Exercise five times per week.

So I’m going to try to apply something I learned in an Applied Behavior Analysis class to my working out habits. I have written in my calendar five boxes. Each time I work out, I will color in a box. When I have all five boxes colored in, I will reward myself with a trip to the drugstore to get something little, like a bottle of nail polish or funky eyeliner or cute clips. I’m a sucker for those little things, so hopefully it will be motivating enough for me to get my a$$ to the gym!

Well, I made it to the gym three times and went swimming once. That’s pretty good for me lately, and almost up to my goal. What the key was for me this week was to go early on Monday morninng, when I almost always feel refreshed from the weekend, and then allow myself to do evenings and afternoons for the rest of the week. It was like fitting in an extra one before the week even really started!

It really helps to go with someone. My someone is my husband. He is also my de facto personal trainer and does the thinking for me. That helps a lot, as do his positive comments (when I can earn them). Today I impressed him with the weight I lifted, and that felt awesome! I’m a sucker for positive reinforcement. How Skinnerian…

Back to the lack of follow through… I can get one or two (sometimes even three) days of excercise in, but I would like to make it a bigger part of my life than that. I want to work out five times per week.