Barriers to Physical Fitness And overcoming them…

What is a barrier to Physical Fitness?  A barrier is something that gets in the way of you achieving your goals  Stops you from achieving a higher fitness level  Can make you feel helpless and unable to change

There are many barriers…  Not enough time to exercise  Lack of motivation  Inconvenient to exercise  Exercise is not enjoyable  Exercise is boring  Lack of confidence in ability to exercise successfully

Even more…  Fear of being injured, or have been injured recently  Lack of self management skills  Ability to set personal goals  Monitor progress  Award progress towards meeting goals  Lack of encouragement from family and friends  Do not have access to appropriate facilities  Bicycle paths, sidewalks, nice parks  (none of you who live in Missoula have this issue)

Not enough time…  Monitor your daily schedule for one week, figure out any 30 minute time slots you have throughout your daily routine  Find ways of active transportation  Walking/biking to school  Walk the dog when you get home  Exercise during TV time (commercials work great!)

Lack of motivation…  Plan ahead! Make exercise part of your daily routine by marking it on your calendars (which you all have )  Invite a friend to exercise with you  Strength in numbers!  Join an exercise group or class with people who have similar goals who will support you in your journey

Inconvenient to exercise…  Excuses, excuses…  Instead of sitting on the couch when you get home, get out with the dog and walk!

Not Enjoyable  When transitioning from a life of inactivity to an active lifestyle, it will feel uncomfortable at first  But we all know our bodies adapt to increased work loads right?  (overload principle)

Lack of confidence…  Start building your confidence by participating in activities that you are already good at…like walking!  Take the plunge!  Jump, and a net will appear  People who are exercising all had to start somewhere, but we all are striving towards the same goals-becoming healthier!

Fear of injury…  Prevent injury by warming up and cooling down before exercise  (you all know what this is!)  Exercise within your current level of fitness  Take classes to learn and master new skills safely!

Lack of self management skills  Set a plan for yourself-use your calendars!  Monitor your progress  If you write it down, you will be able to physically see your progress and know you are moving towards meeting your goals  Important to reward yourself!  Plan rewards that are meaningful to you in your life

Lack of encouragement from family and friends…  Your friends may question your reasons for wanting to change your life  Only because change is different and scary  When people change, it makes friends/family question their own lifestyles and feel guilty about themselves  They will often try to convince you not to change only because it makes them feel bad about themselves

Lack of facilities/resources...  You don’t need to spend any money to improve your overall fitness levels  Many gyms offer scholarships  Though you don’t need to pay for a gym membership to get active  I used to lift weights in my apartment with milk jugs filled with sand, and did pull ups from tree branches…

You have the power!!  You have the knowledge to change your life and get active  You can learn the skills to stay active and push yourself  You can do more than you ever thought possible!!!!