6 Ways To Encourage Others To Exercise

Congratulations on starting an exercise and fitness routine and sticking to it. This is one of the best gifts that you can give yourself for better health and overall well-being. Indeed, just like anyone who just started with an exercise routine, you would’ve also felt that difficulty only in the beginning. After all, it’s always the start that’s the hardest part.

Now that you’ve made it through that phase, is there anyone in your home, life, or circle that you’d also like to encourage to start exercising? It’s always good to have that positive influence on those around you so that exercising becomes a norm within your circle. It may take a little more effort to convince those who don’t like exercising, but you’re guaranteed to get there with persistent repetition.

With that in mind, here are six practical ways for you to encourage others to exercise.

1. Suggest Certain Activities That You Can Do Together

One factor that may be holding others back from starting with an exercise routine is that they feel like they may be alone in this pursuit. It’s always nice to have someone to exercise with, significantly during group gym classes, among others; even when it’s only for the seemingly simple things to do, you should add physical activity in your lives.

So, you can start by suggesting and encouraging certain activities that you can do together. For instance, you can invite your friend over to a 30-minute walk or run around the park.

Doing healthy exercise routines and activities with someone else can increase the likelihood of keeping up with that routine. On the days when they feel like being a couch potato again, you’re always there to invite them and take them out of that couch.

2. Listen To What They Have To Say

Different people have their health and physical concerns. For example, you might have a friend who’s just given birth and struggles with her self-esteem because she wants to lose weight but can’t find the time to. Or, there might be that buddy who went through a hard breakup and has lurked at home, feeding themselves with junk until they just ballooned.

Take time to listen to their stories. They should be able to trust that you’re there to help. Remember that there’s no universal solution when it comes to exercising. The best routines are always those that take into account the specific needs of the person exercising so that this routine can match up with what their concerns are.

The more that you listen, the more that you can also understand where they’re coming from. This can make you more effective in your pursuit of encouraging that friend, loved one, or client to exercise.

3. Make It A Part Of Their Regular Routine

One of the most common reasons for taking people away from exercising is that they find it hard to incorporate exercise into their daily routines. So, teach them how to do so. Don’t just give them reasons to exercise and ways to follow, but also show them how these exercise routines can easily be incorporated into their daily life.

You can do this by sitting down together and plotting out their monthly schedule. This can make it easier to plot throughout the entire month and the days that they’ll set aside to exercise. A monthly outlook also increases the likelihood that you can stick to that routine, as you know you fit the exercise in during those days where you know you aren’t filled to the brim with work to do.

Additionally, there are simple ways to incorporate easy physical activity in your daily life, especially on days when it’s just difficult to put in even half an hour of exercise. To wit:

• If you have a bike, then choose to bike on some days to work or to your coffee run or quick errands;
• Wake up a little earlier so you can go for a brisk walk or quick run after breakfast.

4. Set Goals Together

When you set goals, it’s easier for you to convince those around you that exercising is a good idea. This is because they can get that clearer picture of what’s in store for them if they do stick to this exercise.

As you plot out their schedule and even listen to their woes and concerns about their fitness, set goals together as well. Start with the simple ones, and move on to bigger goals later on. The simpler you start, the better. It’s a big boost for them when they feel that their personal fitness goals are being achieved little by little.

5. Discuss The Benefits

Along with setting personal goals, don’t forget to touch on the apparent benefits of exercise. Then, go to the specific services that relate to the health concern that person might be facing.

For instance, the person you’re trying to help is obese and has high cholesterol. So, discuss the benefits relating to how exercise can help with their specific health concerns. This can help them see the clearer picture that exercising does have good uses for the health issue that they’re facing.

When your clients or your loved ones understand how exercising can solve their health concerns, they can be more likely to stick to exercising.

6. Be Understanding

Lastly, be very understanding and emphatic. Don’t be forceful or controlling. Just take it easy, especially for those of your clients or loved ones who haven’t started exercising at all.

Ask what you can do to help and be supportive. In doing so, they can better understand that you’re genuinely there to help them out with their fitness woes.

Conclusion

With these tips above, you can now be the catalyst of a healthy lifestyle for the people around you. Once you see the benefits that exercise can bring to your body, don’t limit yourself by keeping these benefits only to yourself. Spread the word out, especially to those you care about and those whom you know can surely benefit from that added push.

Don’t be forceful. Take it one step at a time, as you can learn from the tips above. Eventually, your family and friends will be glad that you’ve given them all the encouragement that you can to exercise as well. So, hats off to you.