Would appreciate any comments/suggestions. Is this helpful? 10 Tips to Start AND Continue and Exercise Program While the many health benefits of moving our bodies most days of the week are well documented many still find it challenging to start, and more importantly, continue exercising on a regular basis. They may believe that getting in shape is too challenging, requires too much time and commitment or is just something they personally can’t do. But the fact remains that each and every one of us is the first line of defense against illness and disease and getting regular exercise (working hard enough to sweat) is the magic ticket to better health and feeling better!. So, how do we get started and keep going? These 10-tips should help. 1. Make a plan and stick to it. Plan which days you will exercise, what you will do and for how long. Write them in your calendar like any other appointment and stick to it. 2. Get an Exercise Buddy. Research shows that people who exercise with a buddy are more likely to stick to an exercise program. Grab a friend or family member and take a walk and visit, dance with your kids, workout with the ladies (or guys) and most importantly, make it fun! 3. Remember, only you can do it. There are many multi-million dollar companies out there ready to sell you everything you need to get the body you want. Unfortunately, if you don’t put in the time and effort, these products won’t work for the long term. You have all that you need to start exercising - just do it. No money, no equipment required. 4. Start slow and gradually increase. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to try and work off years of bad habits in a day. Remember, you didn’t get in the shape you’re in overnight and you won’t get out of it overnight. Start with something simple like walking and gradually increase your speed, time and/or distance. As you get stronger add on more challenging cardio, strength and flexibility moves. 5. Use proper form and technique. Stand up tall, abs pulled in, knees soft and shoulder blades down and together. This will help work your entire body, strengthen your core (even if you’re working another body part) and protect your joints from the force of gravity. 6. Do cardio, strength and flexibility. Cardio is anything that makes your heart beat faster and breath come deeper. Walking, running, biking, swimming, dancing – the list goes on. At least half of your session should be cardio work. Strength work requires muscle to push or pull on bone. You can use weights, flex bands, body weight, commod cans/bags, kids, whatever. Building strength not only helps you do what you need to do each day better, it also helps speed up your resting metabolism so your body burns more calories even when you’re doing nothing. Flexibility work (also known as stretching) is needed to assure you can move your body in the full range of motion throughout your lifetime (or at least as close as you can get). Stretch after the warm up and again after the work out stretching all major muscles for 15-30 seconds and longer for sore spots. 7. Warm- up, Stretch and Cool Down! The warm up helps to lubricate the joints so they move easier, helps to prevent injury and gets our body and brain ready to work together. Stretching helps to prevent injury and cooling down allows your blood to recirculate throughout the body and brain to prevent feeling light headed and faint after exercise. 8. Set small, specific goals. Again, don’t try to change years of bad habits in a short period of time. Your first goal may be to be able to walk continuously for just a few minutes, five days a week. If you want to lose weight, don’t say “I will lose 50 pounds”, say “I will lose 1 to 2 pounds a week by eating smaller meals, few carbs, more protein and exercising for at least 30-minutes 5-days a week”. 9. Keep going no matter what. Life happens. Sometimes you will miss a workout – it’s not the end of the world. As soon as you can get back to it and remember, it only takes about 48 hours to lose all that you gained so don’t kick back too long! 10. Change it up! Your body is smart and adapts quickly to activities and environments. As a result, if you do the same workout day in and day out your benefits will drop dramatically if you continue to do the same workout every single day. Change things up – walk one day, bike the next and dance the next. Do things differently – change directions, music, whatever you can to make sure you get the most out of our workout. For more information about starting and continuing an exercise program, specific exercises or more resources visit CRLHealth, fitnessmagazine or the many other fitness sites on the worldwide web.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 23:14:09 +0000
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