Exercise releases feel good chemicals, endorphins, which will make you feel more alert and motivated

So how can we do it?
Perhaps the most important place to start is by recognising and reflecting on the reasons for the desired change. Is it that we are anxious, depressed or generally feeling a little bit under the weather? In other words is your current lifestyle costing you emotionally, psychologically or physically?
One particular psychological technique that we can use is motivational interviewing. This involves asking ourselves to consider the benefits and the costs of engaging in change, in this case physical exercise. This enables us to see in black and white on paper, the potential advantages of our new lifestyle. You might ask, why write it down? The reason for this is that it makes it more concrete and reduces the likelihood of leaning either slowly or quickly towards procrastination. It also gives us the opportunity to share our desired goals with others, which introduces a sense of real commitment and focus, which if necessary, if called upon, they are able to hold us to. This is known as behavioural contracting. Remember, benefits of exercise may include better sleep, reduced anxiety, higher self-esteem and an improved ability to manage relationships; the list can be almost endless.

SMART goals
The next step is to consider how we wish to proceed with change. You may be familiar with “SMART” goals, that is, tasks that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time oriented.
With any form of behavioural change it is helpful for us to focus on one specific goal as opposed to a large amorphous mass of thoughts and good intentions, which may end up swamping us, so that we are unable to recognise what we are actually meant to be doing. Rather than thinking about an all-encompassing fitness regime, focus on one thing, for example running, walking or swimming.
With this in mind it is beneficial to measure progress, so we can reward ourselves and gain positive reinforcement from our efforts. Many people use different forms of measurement but perhaps a good place to start might be putting a £1 coin or some affordable amount of money into a transparent jam jar. Here we have a visual and tangible reminder of all the good effort that we have put into play. After a period of time, perhaps a couple of weeks or so (don’t leave it too long or the reward will seem out of reach) we are able to take this money and spend it on something that we like, in other words a “treat”. It is useful to keep the jar and the reward in a highly visible place in your home so you are consciously and frequently reminded of what you have achieved.

Recognise what is truly achievable for you to do at this moment in time, in other words don’t expect to run marathons before you have managed the smaller distances first. If a 10 minute run is all you can do at the moment that’s ok, you will be able to cope with the bigger challenges later on, be patient.
Identify what is realistic within your busy schedule, if you set your goals too high there is the likelihood that you may become disappointed or unhappy with your performance, not exactly a positive motivator, especially for those of you who may be perfectionists. It is also helpful to set a realistic time for your physical exercise. If you’re not a morning person it may be unhelpful to set yourself the goal of an early morning run, in other words don’t set yourself up for failure, be kind to yourself and choose a time when you are likely to be most motivated and energised.
Think about the timescale in which you wish to achieve this fitness goal. Don’t be too impatient, if it takes a couple of months, so be it. The main thing is that you keep yourself enthusiastic and don’t let yourself be defeated by your own high standards.

You may have heard about SMART in a corporate or performance-based environment from a psychological perspective, this is different. We need to introduce another concept, “fallibility”. We are after all human beings, and therefore there will be days when it is raining or cold and you really don’t feel like that run or that walk. If you don’t achieve your goal on that one out of ten occasions due to weather or something else, don’t beat yourself up, take pride in those nine times that you did succeed and resume as normal the next day. Remember, we are all prone to the possibility of lapse or relapse that may lead us back to our old familiar ways of being. That’s normal, the thing is to learn from them, recognise what the obstacles were at the time and don’t become discouraged by them.

By Dr. Andrew Hale, who is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist who works for Priory Group, he specialises in behavioural change and obsessive-compulsive disorder.