Staying Motivated To Work Out As You Age

Among the situations that can derail your motivation to exercise are the aches and pains of getting older. Use the suggestions below to stay motivated to continue to work out as you age.

After you've checked with your healthcare provider and you've been cleared to continue exercising, keep an accurate record of how frequently you're going to the gym if you're experiencing aches and pains to be sure that you're not reducing the frequency of exercise. While you may have good weeks and bad weeks in terms of how you're feeling, sticking to your exercise schedule will keep your body moving rather than waiting to feel up to it.

If you're finding it more difficult to get to the gym at your usual time of day, consider changing the time of day that you go to the gym or engage in exercise. The impact of cold weather or even the hours of seasonal daylight can strongly influence whether you feel like exercising, especially if you feel more or less stiff at a specific time of day.

Consider establishing a stricter exercise routine to make sure that you include both cardio exercises and resistance training. Cardio and resistance training and strength-building exercises are both important to obtain the benefits of exercise.

Keep more accurate tracking of what you're doing during your exercise routines to make sure you're not losing too much ground because of aches and pains. Using the machines in the gym or other measuring devices to help you determine whether your exercise quantity is going steadily down can be an important aid in providing you with exercise goals. For instance, if you're accustomed to going 12 miles on a sedentary bicycle at the level of 10 or so and suddenly you find yourself going half that distance at a lower level, try building back up to former levels in incremental steps.

Consider consulting with an exercise specialist to determine whether you can establish a routine that will work better for you and help you work around or even improve how you're feeling from specific aches and pains. For instance, an exercise expert may be able to provide you with stretches that address specific areas of your body allowing you to exercise in spite of aches and pains.

While nobody wants to rely on medication, if you're not exercising because of the aches and pains you're experiencing then it's likely your pain will worsen over time so that getting healthcare provider guidance on effective pain relief in order to exercise can be an important tool for you to stay motivated and stay moving.

Keep up with physical activity outside of the gym to support your active lifestyle even if you're experiencing aches and pains to maintain overall levels of physical activity rather than giving up on activities such as housework or gardening.

If you're experiencing the aches and pains that accompany aging, you might find that pain is negatively impacting your exercise routine. Use the suggestions above for staying motivated to exercise in spite of the discomfort that frequently accompanies aging.