As my New Year’s resolution, I want to get motivated to exercise more. Do you have any ideas on how to get motivated?

According to Paul Estabrooks, the physical activity specialist with the Office of Community Health at Kansas State University, feeling a responsibility to meet exercise partners is one of the best ways to get and stay motivated to exercise. One of the most important things to think about when beginning an exercise program is to enlist support. We may have our individual goals, but there are times when that’s not enough.

Estabrooks suggests:

• Verbalizing your goals. When others know your goals, they’re responsive to you, and you don’t want to let them down.
• Find an exercise “buddy.”
• Join an exercise program or fitness class. Find a program with people like yourself, to encourage social interaction and common physical activity goals.

In addition, if you really want to exercise more, make it a priority in your life. Recently I read an article written by Alice Henneman, Extension Educator at the University of Nebraska Cooperative Exten- sion Service, that I received permission to forward on to you. I can’t say it any better than she does. Please read.

In “First Things First,” Stephen Covey tells a story that one of his associates heard at a seminar. The seminar presenter pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and placed it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks. After filling the jar to the top with rocks, he asked, “Is the jar full?”

The group replied, “Yes.”

He then got some gravel from under the table and added it to the jar. The speaker jiggled the jar until the gravel filled the spaces between the rocks. Again, he asked, “Is the jar full?” This time, the group replied, “Probably not.”

The speaker then added some sand and asked, “Is the jar full?” “No!” shouted the group.

Finally, the speaker filled the jar to the brim with water and asked the group the point of this illustration. Someone replied that you could always fit more things into your life if “you really work at it.”

“No,” countered the speaker. The point is, if you don’t put the big rocks in first,” … would you ever have gotten any of them in?”

As you start the new year, think of the “big rocks” in your life as the things you can do to make this a healthier and happier year for yourself and others. Some big rocks might be:

• exercising more often.
• eating additional calcium foods.
• trying some new vegetables.
• getting more sleep.
• starting to lift weights.
• spending added time with family and friends.
• doing volunteer work in your community.
• reading inspirational literature.

Don’t just think it, ink it! Write down some of the “big rocks” in your life. As you make decisions during the moments, days and months of this year, ask: “Is this a big rock?”

Which activity looks like a big rock to you?

• Watching a rerun of a less-than-favorite TV show or taking a walk with a friend or family member.
• Checking your e-mail every few minutes or writing a letter of praise/thanks to a co-worker or friend.
• Giving your thumb a workout with the TV remote control or lifting some heavier weights to benefit your total body.
• Spending your time “crawling the mall” or enriching your cuisine by learning how to prepare a healthy vegetable.
• Doing that “one more thing” on a night you’re extremely tired or going to bed and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Screaming at other drivers when you’re stuck in heavy traffic or putting a symphony on the tape player and thinking “life’s too short to be uselessly angry.”
• Trying to follow a “if it tastes good, spit it out” diet or going on a treasure hunt for recipes for lower fat and calorie treats.

List an activity or activities for which you’ll say “No.” As you make choices this year, say “yes” to your “big rocks” first. Don’t feel you need to explain each “no” when the smaller gravel and sand try to fill your time. “No” can be a complete sentence.

— Susan Krumm is an Extension agent in family and consumer sciences with K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County, 2110 Harper St. She can be reached at 843-7058.