Regular Exercise

The benefits of regular physical activity are infinite: better health and energy, weight control, improved posture, better balance, increased strength, improved self-esteem, stronger bones, lower blood pressure, better sleep, reduced stress, and continued independent living. If you haven’t exercised before, or if you’re bored with your current program, here’s some help.

Begin slowly. If you’re embarking on a new exercise program, pace yourself. As with many things in life, the all-or-nothing approach to exercise doesn’t work. Many people are motivated when they start a program, but often lose interest when they don’t see immediate results. Overdoing it in the first week will result only in pain, inactivity, and loss of motivation. Overall conditioning includes some cardiovascular activities, strength and endurance activities, and gentle stretching to keep muscles limber. If you belong to a gym, try out various fitness classes and machines to discover which ones suit you best. If you're a first-timer, or haven't exercised in a long time, begin with short spurts of exercise. Accumulate 60 minutes of activity each day in 10-minute spurts. When doing more intense activities, decrease your time to 30 minutes per day 4-5 times per week. Gradually increase the frequency, intensity, and time spent on each activity. To prevent adaptation and boredom, vary the type of activity performed.

Hire a pro. A good personal trainer can help you identify and achieve realistic fitness goals. More importantly, your trainer will ensure you are doing each exercise correctly thereby creating faster results and preventing injury. If private training sessions are too costly, space them out every few weeks. Ask your trainer to develop an exercise program and help you track progress.

Chart your progress. Keep a record of your progress by tracking changes. Measure your weight and body fat regularly. Periodically - every two weeks or so - measure circumferences of your waist, hips, chest, thighs, calves, upper arms, and neck. Tracking results helps you see that your workouts are not in vain.

Sign up for an event. To stay motivated, enter a race, a bodybuilding event, or a sports league. A challenge may give you something to work towards. Most cities offer team sports at local schools and community centers such as badminton, volleyball, baseball, basketball and many others. Have fun being active and make new friends at the same time!

Reward yourself. The pros get bonuses for performing well, so why shouldn't you? For every percentage of fat, or for every five pounds you lose, treat yourself to something special like a massage, a new outfit, or a fun night dancing. When you reach a fitness milestone - six weeks of hard training, losing 20 pounds, or completing a 5K– your reward could be a weekend getaway. Identify some rewards now that you want so you can look forward to them as you work toward your goals.

Have fun. Working out shouldn't feel like a chore. If you're not having fun with it, you shouldn't be doing it. Shake up your workout every six weeks or so with new activities and challenges. This approach should help keep you interested and will also challenge your body to use muscle groups in different ways.

Bring in the troops. You don't have to go it alone! Communicating goals to your friends and family will probably make you feel that much more dedicated to reaching them. Tell them what you want to accomplish and how they can help you. Also let them know what doesn't help. Who knows, maybe you'll find a workout buddy among your peers that will join on your journey to better health!