Exercise program? Did I say I'd start exercising this year? If those are familiar words to you, then you need to find out how exercising can be your reality. It's never too late to act upon what you really want if it's important enough to you. It has been scientifically proven that it takes 30 days of consistency to make something a habit. Creating the habit is the first and most important step toward ensuring a successful and consistent exercise program. The following simple suggestions will help you achieve this goal:
Before beginning, be sure to get medical clearance if you are over 50 years old and/or have any health or physical limitations that could affect the safety of your exercise.
1. Make a 30-45 minute appointment with yourself everyday.
This is your first step toward creating the habit. Mark this as an appointment on your calendar or to-do list every day for 30 days (preferably the same time each day). Do not allow yourself to miss this appointment. Would you ever miss picking your child up from school, or a scheduled meeting with your supervisor? View it as something that important or simply as essential as your daily shower.
2. Choose a motivation and accountability person.
Everyone has a different reason for exercising. Having energy to do chores after work, losing 10 lbs, being able to run a 5K, or socializing with the Zumba class are some examples of the things that help motivate different people. An important person in your life can also help with motivation and accountability. This could a spouse, friend, child, or personal trainer. This person can be your cheerleader and/or your exercise partner. Having the support of loved ones is a big step toward success. A trainer is a plus in many regards as well. A trainer can motivate by providing variety and accountability for the session, in addition to other lifestyle choices. A trainer is also extremely beneficial in guidance for safety and effectiveness.
3. Choose type(s) of exercise.
Start with a cardio-respiratory type exercise (also known as aerobic) mainly because it accomplishes a variety of goals that most people want to attain from exercise - health, fitness, weight loss, and preparation for an athletic event or competition. Aerobic exercise uses large muscle groups for a continuous period at a moderate intensity. This means it should be hard enough for you to be winded, but you should still be able to hold a conversation while performing the exercise without gasping. These are a few examples of aerobic exercise: swimming, biking, fast walking, running, aerobic dancing, and machines such as ellipticals, climbers, rowers etc. Sports such as tennis, soccer and basketball are not typically continuous (lots of starts and stops) and often can involve sprinting which can be quite vigorous for a beginner. However, they are great forms of exercise and can be pursued as your fitness level improves.
Choose something you enjoy and are capable of doing. Start at your own fitness level for a duration of 10-20 minutes at the moderate intensity mentioned above. This is your workout phase. A safe and effective progression would entail adding about 2-3 minutes each week. Thus, by the end of your 30 days, you will be able to exercise 20-30 minutes continuously every day. Your intensity will need to increase gradually as the exercise becomes easier.
In addition to that workout time, it is important to incorporate a proper warm up and cool down phase. Each phase should be approximately 5-10 minutes. A warm up is the period just before your workout, in which you perform the upcoming exercise in a gradual progression of intensity. This comfortably prepares your heart, lungs and body for the harder work phase to come. The cool down is just the opposite. You should gradually slow down your exercise and bring your exertion level and heart rate back near its starting rate before stopping. This helps to prevent dizziness or discomfort. If you are new to exercise, this phase could easily take longer than 5 minutes, due to lack of fitness. As fitness improves, so will your recovery time.
4. Choose your location.
Your location will vary depending on your time constraints, budget, choice of exercise and motivation. Using equipment in your own home, or walking or running in your neighborhood is the most cost efficient and time saving. However, they can also be limited by space and weather conditions. A health club may cost more and could be more time consuming with travel included, but definitely adds variety in all areas of fitness and can greatly increase motivation. Any of these locations are conducive to hiring a personal trainer which can heighten your exercise experience and results. Weigh your options carefully and most importantly choose what fits most appropriately with the time you have marked on your calendar/to-do list.
Once you have begun to consistently exercise, there is a final step that will enable you to meet your specific goals.
5. Progress - as determined by your goals.
The above four steps will enable the habit. You will then need to make modifications to meet further goals. The key factors to achieving success are setting realistic, specific, measurable goals.
a) If your goal is general health and fitness:
This would not be considered specific or measurable. Here's how you can restate this goal. "I desire to walk up the stairs without huffing and puffing within a month." The above program may be all you need to achieve this goal. You could consider doing the workout twice a day a couple of times a week for improved fitness and energy.
b) If your goal is toning:
This is also non-specific and hard to measure. You can change this to state "I desire to lose 2% body fat by 6 weeks." You can advance toward this goal by adding 20-30 minutes of weight training 2-3 days per week and eliminating or cutting back on the cardio those days if desired.
c) If weight loss is your goal:
It's easier to set a weight loss goal. In order to lose weight safely and permanently, you should only lose 1-2 lbs. per week. Therefore a realistic, specific, measurable example would be "I desire to lose 5-8 lbs in a month" or "I desire to drop one pant size in a month." For either case, you would need to gradually increase your cardio time to 40-50 minutes each workout for a total of five days per week. For even better results, you should incorporate weight training 2-3 times per week for a greater metabolic boost.
Keep in mind; it is important to understand that body composition (the relation of muscle to fat within your body) is more important than your weight on a scale. Everyone has a different body build and just because your weight on the scale might seem like a big number, it does not necessarily mean that you need to lose as much weight as you think. You may have more muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat and takes up less space in your body, as well as burns calories more efficiently. You should consider having your body composition tested if you are concerned or do not fully understand this. Weight training can greatly improve the muscle to fat ratio in your body. Also, note that in order to lose weight, calories burned must be greater than calories taken in. So another approach to weight loss would be to incorporate gradual, positive changes in your diet, such as following the 30 day habit method mentioned above.
So what are you waiting for? No more excuses. You now have this easy plan to accomplish simple health and fitness goals. It would be wise for achievement of further goals to hire a personal trainer to at least get you started on the right track.
February 11, 2009
