1. Developing positive affirmations:
I learned to develop positive affirmations to counter all of my fears and self-consciousness. Some of the things that I tell myself are, “Keep moving forward and do not look back.” Also, “The harder I work the more I achieve.” In my mind, I craved to be thin. I dealt with my self-consciousness by exercising when it was the least crowded at the gym.
2. Getting started:
Do not be shy about asking for help to work the equipment. I selected the work-out machine that I thought would be the easiest, which for me was the treadmill and bike. During my initial training, I walked the treadmill until I was tired which was approximately 20 minutes. I felt relieved and hopeful that I could accept the challenge. The fitness instructor assisted me with how to start slowly and cool down. At the end, I walked an additional 5 minutes at a slower rate.
3. How to set exercise goals:
Before I started each work out I set goals regarding distance and incline. I went from 20 minutes in my first week and increased my distance by 10 minutes per day at the same speed. I progressed by gradually adjusting the incline to a steeper level. I varied programs from day to day. I changed the program with how I felt during the course of the work out.
To my fellow WEIGHT CLIQUERS, You may think that you are not up to exercise on a regular basis, my experience was losing weight became easier with daily work outs. My confidence, attitude and training exertion made me continue to persevere. I noticed that I felt more relaxed, calm and my health was continuously improving.
