Discipline: the well-kept secret of active people!

I am lucky, I fell into sports soup when I was a child; my father plays basketball for his college team and my mother has always been a great sportswoman. Their story began in a gymnasium! For me, exercising is like eating; I even admit that between the two, I prefer to move to eat!

As a kinesiologist, however, I understood that this need to move is not intrinsic for everyone . If we observe our health system and our society, we quickly understand that it is the majority of the population who do not move enough . Did you know that official recommendations suggest moving for 30 minutes a day at a moderate intensity ?

Since it is understood that the first step to being active is simply wanting to move and that the majority of people do indeed want to be healthy and fit, let's move on to the second step, that of getting active. Unfortunately, few people make it to this second stage. So let's dig a little deeper to understand what it takes to get going.

To prioritize. If you want to achieve your goals, you have to make sure they are important enough for you and therefore worth putting at the top of your list. So, you have to take the time to convince yourself that yes, really, it's important for you, your health and for a lot of reasons. Whether it's to set an example for your children, to prevent disease, to be well in your body, to be able to climb the stairs without being out of breath, all the reasons are good.

Motivation. This is the main reason why people do not take action. Motivation will not come by itself, rather it appears during the process. It will manifest itself once you have felt the benefits of moving, and not before. So, for now, let's put motivation aside so we can take action.

Discipline. This is the real secret! It is there: that and nothing else. Take the example of school when you were young, where studying before an exam necessarily required discipline. The same is true for physical activity. Discipline is the sinews of war ; I confirm that all athletes have this in common! Discipline is necessary to take action. The good news is that after a few weeks, once the positive impacts show up, motivation sets in and encourages us to keep going. On the other hand, to begin with, it is discipline that will be responsible for this turning point.

Now, how do you discipline yourself?

• Write your goal clearly and according to SMART criteria (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound)
• Talk about it around you; this will allow you to feel that you are engaged.
• Be supported : sign up for a group class, go for a walk with a friend, hire a personal trainer. With a date and someone waiting for you, you're more likely to stick to your commitment.