2. Think about any movement that was once fun and had nothing to do with formalized exercise or sports. Did you enjoy riding your bike as a kid? Running as fast as you can? Dancing? Swimming? Exploring new places while walking? This will help you to devise an activity that you connect to as being enjoyable and not emotionally painful.
3. Avoid starting an exercise program because you have to. Internalize your reasons for activity so that you want to do it because you enjoy it. We often become resistant to anything we have to do in life. We look forward to things we want to do. 4. If you have a child who is overweight, you can help them now. Introduce enjoyable movement without formalized sports or exercise programs. Go for walks, hike, ride bikes, canoeing, skiing…make it fun activities with no emphasis on burning calories or exercise. Putting the focus on weight loss and calorie burning is a sure fire way to make a child become resistant. Focus on movement as fun.
5. For children who struggle with team sports, get them involved in some solo activities that they can excel at such as bike riding, skiing, rock climbing, or even hiking. They will get positive reinforcement around these activities that will help them build their confidence with team sports. Exercise Resistance Tips
Don’t enjoy exercise? Use these tips to help you overcome exercise resistance.
- Explore your personal history around exercise and identify the areas where you have negative emotions around exercise. Were you picked last to play on the sports teams? Were you teased for not being coordinated? Did you attempt to follow exercise routines you didn't enjoy to lose weight?
- Now, think back to any movement that has been enjoyable for you. Going on hikes, bike rides, dancing? What types of activity bring you a pleasant emotional state?
- Make a list of these enjoyable activities and try them out focusing on the shear enjoyment of it and really connecting to how it makes you feel.
- Deny yourself any exercise at all (not even walking) for 2 weeks. Often times when we deny ourselves we have a shift where we begin wondering when we can incorporate this movement again. We literally miss the activity which helps change the negative feelings around it.
- Try new activities that sound fun. If you enjoy walking or exploring try a non-strenuous hike. If you enjoy dancing, take a dance class or turn up your favorite music and dance in your living room with your kids--they'll love it!
- Think outside the box. When I was young, I didn't excel at sports, but one thing I always looked forward to was playing kick ball. I was discussing this with a friend one day and he said, "Let's start a kick ball team!" We did, and it was so enjoyable to get together with friends and enjoy this type of movement. What things can you think of that apply movement in a non traditional way for the pure fun of it?
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Flag as inappropriate Posted by on 25th August 2007