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Making a Plan to Strengthen Your Core
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MOTIVATION
Goals are good motivation to start and continue exercising, but there
are other ways you can motivate yourself as well. Motivation is the de-
sire and the willpower to keep yourself going. The more motivation you
can give yourself, the better!
Working out with a friend can make exercise more fun and safer,
and give you a reason to keep going. If you promise a friend you’ll ex-
ercise with him, you’re more motivated to actually do it and keep your
promise. You can’t back out at the last minute without worrying you’re
letting your friend down. And you’ll feel good that you’re helping to
motivate someone else to also get healthy.
You have more exercise options with a friend too, especially with
equipment like medicine balls, which you can gently throw back and
forth. Plus, you and your friend can keep an eye on each other while
working out. If you’re working out with weights, having a friend along
as a spotter to support you if also a great idea.
Here are a few more secrets to getting and staying motivated to
exercise:
• Keep any exercise equipment you have out and visible. Put your
floor mat and exercise ball somewhere you can see them all the
time. They’ll remind you to work out. Then there’s no excuse for
forgetting!
• Make working out part of your schedule. If you have after-school
activities on Monday and Wednesday but not on the rest of the
days of the week, plan on working out on Tuesdays and Thurs-
days after school. You’ll have to consciously think about doing it
for a few weeks, but then it will become a habit. Taking a shower
or brushing your teeth are activities that probably don’t take a lot
of thought; they’re just habit—and the same can be true of your
workout too.
• Change it up to make it fun. You might get bored of the same
old workout routine week after week. Once you notice yourself