boost the odds that you’ll stick with your new program. We discuss several of
these topics in detail throughout the book, but we want you to keep them in
mind from the start.
Expect to feel uncomfortable at first ................................................
Exercise doesn’t need to be painful, but if you’ve neglected your body, don’t
expect a free ride. Despite what you hear on infomercials — “just five minutes
a day, and you can do this on the couch while watching TV!” — exercise is a
serious commitment. You can’t get into shape without exerting some real
effort and, perhaps, without experiencing some (but not a lot of) discomfort.
Pace yourself ........................................................................................
Don’t buy every exercise video on the market or try every weight machine in
the gym the first day. You’ll kill your enthusiasm and flame out fast. Always
keep yourself hungry for more.
Work out with friends or join a club .................................................
An exercise buddy can push you to new heights — or get your butt outside
for a walk on the days when you’d rather stay home and watch reruns of
Bewitched.If you make a date to meet a friend at the gym, you’re a lot more
likely to show up than if you make a date with yourself.
Take the initiative to find workout buddies by joining an exercise class at
your community center or YMCA, a Sierra Club hike, a local running group,
or a charity event or race that has a training program.
Mix it up ................................................................................................
One common complaint about exercise is that it’s boring. But if you change
your workouts every couple of months, or even every time you exercise, that
excuse pretty much flies out the window. This book is filled with ideas for
varying your workouts — experimenting with different weight-training equip-
ment, trying new stretches, and changing the intensity of your cardiovascular
program, doing full-body or body-part workouts, training energy systems,
varying reps, sets, times, intensity techniques, and so on.
Chapter 3: Establishing Your Plan of Attack 41