HEALTHY LIVING TIP

Consistency

Making Your Workouts Part of the Equation

If I told you there was something you could take that would help manage your weight, improve your mood, combat chronic illness, improve heart and lung function, and improve your sleep, would you want to take it? Well, according to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, there IS something you can take that will provide all of these benefits: you can take a walk, a swim, a hike, or a bike ride. Studies show that regular exercise has so many merits and so few drawbacks that it is the obvious remedy to many of our most common complaints. How is it, then, that exercise is often the thing that we let drop first when we are short on time or energy?

One reason that exercise eludes many people is that we feel obligated to so many others besides ourselves. To exercise is to put our own bodies first. But what's so important to remember is that without healthy bodies, we're of no use at work, at home, or to our families. In fact, if we don't take care of our bodies, it becomes more and more likely that someone else will end up taking care of our bodies for us when we suffer from a major illness. Think about it this way... your job may change, your family may move away, but you will always have your own body. So doesn't it make sense that you should be taking care of it first?

Here's another way to think of your dedication to exercise. There are 168 hours in a week. Even the most conservative guidelines for good health state that we should exercise at least 30 minutes a day. But let's get a little crazy and call it an hour a day to fit in the 3 keys to fitness: aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching. Seven hours a week out of 168 hours total equals 4% of our time. Think about all the other activities to which we donate 4% of our time. Shopping? Television? Housework? If we work 40 hours a week, that means we're devoting 24% of our time to our jobs. While that is certainly reasonable, here is another thing to consider: according to the Nielsen Company, the average American watches TV for 28 hours a week. If we really watch 28 hours of television a week, then 17% of our time goes to television. Now think about what really deserves our attention. What about our bodies? Don't they deserve a measly 4% of our time? So how do we integrate exercise into our lives with consistency? Here are four steps to making exercise a regular activity:

Get to know yourself. Think about all the things that you do consistently. What is the common thread among those? What makes you devote your time to those activities, and how do you find the will to complete them day in and day out? Then think about ways you can treat exercise with the same respect and devotion.

Make it fun. Most people don't like to do things they are "supposed" to do. But activities that are perceived to be playtime are much more attractive. Instead of suddenly picking up an activity you don't enjoy, expecting that you might enjoy it someday, make a list of all of the things you actually like to do. Perhaps you don't like to run but you like to walk with two or three friends. Perhaps you like to swim. Choose activities that might not seem like a "work-out" but that get your heart going while you're having fun.

Monitor your progress. Before you devote your time to exercise, start a journal where you make a note of any physical conditions you wish you could improve. Perhaps you get out of breath from walking stairs. Perhaps you want to lose a few pounds. Keep track of your progress before and after you have made exercise a priority in your life.

Plan for it. Instead of scheduling your day around work, housework, or television, try planning your day around exercise. When will you get your body moving? How will you feel when you do it? What tools and food do you need to make the exercise go well?

Have you ever taken a week or month off exercise? The first time back in the trenches feels horrible, emotionally and physically. Not only can we feel the weakness in our bodies, but it's easy to beat ourselves up over lost fitness and feel like we may never recover the strength we once had. That's why consistency is key. When we're working out regularly, we make tangible fitness gains that allow us to experience the benefits of exercise. So make the move to devote just a few hours of your week to the one thing that you know you will always need: your health.