You know it’s bad when
Surgeon General issues a warning that lack of exercise is hazardous to your health. And that was back in ’96. Since then, stats haven’t improved much, either: 25% of American population is still sedentary and 60% do not exercise regularly (Reference: http://www.cdc.gov).For fitness minded folks, we could do worse than to follow “hour-a-day” prescription outlined by Surgeon General’s Healthy People Report. It’s just a guideline, of course and, as you already know, any amount of activity packed into your busy schedule is going to earn you healthy rewards. But there are plenty of other reasons to exercise.
“If people exercised only moderately,” says Janet Kneiss, Physical Therapist, “there would be far less incidence of injury. The 15 or so people I see daily, who come in with back and neck problems, usually don’t want to exercise, they want a quick fix.”
The solution as she sees it?
“I think, if people could just reframe idea of it [exercise] being so much work and focus more on enjoyment of doing it,they would find experience more positive.”
So, if exercise alone can keep you injury and disease free, how do you keep it from being just another thing “to-do?” Here are a couple ideas:
Do something you enjoy: This sounds incredibly simple, but it’s worth mentioning. As we’ve already said, most seasoned fitness fanatics as well as neophytes will be first to tell you: if you do something you enjoy, you will stick to it. What do you like to do? Walk? Run? Spin treadmill while watching tube? Or how about branching out and trying something unique and different like kick-boxing or martial arts? It’s a great idea to add variety; it will keep your exercise fresh and interesting.
Mix it up! Speaking of variety, you can also mix up your routine. For example: try splitting up your exercise sessions. If you take a half-hour walk in morning, take a half-hour to stretch or resistance train in afternoon. Just adding a bit of variety could spice things up and keep you motivated. Make an appointment with yourself. Make commitment to exercise by making an appointment with yourself. Write it on your calendar. If you’ve never exercised before, start slow [10-15 minutes] then build up. Begin exercising three times a week, then slowly build up your time and your frequency. If you love to exercise, try listening to your bio-rhythms. If you can, schedule exercise during peak energy periods.
