FEELING GREAT: Being active can be just as good for you as keeping fit

And now, let me start by telling you why I don’t like encouraging people to exercise!

Confused? Well it’s because one of the problems that many people face when trying to get healthier is that they think they have to do an exercise programme of some sort. In reality, that’s not strictly true.

Exercising can be tough – and even tougher to sustain – and if you’re thinking exercise involves keeping fit, then the problem lies in the reality that you’ve got to keep at it.

For some people, that’s a big enough obstacle to even starting in the first place, and a reason why so many people look and feel unhealthy.

They don’t do much keeping fit, because they know they’re unlikely to be able sustain it, so wonder what’s the point in starting? Have you ever felt like that? I know many people have. And the answer? Well, all you have to do is to forget about keeping fit altogether. That’s right, forget it! Because it’s not the only way to feel healthier.

Instead, here’s what I want you to do: just focus on being active.

Same thing, you say? Not quite.

It’s a shift in the way you think and how you see the task, and it will make it more likely that you’ll sustain it for longer.

All the health benefits you need, the ones that are going to keep joints supple and your heart and lungs in better shape, are often just the same as keeping active as they are in keeping fit.

The only difference is that being active is easier to sustain. Besides keeping active can be really fun, which means you’re much more likely to maintain it.

Let me tell you something that most people don’t know about why they can’t maintain a healthy level of activity in their life: the way you feel about being active or exercising before you go and do it is never the same as when you’re actually doing it, or when you’ve finished it.

A big mistake is to wait until that moment when you feel a bit more like actually getting up and going to do something like a walk, jog or bike ride. Why is it a mistake? Because as you’ll have noticed that feeling which makes you want to get up and go rarely comes.