Make your workout feel like a breeze

Female runner determination on training

It would be so great if we could figure out a way of making workouts feel easy-breezy for everyone. Right? So here's the trick: Give yourself a mental-image pep talk.

Apparently, imagining yourself sailing right through a workout just before you go at it can actually make the exercise feel easier, according to Tina Vindum, exercise expert and author of Outdoor Fitness.

Here's the three-step process she swears by:

  1. Picture it. Before your workout or during warm-ups, close your eyes and visualize yourself doing your thing with ease. Take a few deep breaths, and imagine the air filling your lungs and delivering oxygen to every muscle of your body. Exhale deeply.
  2. Feel it. Think about how it feels to hold your spine straight and your head high during your workout, and imagine it all feeling effortless. Picture your workout environment, and imagine yourself moving powerfully, effortlessly, and confidently through your run, walk, hike, or exercise class.
  3. Integrate it. Take these images, feelings, and thoughts with you as you step into your workout.

More On

How can men increase their chances of success with weight loss?

video

How can men increase their chances of success with weight loss?
Men can increase their chances of success with weight loss by incorporating physical activity every day. Sudeepta Varma, MD, discuss ways men can succ...
3 squat variations for toned legs

article

3 squat variations for toned legs
The simple squat is a great all-around toning and strengthening exercise. Try mixing up your squats with these forms.
7 low-impact workouts that torch major calories

slideshow

7 low-impact workouts that torch major calories
Lose weight—and go easy on your joints—with these aerobic exercises.
Modified push-up

video

Modified push-up
Build upper body strength with the modified push-up. Celebrity fitness trainer Holly Rilinger shows how to take this exercise and turn it into a worko...
Quick & fit: forward and back lunge

video

Quick & fit: forward and back lunge
Celebrity fitness trainer David Buer leads us in a quick and easy way to keep fit: forward and back lunges.