9 Ways Exercise Gets Better As You Go

By Gina DeMillo Wagner, Experience Life

You’ll remember this from grade school: An object at rest tends to stay at rest, while an object in motion tends to stay in motion. It’s Newton’s First Law. In fitness terms, this means that the more you exercise, the more your body wants to exercise.

“Our bodies were created to move,” says Sally Edwards, MS, founder of Heart Zones training company in Sacramento, Calif., and author of The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook to Heart Zone Training (Lifestyles 4-Heart Press, 1999). “When you don’t move, you’re violating the principles of physiology.”

Part of it is a state of mind, of course. When you stick with a routine for more than a few weeks, working out becomes a habit. And as you begin to see results, your self-confidence and motivation build, making it easier to keep moving day after day. But there are also plenty of physical changes that contribute to the cumulative it-gets-easier effect. Your heart pumps more efficiently. Your circulation improves. Your muscles take longer to fatigue. Your body may get lighter, more compact and easier to move through space.

“These are tangible rewards that can propel you forward in your fitness, making it harder to revert to your former sedentary self,” says Rachel Cosgrove, Santa Clarita, Calif.–based trainer and author of The Female Body Breakthrough (Rodale, 2009).

Pay attention to those payoffs, and before long you’ll find it tougher not to exercise.

Related: My No-Excuses Exercise Secret

Next: 9 ways exercise gets easier and more rewarding by the day

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Read more: Fitness, General Health, Health

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Fallon R.

9:04PM PST on Feb 25, 2011

These sort of articles make me feel encouraged to keep exercising, so keep them coming!

send a green star

Tina H.

5:49PM PST on Feb 12, 2011

Liz, I just sent you a message... then read your comment here.

Hey, that's wonderful that you're getting out there and walking 20 -25 minutes! Stay encouraged! :)
- T

Liz J.

1:57PM PST on Feb 12, 2011

I agree with Tina H getting ready to go out and walk in my case does give you that little boost, sure I to have days when i don't want to go but I do. I have a heart condition so I don't walk at this stage the recommended 30 mins, but i have noticed that the area I have chosen to walk I am now able to do that in ten mins and on occasions i increase the walk and then turn around and come back to the car. On good days I am walking for 25 mins but mostly its only 20. But I am okay with that because I have noticed over these past six weeks that I am not breathing as hard, I am able to walk just that little bit further without realising it sometimes and I do feel good about myself.
I can only do that because I am making the effort to improve my health. so good luck to all that try and you don't have to do a lot at first, just a little and build up is much better then doing nothing.

Mahesh S.

8:00AM PST on Feb 8, 2011

thanks

Past Member .

2:29AM PST on Feb 3, 2011

's avonds

Allison K.

7:47PM PST on Feb 1, 2011

nice. thanks

2:59PM PST on Jan 21, 2011

This is a great article! I hope it inspires others to get out there and move!
I thought I was somewhat physically fit since I'm thin and do yoga daily. Then, last April (2010) I took up walking/running. I couldn't run very far without needing to break back to a walk. However, with consistency of getting out there every other day I now can run 6 miles (includes 4 moderate hills), and now looking at entering some 10K and half marathon trail races.
I think one of the most important things that I credit this to is simply being consistent. I run every other day, occasionally an event comes up and I may skip a total of two days, but then back on the run no matter what. I run in all weather conditions. It feels great when I'm done to say to myself "yes, I did it!" I admit, there's days when I'm not so enthusiastic to get out there, but just by getting my running clothes on and heading out the door, that's all it takes to get me on my way. :)

Ireven G.

2:39PM PST on Jan 19, 2011

Thanks for some great advice.