Even if you know the many benefits of exercise, that doesn’t always make it easy to keep up with your workout plan. If you’re having trouble staying motivated, try these seven tips to maintain your exercise motivation and make physical activity a permanent part of your diabetes management routine.
1. Take Baby Steps When Beginning an Exercise Routine
2. Choose a Physical Activity You Enjoy Doing
3. Use the Buddy System to Increase Accountability
Try doing an exercise class with a friend, whether meeting up in person or joining a live-stream class online. An exercise partner helps the time pass more quickly and takes your mind off the effort you need to exercise, says Rob Powell, PhD, CDCES, the program director of exercise science at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Pick a buddy who will hold you accountable and encourage you to show up for your session.
4. Reward Yourself With Healthy Treats for Breaking a Sweat
Celebrate milestones, such as sticking to your plan for one week, one month, two months, and so on. Try to avoid celebrating with food. Instead, use it as an opportunity to take your fitness goals to the next level. Treat yourself to an online shopping spree for new workout clothes, or sign up for an online boutique fitness class.
5. Formally Schedule Your Sweat Sessions
6. Prep for Your Workouts a Day in Advance
Lay out your clothes for your morning workout before you go to bed at night, or even sleep in them. You can also pack your gym bag so you can just grab and go when you leave in the morning. “If your gym clothes are stuck in the back of your closet, you’re less likely to reach for them,” Dr. Powell says.
7. Check Your Blood Sugar Before and After Exercise
This shows you how much exercise helps improve blood sugar management. “When you see how your body reacts to different types of exercises and the length and intensity of your workout, it can motivate you to stick with what works,” Weisenberger says. Also, be sure to keep glucose tablets or juice boxes in your gym bag or locker so that you can address an episode of low blood sugar if one occurs. And stop if you feel shaky or anxious. Be sure to talk to your doctor about proper levels related to exercise, and how to avoid low blood sugar during your workout.
Read the full article here
