Ask people why they don't exercise, and you'll likely hear a common excuse: "I just don't have the time." The numbers, however, don't lie: There are 168 hours in a week, about 25 of which are spent in front of the television. If exercise were truly rewarding and fun, we'd find the time -- just three hours -- to do it each week.
There are a variety of ways you can bring more enjoyment to your workouts and get better results from them.
Experience the Flow During long training sessions and competitions, great athletes focus on the process, rather than the destination. They become immersed in each moment and, in doing so, achieve remarkable results.
This is called "flow" during a workout, an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a professor and former chairman of the Department of Psychology at The University of Chicago, explains in his book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" (HarperCollins, 1991).
Flow, he says, is an optimal psychological state characterized by intense absorption, a clear sense of goals and a feeling of letting go. Scientists have shown that in this state the brain produces alpha waves, which are associated with relaxation and intense concentration. It is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have.
If you can learn to shift the focus during exercise to present-moment awareness by paying attention to your breathing and to the sensations of working out -- the water rushing past your body while swimming or the cool, fragrant spring air while walking -- you will feel a very strong connection with your body and enjoy your workouts more. This in turn can lead to remarkable long-term results.
Appreciate Where You Are Right Now We are a goal-oriented culture. Speed and results are rewarded with money and adulation. Because of that, we're doggedly striving -- always looking around the corner to our next achievement. That relentless work ethic, combined with the physical standards placed on us by the media, precludes many of us from feeling satisfied with our bodies. We think: "When I'm just 10 pounds lighter, then I'll be happy with my body." Such thinking keeps you negatively focused (on burning calories) rather than on positively focused on the simple pleasures of physical activity.
To enjoy exercise more fully, you must accept your body as it is this very moment. That doesn't mean you should become ambivalent toward exercise, but rather strive to live a healthy, balanced life, while enjoying the here and now. Because the reality is, physical movement is a pure blessing. If you knew that tomorrow morning you were going to be paralyzed from the waist down, how would you spend the remainder of your day? Likely with a heartfelt gratitude for every single movement you can make.
Exercising with more passion begins with opening yourself up to the joy of physical movement. I work out an average of three times per day. Every time I begin an exercise session I think of one of my heroes, Christopher Reeve. I picture myself not being able to move a muscle in my body and I try to imagine what that must feel like. Then, and only then, do I begin running. Any frustrations give way to a profound sense appreciation. That sets me up for successful workouts every time. For me, exercise is not a requirement; it's a privilege.
If the events of Sept. 11 taught us anything, it's that life can take an unimaginable turn in seconds. Today more people are "living for today" and turning to the things that matter most -- love, family, health, quality of life.
Exercising with more passion will boost your health and fitness while providing you with a tangible pause each day to appreciate the here and now.
Eric Harr is a professional triathlete, television host and author of "The Portable Personal Trainer: 100 Tips to Energize Your Workouts and Bring out the Athlete in You" (Broadway, 2001).
