The Moving Forward Mary-thon can be "Fun to Do"!

"We believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The Fun Theory.”   

An Initiative of Volkswagen

I discovered the following video online and immediately thought of our Mary-thon.  Here is the premise of this experiment: 

"Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and feel better” is something we often hear or read in the Sunday papers. Few people actually follow that advice. Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do?"  See the results here as you watch the video, think of how you can apply the principle of “making it fun to do” to our Mary-thon...and then read on!

What a fascinating theory!  To be able to accomplish a positive change in behavior by making it “fun”!   I have found that there are so many things in my life that I would like to change – behaviors that I would like to improve – yet the process for achieving a positive end result is just too laborious (in other words - not fun) to even attempt.  Since this is the “Moving Forward Mary-thon” blog, my thoughts on this subject take me to my “5 days per week, 30 minutes per day, 26 week” program of exercise.  

I have found that the feeling of accomplishment AFTER completing my exercise for the day can actually produce a euphoric feeling of satisfaction for a job well done, yet I still struggle!  I KNOW exercise is good for me and I KNOW I will feel elated when I’m finished yet I often find that each day, when I'm faced with the choice "to exercise" or "not to exercise" I hear the whisperings of that little devil sitting on my shoulder, trying to convince me that I really don’t need to exercise “right now” or even “today”.  You would think that since I have engaged in some type of a regular exercise program for the past 6 years, he would leave me alone!!!  But, although his visits have become less frequent, he still shows up on occasion – and if I listen, I always end up disappointed in myself and the choice I made.

So, what inspires us to follow through on our exercise goals?  What motivates us?  As I begin Week #5 of our Moving Forward Mary-thon I believe that I have been successful for the past 4 weeks because I’ve been having fun.  It’s fun for me to mark off my days on my Mary-thon chart.  I love to put my beautiful foil smiley face stickers on Days 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and my “Good Job” weekly stickers on my chart at the end of the week.  In addition, I love to share my thoughts with you as we train together.  It’s fun for me!  I like the exercises I’ve chosen for myself.  I do strength training (arms and legs) 2 or 3 days per week and I run 3 days per week.  Although it’s not always fun when I’m in the thick of it – it’s always fun to take off my running shoes, sit down at my computer, turn on my fan and record my progress on my Daily Tracking Sheet.  It’s also fun to see how much I’ve improved.  

This week I am in the mountains of the west while my husband is attending a medical conference.  I always seem to have trouble with the altitude when I arrive and it’s difficult for me to motivate myself to exercise.  This time, however, I decided to set some goals for myself before I left home.  There is a fitness center in our building with machines I have never used.  As a change of pace, today I rode the stationery bike.  Tomorrow I will work out on the weight machines and Tuesday I will try the Elliptical.  Wednesday and Thursday will be running on the treadmill (my lungs should be ready by then) and Friday will be my choice of my favorite machine from the week.  I’m really looking forward to the change AND to the fun!  

My challenge to you, this week, is to shake things up a bit and incorporate something “fun” into your exercise this week.  Try something different – new music, a new exercise machine, a different walking path, a new set of exercise clothing, a new piece of exercise equipment or a new pair of running shoes.  Maybe you just need a new routine you can follow for the next week.  There are several available online – here’s one place to start:  http://exercise.about.com/  Try something new this week and let me know what “fun” you’ve had. 

If that devil perches himself on your shoulder and starts whispering his oh-so-sweet “do-nothings” in your ear, IGNORE him and be true to yourself and the goals you’ve set. 

Good Luck with your workouts this week and remember:

 

“We all stumble, every one of us. 

That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand.”  

Thank you for offering your hand of support to me, as I do the same for you. 

Keep Moving Forward!

Mary