Opening Thoughts

To be honest, every New Year's Day, I set various goals for myself: "I must lose weight this year!" "This time I'll exercise seriously!" But each time it's all talk and little action, with enthusiasm fading quickly. As a former exercise novice, I decided to change this pattern starting last year. After more than a year of persistence, I finally found some tricks to truly integrate exercise into my life, and today I'd like to share my journey with you.

Time Management

When it comes to exercise, I think time management is definitely the biggest challenge. In the beginning, I always thought "I'll exercise after this busy period" or "I'll wait until the weekend when I have time." But you know how it goes - this "waiting for free time" mindset is just digging yourself into a hole, because you'll never find that perfectly free moment. Later I realized that exercise should be treated like work meetings - it must be forcibly scheduled into your calendar.

Now I plan my exercise time a week in advance, treating it as seriously as meeting an important client. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 PM, this time slot is my non-negotiable exercise time. This fixed schedule eliminates many opportunities for hesitation and procrastination. Sometimes when friends invite me to dinner at this time, I simply say, "Sorry, I have an appointment."

Regarding time management, I discovered a particularly useful trick - breaking exercise time into fragments. Many people think you must exercise for a full hour at once to be effective, but this mindset can be very intimidating. Now I've developed a habit of doing 10 squats while brushing my teeth, climbing stairs for 10 minutes during lunch break, and jumping rope during commercial breaks while watching TV. When you add up these fragments of time, the total amount of exercise in a day is quite substantial.

I also combine exercise time with other daily activities. For example, when meeting friends for meals, I suggest going to restaurants that are further away, so we can walk and chat, unknowingly covering 2-3 kilometers. When shopping at the mall on weekends, I deliberately choose stairs over elevators. These seemingly trivial actions all contribute to my exercise volume.

Gradual Progress

When it comes to exercise, I really need to remind everyone: don't try to accomplish everything at once. I know quite a few friends who tried doing 100 pushups on their first day of exercise, only to be so sore the next day they couldn't even get out of bed, developing a psychological aversion to exercise thereafter. This mindset of "trying to make up for lost exercise all at once" really makes it easy to give up halfway.

I remember when I first started running, even running 1 kilometer continuously felt extremely challenging, and I felt like collapsing afterward. So I set myself a very simple goal: just brisk walk for 15 minutes every day. Only after fully adapting to this intensity did I start incorporating 30-second jogging intervals into the walks. By gradually increasing the exercise intensity this way, after three months of persistence, I can now easily complete a 5-kilometer run.

During this process, I specifically recorded some data: in the first month, my maximum heart rate often spiked to 180 while running, feeling completely out of breath. By the second month, I could control my heart rate below 150. By the third month, I could actually chat with friends while running, and this progress really gave me a sense of achievement.

Increasing exercise intensity also requires proper methodology. I now use the "70% rule" to control exercise intensity: always maintaining about 70% of my maximum capacity during exercise. For example, if I know I can sprint at a pace of 6 minutes per kilometer, I'll keep my training pace around 8 minutes. This ensures exercise effectiveness while preventing excessive fatigue.

Home Fitness

Actually, exercising at home is really convenient and doesn't require spending much money. I cleared out a 3-square-meter space in the corner of my bedroom, laid down a yoga mat, and that became my dedicated workout area. Every time I see this corner, it spontaneously makes me want to exercise - this visual reminder is really effective.

Regarding fitness equipment, I don't think it's necessary to spend big money on professional machines. I use two 2-liter water bottles filled with water as dumbbells, and they work just as well as real ones. A backpack filled with books makes a great weight for squats or weighted walks. Household chairs and walls are excellent auxiliary equipment for various strength training exercises.

I also prepared a simple exercise toolkit: a resistance band, a yoga mat, and a jump rope. These tools don't cost much together, but they enable many different types of exercises. The resistance band can be used for upper body strength training, the jump rope is a great cardio tool, and the yoga mat allows me to comfortably do floor exercises.

One advantage of exercising at home is not having to worry about others' opinions. When first starting to exercise, many people are afraid to go to the gym for fear of looking awkward. At home, you don't need to have such concerns - you can completely follow your own pace and do whatever exercises you want.

Improving Efficiency

Speaking of exercise efficiency, my biggest insight is integrating exercise into daily life. For example, I've developed a habit of doing planks while waiting for water to boil or food to heat in the microwave. It might only be two or three minutes at a time, but it adds up to seven or eight minutes of core training throughout the day, which is quite significant.

While watching TV series, I also set a rule for myself: get up and move during every commercial break. It might be 20 squats or 30 seconds of high knees - just not letting myself stay lazy on the couch. After watching one episode of a TV show, I can complete 3-4 sets of exercise, without affecting my enjoyment of the show while ensuring adequate exercise.

To motivate myself to stick with exercise, I designed a reward system. For every week I maintain my exercise routine, I reward myself with a small gift. It might be a pair of nice athletic socks, a book I want to read, or a long-anticipated meal. These small rewards make exercise more interesting, like playing a game where you level up and defeat monsters.

I also developed an "exercise savings jar" game: putting a coin in the jar after each workout. When the jar is full, I use the money to buy myself a piece of exercise equipment. This not only makes exercise more ceremonial but also motivates me to keep going.

Maintaining Motivation

Honestly, maintaining exercise motivation isn't easy. I've found that creating a comfortable exercise environment is particularly important. I prepared several sets of breathable, comfortable workout clothes and specially created an exercise playlist. Now, just putting on workout clothes and hearing those familiar rhythms naturally puts me in exercise mode.

Music selection is also important. My workout playlist consists of songs with strong rhythms, with BPM (beats per minute) between 120-140. This rhythm is particularly suitable for regulating breathing and movements during exercise, and it makes the whole process more energetic.

Finding a suitable exercise time is also crucial. I'm an early riser, so I prefer exercising in the morning. It's quietest at home then, without phone calls or other interruptions, and after exercising, I feel refreshed and different for the whole day. Of course, if you're a night owl, exercising at night is perfectly fine - the key is finding the time that works best for you.

I also discovered that setting small goals is particularly useful. For example, completing three 30-minute cardio sessions this week, or being able to do 20 standard pushups this month. These specific, measurable goals give my exercise more direction, and the sense of achievement from reaching each goal motivates me to continue.

Final Thoughts

After a year of practice, I truly understand that developing an exercise habit isn't something that happens overnight, but a process requiring constant adjustment and persistence. It might feel particularly difficult at first, but if you stick with it, you'll gradually find that exercise has become the most natural part of life.

Now I actually feel uncomfortable if I don't exercise, like not brushing my teeth. Through exercise, I've not only gained better physique and fitness but also developed stronger willpower and execution ability. These changes really make me grateful to my past self who decided to start exercising.

If you also want to start exercising, why not begin today, starting with the simplest movements. Remember, exercise isn't about comparing yourself with others, but about making yourself better. As long as you persist, you'll definitely achieve unexpected surprises.

Let's make exercise the most natural part of life together. After all, investing in health is investing in life, and it's never too late to start.