At Energy Fitness here in Memphis we are always trying to tell our clients that it is a mind/body connection and those that get that simple concept are the ones that make the biggest changes in the shortest amount of time (get the weight off and keep it off!)
Take the quiz below (we stole from ACSM Health & Fitness Journal) and then score yourself.
Circle the number that indicates how confident you are that you could be physically active in each of the following situations:
SCALE
1= not at all confident
2=slightly confident
3=moderately confident
4=very confident
5=extremely confident
1. When I am tired 1 2 3 4 5
2. When I am in a bad mood 1 2 3 4 5
3. When I feel I don’t have the time 1 2 3 4 5
4. When I am on vacation 1 2 3 4 5
5. When it is raining or snowing 1 2 3 4 5
SCORE YOURSELF
Compute the average of all five items above
If any of the items are unanswered, be sure to fill out before scoring.
A higher score on this measure indicates greater self-efficacy.
Strategies for Increasing Self-efficacy for Physical Activity
Past performance * set goals and activity based on your fitness level
* Rehearse activity behavior (maybe a guided walk or walk to do an errand)
*Self-monitoring with pedometers and/or activity log or gps watch
Vicarious experience * use exercise dvds, you tube videos, on demand fitness programs or peer role models who are exercising
* have peer role models be your workout buddy once or twice a week
* hire a trainer and do group sessions with other people trying to achieve similiar goals
Verbal persuasion *emphasize physiological benefits of physical activity
*praise yourself for any progress
*attribute all successes to your efforts and attentiveness to doing some activity daily
*encourage family and friends to support you and reinforce the activity behavior
Physiological cues
*anticipate and positively interpret physical discomforts related to physical activity (example, fatigue and muscle aches, & if you don’t like to run because you feel everything wiggle and jiggle then running probably is not for you until you lose some weight, try again later.
Try using a physical activity log. There are lots of apps out there right now that are easy to use. You can always just try using a single sheet of paper and marking the days of the month. Put in each day the activity and total minutes. It’s a great visual to see how much you are REALLY doing to make exercise a habit on your JOURNEY to better health.
You CAN achieve your Goals – just put your mind to it!
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interested in our Personal Training Services click here or call us 901-466-6242.
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