One thing I’d like to emphasize goes off of your point 6, combining exercise with leisure. I used to loathe exercise, until a friend invited me to play tennis with him one afternoon. I loved it, and now play a few times per week (and have been doing so for a few months now).

So the strategy that worked well for me: make an active effort to find a type of exercise that you really enjoy. Don’t just assume that running or going to the gym are the only options. As Confucius is quoted as saying- “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” The same mentality is relevant to exercise: find something you love doing, and you’ll naturally motivate yourself to follow through.

Everybody have to find a new motive every time you lose motive,finding a motive is the only power that could make you continue this habit of exercising ..

“Exercise every single day of the year, even on low energy and sick days, and soon they will be fewer and far apart.”

I do not do gym, and only intense workouts for 15 mins most days, which include max’ing my limits on three or more of the following set:
- kapalbhatis
- bicep curls
- pushups
- crunches
- squats
- lunges
- sit ups
- front arm raises with weights
- lateral arm raises with weights

And I do road running twice a week to train for the annual Mumbai marathon!

Thanks for the useful tips!

Although planning out workouts is important, I believe simply making it to the gym is half the battle.

Nice list. I put it up on http://www.OptimistList.com for other users to enjoy and learn from.

Keep up the good work Scott!
All the best,
Mike