[Advanced] Staying on Track (1) 2014-01-01

How to stop being a sporadic exerciser

All of us have started an exercise plan before, and all of us have also fallen off an exercise plan before: Why do we yo-yo, and how do we stay on track over the long haul?

Why we fall off the exercise bandwagon
There are three main reasons people fall off the exercise bandwagon.The first is life. Unexpected things happen, schedules change,and we get knocked out of our routine. Or the realities of our schedules change so much that the old routine can't possibly work anymore. Life is often inconvenient and unpredictable.

Just remember that the busier you are and the more demands you have on your time, body and mind, the more you can't afford to neglect your fitness — you need the energy, health and peace of mind to really be there at work and at home. If you run yourself into the ground, or let yourself get stressed out and snippy with people, what good are you?

Feeling run-down
The second is injury or sickness. In terms of staying well, one of the biggest things to keep in mind is that working yourself into the ground will massively suppress your immune system. Working at 80 percent to 90 percent will get the same results as pushing to your actual limits, but when you go to your limits you are way more likely to hurt and sick.

Feeling perplexed
The third is frustration. A person isn't experiencing progress, or progress isn't happening at the desired pace. One of the big things too look out for here is your perception of your progress — we have folks who will drop two sizes, but don't really lose much weight; if they focus on the scale then they can get frustrated. However, if they focus on how good their clothes fit, then they're happy.


Vocabulary Focus
sporadic adj
/spəˈrædɪk/
happening often but not regularly : not constant or steady

over the long haul n.
a long period of time — usually used in the phrases for the long haul and over the long haul

bandwagon n.
/ˈbændˌwægən/
a popular activity, effort, cause, etc., that attracts growing support — usually singular

reality n. [plural realities]
the true situation that exists : the real situation

run (oneself) into the ground (idiom)
to make yourself very tired by working too much

snippy adj.
/ˈsnɪpi/
feeling or showing irritation;
sharp-tongued, improperly forward
snip v.
to cut (something) with scissors : to remove (something) by cutting with scissors [+ obj]

run-down adj.
in very bad condition because of age or lack of care

perplexed adj.
/pɚˈplɛkst/
unable to understand something clearly or to think clearly : confused