Recently
How to Get Immediate Effects From Your Exercise
Notice we didn’t call this post “How to see immediate effects from your exercise”, because you can’t really do that.
In the comments following our first article on Procrastination and Fitness, Nadia very helpfully pointed out that “So many people are motivated by appearance, that they forget the other IMMEDIATE effects of exercise.”
Getting Over Appearance
It’s no secret that appearance is fundamental to finding further motivation to keep exercising.
We know this more than anybody — there’s a reason we post videos of Zuzana’s workouts, of course. It’s not just that videos are easier to follow at home (though they are), it’s also that seeing her results, and seeing how strong her body is are great, amazing motivators.
We’ve talked about the power of metrics before, and there’s nothing like a good set of before and after photos to keep you motivated. They’re amazing.
But appearance can’t be everything.
Why We Need to Focus on Other Stuff, Too
The main problem is simply time — it normally takes a couple of months before you start to see real results from your exercise. You might lose some weight, you might see some muscles develop — but on average, you really need to give yourself sixty days before you take a long, hard look in the mirror (and if you can go further than that, more power to you).
That’s why, even though appearance is an amazing motivator, it’s not the motivator you want to be constantly drawing from when first starting out. As Nadia (in the comments) said, there are other, immediate effects of exercise, and those are the ones you need to grab onto in the early going:
- psychological benefits like stress/anxiety reduction
- better moods and self-esteem
- just feeling happier
- getting more stuff done on that post-workout high
Saving the Appearance Stuff For Later
It’s too bad that the best motivation — your appearance — is the hardest to quantify and use. But that’s always the way it is, right? If it weren’t hard to do, and hard to begin, everyone would be fit, and healthy, and there’d be no need for diet books, exercise videos, or sites like ours.
But we all know it’s not an easy road.
One way to make the appearance ‘motivator’ an even more useful thing in the future is to take a photo of yourself on Day 1, and then not refer to that photo, and not go stare at yourself in the mirror post-workout, and not obsess over how your body is changing — for a full 60 days. It’s tough to get the discipline to do that, but if you can? You’re in for a big reward when you hit that 60-day mark.
Over To You…
Have any of you successfully pushed out the ‘appearance’ factor when first getting started? How have you managed to not focus entirely on how you look for those first 30, 60, or 90 days, even if changing your appearance is a primary reason for getting fit? Tell us about your strategies!
-
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-UnioN/345055365073 Cris Far
-
miranda
-
Alex
-
E.E.
-
Michal
-
Mannan
-
Tania
-
GIo
-
Ryon from So. Cal.
-
Lori
-
Patrycja
-
Marinaki
-
Lestat
-
Mirela
-
MikeK
-
http://www.myspace.com/lordsofhera999 Carla
-
Susie
-
Laura
-
Agata
-
http://technocracytechnate.ning.com Andre
-
mia
-
susan
-
Sarah
-
Joe
-
Rainbow
-
cs2010
-
Stephanie
-
Mariepouliche
-
Samantha
-
http://madbaldscotsman.com Rick Elliott
-
Anthony
-
Anuta
-
Anuta
-
Sarah S
-
Victoria
-
Lindsey
-
Lindsey
-
Paul S.
-
Carolyn
-
Serica
-
YLJ
-
YLJ
-
Anita
-
kristyna CZ
-
Ramona
-
http://elainehall@cytanet.com.cy elaine
-
Sherry
-
Madeleine
-
KRISTINA
-
Monique from the NL
-
Rv
-
Dagmar
-
Toni
-
http://www.facebook.com/carlanunesdacosta?ref=profile Carla
-
Diana
-
Zealot
-
Jenna
-
loreily arias
-
Scott
-
Kathryn
-
Gabriela E.
-
mag
-
g
-
http://www.myspace.com/rikakir Rika
-
DGuy
-
Mickela
-
Alex
-
d
-
Morgan
-
Lvette
-
Dee
-
Ali
-
LAURA LYNCH
-
Essi
-
Michael
-
Daniela(svunk)
-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41740772@N06/?saved=1 Chris L
-
Angelina&Ahmed
-
http://n/a Jodie
-
http://n/a Jodie
-
http://www.janetspreiter.com Janet
-
Santiea
-
michelle_mlbm
-
Just a Guest
-
http://www.teamextremefitness.com Gary
-
Sarah
-
Frederick
-
Frederick
-
Frederick
-
Vicky
-
http://www.facebook.com/#!/carlanunesdacosta?ref=profile Carla
-
Jen
-
Awsma$$nic
-
Alecia
-
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/roxter?ref=profile Sheila
-
Levi
-
Victoria
-
Diana
-
Gina
-
Sofia
-
Yaya
-
Paul
-
http://2lola.over-blog.com/ zorobabel
-
ashley97
-
Tanya
-
Natram
-
Michelle
-
Hal
-
Ese
-
Mickela
-
EB
-
Courtney
-
Mandy
-
Maryam
-
Frederick
-
TroyN
-
http://bodyrock.tv haleigh
-
Elena Ioan
-
George
-
Kimberly
-
Ivory
-
Cher
-
tiffany
-
Kendra
-
Nicole
-
Banzai Joe
-
Filip
-
matt
-
Frederick
-
Frederick
-
Julie
-
http://usbpowerstick.com/fastest-ways-to-lose-10-pounds-here-is-something-you-can-not-afford-to-miss/ Fastest Ways to Lose 10 Pounds – Here is Something You Can Not Afford to Miss | Weight Issues
-
Shannon
-
Aliek
-
Lexie
-
Brandy
-
Cristina
-
Jae
-
celia chamu
-
http://facebook.com/irmafajardo irma
-
Christopher
-
Christopher
-
Frederick
-
Soula
-
Jan Paul
-
Dat Guy!
-
Ashley
-
Ashley
-
Virginia
-
Bettina
-
Delia
-
Nan
-
Lei
-
Bappa
-
Michael
-
Karina
-
Fabián
-
http://auntie-ana.blogspot.com/ Auntie-Ana
-
Lori
-
Rebecca
-
Brandy R
-
Sonnett R
-
Marianne
-
Maja
-
Kim
-
Kim
-
Sherrita
-
jo
-
Danielle
-
Julie
-
Penny
-
Emalee
-
Anna H
-
Tam
-
Venus
-
emily
-
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_73GWKJY5Q3AH4NUWI2RQ7OUCKI Shirin
-
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_73GWKJY5Q3AH4NUWI2RQ7OUCKI Shirin
-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marionlakine/ Marion
-
http://www.facebook.com/eleni.pitman Eleni Pitman
-
Renske
-
Guest1






