I’m always trying to encourage others to be active, stay active, think active and live active. Trouble is it doesn’t always happen. Most of my clients, friends and family all give me the same response: I don’t enjoy exercise, nor do I have the time or money to invest in my active lifestyle. SIGH…this burdens me so because I know for a fact that being active can improve their health, increase their life span and give them more energy to explore life and all its wonderful activities.
Of course being physically inactive has its health ramifications. It increases one’s risk of developing chronic disease, which the CDC reports accounts for over 70% of all US deaths. Tragically, one out of every ten Americans will deal with some sort of limiting physical factor caused by these diseases and lose out on a better quality of life. The good news is physical activity is a prevention tool that individuals can use to decrease their risk of developing chronic disease, and improve their quality of life.
How do you become more active, stay active and live more active? There are hundreds of thoughts, inspirations and guidelines that you could follow but I’ve summarized them into 7 key tips to help you stay more active:
- Enjoy it- If you don’t like the activity you won’t do it. There are hundreds of options for physical activity and everyone is bound to find something they can enjoy. Choose something that puts a smile on your face and encourages you to move at minimum 20 minutes, 3 days per week. Look to like minded friends as you are more likely to maintain a program with support. Seek out small group training and bootcamps.
- Be consistent- it takes time to see improvement, on average about 4-6 weeks, being consistent with your activity levels and less sporadic will yield quicker results and help you stick with it!
- Keep records- document your workout activities and day to day motions using a journal or workout log. Writing down what you do helps you to focus on consistency and also provides you will a little accountability for your actions, or lack thereof
- Know your limits- Be sure you’re working within your current levels of fitness. Often individuals are frustrated by “new” physical activity because it is too hard for them too perform and they feel defeated. Listen to your body and do what you can to your fullest without pushing yourself beyond your current physical capabilities
- Cross train- Boredom is often sited as a reason individuals stop being physically active. In an effort to prevent this and decrease the risk of developing overuse injuries from repeated activity, incorporate a few different training modalities to cross train the body and break up the monotony
- Break it up- Divide your physical activities into pieces throughout your busy days. Do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch and finish with another 10 minutes when you get home…it all adds up at the end of the day to meet activity goals
- Include More Day to Day Movement- Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car in the farthest parking space from your destination, get off the bus two stops early and walk the extra distance to work, walk around when you talk on the phone, get up and move around during commercials- better yet do some calisthenics and just plain move more when you get the chance.
Disease prevention aside, physical activity feels good, is good and will benefit you physically, emotionally and spiritually. Make the investment in yourself and use these 7 tips to get moving. Make sure you like it, can do it and stay consistent. Get on the move!
Amy Bomar, BS, CPT
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Posted in Cardio, Strength
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You are so excited, you joined your local club and the group fitness (aerobics) class is about to start. It begins smooth enough, until you hear your instructor say “listen to your body and modify accordingly.” You think.. WHAT? Does my aerobics instructor really think my body is going to speak to me? Listen to what? What should I expect to hear?
The instructor is letting you know that at times you are responsible for understanding your body’s fitness capabilities and limitations. While your instructor is most likely trained in recognizing how participants are doing in the group exercise setting and they realize not everyone is at the same level at the same time, they can’t see everything and can’t feel what your body is saying nearly as well as you. The instructor, knowing he/she is limited in reading your outward signs, will try to teach you how to listen to your body and should be offering modifications to most all complicated or high impact movements. The modifications will give you the options you need to keep your exercise program safe and effective.
Your body may talk to you in a number of ways. Have you ever done repetitive exercises for a period of time and experienced a burning sensation? This sensation is from the build up of lactic acid and excess hydrogen ions in the muscles. It is signaling you to slow down and allow your muscles to get the necessary oxygen they need to recover or get to a level they can maintain.
What do you think your body is saying when you find yourself gasping for breath? It’s most likely screaming at you that your intensity is to high and it wants more oxygen. Slow down and allow your lungs to catch up. If it’s an interval class that same feeling is telling you you’re appropriately working at a high intensity for that shorter period of time. Your ability to sustain intense workouts will increase over time. Try to maintain a level that allows you to carry on a conversation during the workout.
If it hurts don’t do it. The saying remains true in exercise today. Pain is a loud signal from your body that something is up. Slow down or stop immediately. Check with your instructor or trainer to make sure you’re doing the movement correctly. If pain persists you may need to see your personal physician.
You were told when the nice man gave you the tour of the gym that regular exercise will give you more energy, but your body says your exhausted at the end of your exercise routine. This may mean your over-training, not getting sufficient recovery time between workouts, or you are simply pushing to hard during the workout itself. Slow down, remember the F.I.T.T. Principle, which gives you the elements for your optimal health. It includes guidelines for exercise intensity, duration, exercise type and frequency.
Pay attention to your body. It can tell you many things. When you hear it talking.. listen and follow its advice. Don’t allow your ego to cause you to try and keep up with the person on the step, treadmill, or squat rack next to you. You are competing only against your best self. Use your group fitness instructor’s modifications or make the life time investment of utilizing a certified professional personal trainer to at least get you going. It won’t be to long before you are the one others wish they were keeping up with.
Make it a Healthy Day!
Amy is the NW Regional Trainer for Resist-A-Ball, Inc. and Faculty Trainer for the American Council on Exercise. Her Bachelor of Science was attained in Holistic Nutrition and is certified as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and yoga instructor. She also offers workshops, lectures and trainings for fitness professionals through her own company http://www.fitlaunch.com – FIT Launch as well as providing personal training services locally.
To learn more and review health, wellness, and fitness products visit the http://www.healthygatherings.com Healthy Gatherings website.
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