Exercise Planning and Programing: Inspiration, Motivation, Discipline, Habit, and Passion

Exercise may well be the single most potent medical intervention ever known. Just like taking medication – you need to actually take it and do so regularly for it to work.

Getting started and keeping going with an exercise program is challenging. It is helpful to understand some of what gets us going and keeps us going. For this article I am not going to talk in depth about this – instead I ask that you watch a video from an individual that does a great job at explaining the process.

The video I am sharing is from Will Harlow, a physio (UK version of physical therapist) who has produced lots of fantastic content including videos on specific exercises for those of us over the age of 50. In this video, Will Harlow explains a framework he has borrowed from exercise physiologist Mike Israetel. Check out the video then come back, and I will talk a little bit about what I have done.

In the video Will Harlow outlines 5 “secrets” to being successful in a diet or exercise plan. We get started with thinking about making a change by “inspiration”, we use “motivation” to get going, “discipline” keeps us on track so that we develop a “habit”, and if we are lucky, we develop a “passion”.

I feel very fortunate that I have developed a passion for exercise – but it has not always been that way for me. There are chunks of my adult life I did not exercise regularly.

One thing I have found helpful is working towards a goal or training for an event. Having something to train for helps me develop and organize my training. Developing and organizing my fitness plan has become part of my passion for fitness. I enjoy thinking about how to train for the next event and love learning about the science and practicalities of exercise. My passion for exercise has been a major driving force for me to create this blog/website. My hope is that wherever you are on your fitness journey – you will find these articles worth reading.

Over the years I have had various sorts of goals; some very vague such as losing weight or gaining muscle or more specific such as being able to fit into my wetsuit for our next scuba diving vacation.

A few years ago, I had an experience that inspired me to plan a trek from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other. Back in 2015 I was in reasonably good shape – I “ran” my first ever 10 K race on July 4th. A couple weeks later I hiked down 3 miles into the Grand Canyon AND back up – I was sore for several days in a way that surprised me since I had just run a 10 K race. Long story short – I had an experience that inspired me to go back to the Grand Canyon to trek from one rim to the other. I was so inspired by my experience in the Grand Canyon that just hours after climbing out of the Grand Canyon I was on the internet researching hiking across the Grand Canyon. Soon after I was thinking about how I should develop an exercise program to prepare.

Since that time, I have used planned events to keep me motivated. In 2017 my wife, son, and I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back over 3 days – in near record setting heat. We did succeed – we made it back out of the canyon without a helicopter rescue – but I suffered from heat exhaustion and a knee injury. These negative experiences influenced how I trained and prepared for the next trek.

The next year my son and I trekked from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim. As we were in the last hundred meters or so of that trek my son made an offhand comment suggesting that he was thinking about a Rim to Rim to Rim trek – I chuckled to myself when he said it. 6 years later we did it.

At the age of 56 I had a first – I got to the top of a mountain. My son and I got to the top of the tallest mountain in Colorado, Mount Elbert.

I am telling you these things not to brag. These are not some superhuman achievements. Lots of people over the age of 50 have done these things. I took 4 days to hike across the Grand Canyon. People – many over the age of 50 have done this in 1 day. However, in 2018 – it was the first time I had crossed the Grand Canyon. When I was 56 – I had never climbed to the very top of a mountain let alone the tallest in Colorado.

I did these things not to be better than anyone else but to better myself.

In June my son and I completed a rim to rim to rim trek though the Grand Canyon. We had established a habit of working out so just after a few days of relative rest we were back in the gym. In August we made plans to climb another mountain. In June of 2025 we will be going back to Colorado with plans to summit another mountain over 14,000 feet, maybe even more than one mountain.

Having a goal or an event can be a good motivational tool. The goal does not need to be something grand like hiking across the Grand Canyon. Maybe you are planning a vacation that could involve a lot of walking – getting in better shape will allow you to have a better experience. Maybe you have a grandchild getting married and you would love to dance at the reception. I encourage you to use the ideas presented to get started with an exercise program if you are not already and keep them in mind when trying to maintain an exercise habit.

In the next article in the Exercise Planning and Programing series I will share with you a simple tool I use to help me in my exercise program.

Check out also another fitness article I recently posted “9 Adaptations: Long Duration Endurance” and my latest article in the series on protein “Amino Acids are Not Just the Building Blocks of Proteins”.

Thanks for reading. Please share.

Russ