Exercise with others. Performing activities with partners who have similar fitness levels can make exercise more rewarding and enjoyable. And peer pressure can help keep you going. If you're traveling or especially busy on a certain day, it's OK to adapt your exercises to accommodate your schedule. If you develop a cold or the flu, take time off from your exercise program.
Fatigue can increase pain.
Track your progress. Record what you do each time you exercise, how long you do it and how you feel during and after exercising. Recording your activities helps you work toward your goals as well as remind you that you're making progress. Work on developing an internal reward that comes from feelings of accomplishment, self-esteem and control of your own behavior. After each activity session, take 2 to 5 minutes to sit down and relax.