How I kept my exercise regime going for 6 years so far (6 ideas to share)

I am not an exercise junkie. I really loathe working out.

Don't get me wrong - I feel fantastic after the workout. It's the during that I have issues with. I just don't get how some folks actually look forward to the work-out itself. Whatever adrenaline rush they tell you, does not make up for the pain that is bundled along with it.....well at least not to me.

So why do i do it? -> To stay healthy.....alright, alright, and to be able to continue consuming my favourite foods, albeit in moderate portions, whenever I want , without guilt or regret afterwards <- that's the true bottomline.

Over the years, I have come to accept that it is totally worth trading the anguish of foregoing that juicy burger or prime rib steak & fries, with a trice weekly hour long of agony.

So the key question is - how have I been able to keep the discipline of hardly ever missing any of these 3x weekly health celebrations?

This is what i do:

A) Buy 3 big candy bars, put them in a jar and sealed it with masking tape
3 being the number of bars that makes me sick when consumed all at once

B) Make the workout a routine:
Identify and earmark the same hour for each designated day of the torture. I start mine right after sending the kids off to school in the mornings. Once you got that drilled in and it has become 2nd nature, you will feel incomplete if you did not work out at that time.

C) Post-workout incentive
I always do mine before a nice hot shower and morning espresso plus breakfast. So that there's always a tiny carrot dangling at the end of the tunnel to look forward too.

D) Brag about your new workout to everyone
This is like cutting off the safety net below. The more you brag about it to people, the more you will be pressured to maintain it. Friends and family will always check back later on to ask how you have been doing on your new exercise regime. Don't disappoint yourself disappointing them.

E) Make no exceptions or excuses
Easier said than done. We all have moments of disinclination to exertion. I try to find few ways to overcome this. One is to set a life-long purpose and let that be a constant reminder to why I am doing this in the 1st place. For me, It's wanting to live healthy enough to be able to walk my two beautiful daughters down the aisle to their partners one day, meet my future grandchildren if i am fortunate enough to have any and try not to burden my loved ones too much with health issues in my old age. To compliment this, I also continually remind myself not to deprive my own body of the exercise that it's yearning for. Also to tell myself to get the workout done promptly so that I can move on to other more important tasks at hand for the day.

F) When all else fails, stuff your face
This is where that emergency-break-glass candy bars come in. When I feel all willpower ebbing away, i would throw in the towel, take out those candy bars and consume them all at one shot (not much willpower is involved here). Extreme guilt sets in after that and I would pick my sorry ass up and complete the routine as penance. Of course this stop-gap measure does not exactly help the calorie count for the day, but at least the workout routine is unbroken and intact. Avoid disrupting your workout routine and exception making at all costs - That is really the key to success. So far I have resorted to performing this step only once.

I am 1.8m (6 feet) tall and currently weigh 75 kg (165 pounds). I have largely kept that weight steady over the past 6 years after coming down from a persistent high of 81 kg (178 pounds). I feel great at the age of 46 and have never felt better in health. I eat whatever I want, whenever I want - all with the appropriate moderation suited to my body metabolism - and am living a great life. (Bonus -> here is a really interesting piece relating to an exercise pill - just hot off the presses.)

I hope what I have shared will resonate with some of you here who have struggled with workout discipline over the years. I truly believe the mind is the beginning point in any workout routine. Do try it out. As Trump would attest - what have you got to lose? (besides weight that is)

Do share your comments, inputs, upvotes :) or your own success stories below. I look forward to always sharing, learning and improving my own life-hacks.

P/S: In case anyone is curious, below is what goes on in each of my hour workout:

a) The infamous 7 minute workout
b) 5 repetitions of 5 chin-ups alternating with 20 weighted lunges
c) 5 repetitions of 15 TRX pulls alternating with 15 squats
d) 5 repetitions of 15 sit-ups alternating with 15 push-ups
e) 5 repetitions of 20 weighted boxing punches alternating with 10 burpees
f) 5 repetitions of 20 kettlebell swings alternating with 15 mountain climbers

That usually sets me back an hour but if i push myself, i could shave 15 minutes off my time.