gym rats out there. The most athletic people I know have one thing in common, and I'll give you a clue - it's not a gym membership.

Forcing yourself to spend time somewhere you feel uncomfortable is a recipe for frustration and failure. If you're weeks into your training plan and the thought of going to your local globo-gym makes you anxious, how likely are you to meet your fitness goals? Or maybe the gym doesn't bother you, but you find yourself tethered to a treadmill and bored out your mind because someone told you it was the only way to get results. 

For most of us, simply becoming more physically active is a step in the right direction. Research has shown that incremental behavioral changes like parking your car at the back of the lot, taking the stairs at work, and going for a post-dinner stroll add up to real improvements in health and even life expectancy. Add in a few hours of activity over the weekend, like a hike (even around the outlet mall) and you're already doing more than most Americans. 

Ready to take things up a notch? Pick a physical activity or a sport that you enjoy and increase your intensity and duration. If you like walking, consider a longer route that forces you to tackle some hills. If you enjoy shooting hoops, consider joining a rec league. Competing against others is a great way to push yourself to new limits. If you strive get better at your activity of choice each week, I promise you will notice improvements in your fitness levels. It's empowering to recognize that exercise is completely scalable and can be adapted to meet your goals, abilities and preferences. You may not get the six pack in six weeks as promised by the latest infomercial, but you'll find a way to survive without it.

So what's the common trait shared by the fittest people I know? They truly enjoy exercising. Fitness is a lifelong endeavor, so save yourself some trouble and avoid an exercise regime you know you'll hate. Need suggestions on where to start? Ask in the comment section or @willdoeswork on Twitter and I'll try to help.