Resolution Kept!

In 2011, I made a resolution to exercise more, at least 2-3 times a week. It’s a resolution that I’ve kept throughout the year unless I was sick. It’s a popular resolution because we all know how good exercise is for us and many of us would like to lose a few pounds, too.

Two things helped me keep this resolution more than anything else. First, I made a friend who was my exercise buddy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We ran/walked together using the Galloway method to prevent injury and increase running speed. My exercise partner is the best and I highly recommend getting one. Now that it’s too cold for us to run outside, we meet and work out together at a gym on those two days that we have set aside for our health.

Secondly, I began using a website dedicated to helping others. You might ask how this would help me keep up my workouts. That’s a good question. The site is Plus 3 Network. It’s a place to log your exercise time and sponsors give money to a charity of your choice when you do it. It’s that easy and doesn’t cost you a penny.

I’ve already earned 26 cents this week for the Breast Cancer Fund from my two workouts so far. That may not sound like much, but Plus Three is coming up on half a million dollars in giving now.  

Besides inspiring you to exercise because you know you are helping others when you do, Plus 3 is also a social networking site that motivates you to exercise when you see your friends are doing it, too. 

After I signed up initially at Plus 3, I immediately searched for people in my town using the program and found another person (yes, just one, I live in a small town) who was also on Plus 3. I asked her to become friends and soon after found out that she does Kuk Sool Won (a Korean martial art)with my husband’s group nearby.  Seeing her workouts posted frequently on Plus 3 and the money going to her cause getting higher made me want to work out more, too.

I also shared the Plus 3 Network on my other blog for Working Mother magazine and soon my sister had signed up, too.  I just recently looked again and found 59 people near me that are working out and posting their workouts on Plus 3. Looks like I need to connect with some more people to keep the motivation going.  

For even further inspiration to work out, Plus 3 also presents challenges to its members to do a certain kind of workout, (like 99 yoga sessions) or just to work out a certain number of times each week. Then it provides prizes for the people who follow through.

Plus 3 calls the whole process Making it Count. You can make your own workout count not just for you, but also for charitable organizations needing your donations. It truly is a great encourager to keep you working out. It worked for me so that’s why I’m sharing it with you!