One of the most detrimental habits, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and excess weight, is simply sitting for too long every day. Taking a one-minute break every 60 minutes can increase your friend's life expectancy by as much as 40 percent. Just standing up and touching your toes or doing 20 jumping jacks once an hour can reverse a slew of debilitating diseases, and can also chip away at excess fat.
The primary reason people never start exercising, or stop within six months of starting, is a psychological belief that they are incompetent at exercising. Trainers who yell at you and make you feel small will discourage a novice exerciser. Positive reinforcement is the best way to counteract this issue. Find your friend a personal trainer who is friendly and encouraging. Encourage her to find a physical activity at which she is already proficient as her main source of exercise. Get her into a social activity, such as a gym aerobics class. A study performed at the School of Human Movement Studies in Brisbane, Australia found that seeing other people exercise helps keep the shy engaged.
Don't focus on the scale; numbers can be deceiving. If a beginner expects to lose weight fast, she will be discouraged and apt to fail. Encourage her to measure her waist and hips once a month to see that she is improving her waist-to-hip ratio. This is a clearer indication of improved health and will reassure her that she is on the right track.
Encourage your friend to start with easy exercises, such as 15 minutes of brisk walking a day for the first week, and 30 minutes the second, to make fitness goals more attainable. Doing too much too soon can cause physical problems that could deter a person from continuing her regimen.
Suggest that your friend go to her doctor for a blood test. Medical tests can reveal issues in glucose, body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol levels that may help make the dangers of a sedentary life more real for your friend. If she has been resistant to your exercise recommendations, a medical professional may be more capable of getting through to her. It also could be beneficial to have your friend take pictures of herself in a swimsuit. Often, it is hard to realize just how out of shape you have become by just looking in the mirror.
Sometimes all that is needed to convince a person is to get her started. Working out with a partner helps both novices and athletes. Working in pairs or in a group of friends helps you stick to the habit of exercising. You can use the opportunity to give your friend positive feedback to keep her excited about exercise. You will find that working out with a friend often pushes people to work just a little harder.
Chances are, your friend already owns an mp3 player of some kind with lots of great music choices for the gym. Music can be a distraction from discomfort, fatigue, depression and perceived effort, and possibly even promotes metabolic efficiency. The best music to work out to includes songs that make you want to dance, and songs with up-tempo beats. In a 2012 study at Sheffield Hallam Univeristy, used 7 percent less oxygen during a cycling workout when exercising along to music. Your friend will have more fun and feel like she is doing less work for bigger results; and that will do all your persuading for you. Just make sure she uses the music only for indoor workouts; headphones can be unsafe to use when exercising outdoors near traffic or other hazards.
