EXERCISE!

Ever since I can remember I have been very physically active. My sister Diane has recently told me it may have something to do with not being able to sit still related to OCD, which runs in our family.  As a pre-schooler, I ran everywhere and climbed everything. I took dance lessons and gymnastics classes into my pre-teen years. I loved Phys-Ed with a passion. My father taught my sister Genene and I how to ski, play racquetball and tennis. And until I was 12 years old, I was 100% positive I was going to be either a Radio City Music Hall Rockette or Broadway Musical Dancer.  After college, I no longer had formal exercise scheduled in my life. I saw a photo of myself in a bikini and was mortified. I wasn’t overweight, but not “in shape” or toned and I always had been without having to think about it. I honestly think that up until that point I believed I was just naturally physically fit. At age 21 I started exercising “for the sake of exercising” for the first time. I would attempt first thing in the morning to do The Jane Fonda Workout. This routine was extremely difficult for at least one full year. Not the workout itself, but getting up and exercising first thing in the morning. To help motivate myself, I kept a calendar and gold stars on days when I actually woke up and exercised. There were weeks that every single day was completely blank. Weeks with just one day with a gold star. But over time the days with gold stars filled in! I noticed that all day I felt noticeably better emotionally and physically on the days I exercised. I felt more awake and was excited that I had already accomplished something for myself before starting my day.  I understand that most people do not have this innate nutty drive to exercise. But it is my mission to help people figure out ways to keeping moving and stay healthy through physical activity. That does not mean it has to be exercise for the sake of exercise. My father was one of the most physically active people I knew and he never exercised for the sake of exercise a day in his life. My mother is incredibly physically active because her job as a waitress demands it. So there is no reason to think you have to join a gym to reap the benefits. Exercising keeps your heart healthy, your mind sharp, your stress level down, your muscles toned, keeps your lungs strong, strengthens your bones, prevents cancer, reduces blood sugar levels, improves your skin and helps your body LOOK FABULOUS! One thing I want to stress above everything else is that you do not exercise to lose weight. I know that this is an inevitable result, but if you do it for that reason, you are prone to use it to binge on junk food and exercise then becomes a form of bulimia. And you do not want to get into that. Having a fit body is a side effect of exercise. But I prefer you to think of it as a healthy life habit that you will continue for life. Not a means to get ready to wear a bathing suit this summer or to have a nice butt in your jeans. Think of exercise as a way of life. Not as a way to reach a goal. Think of it the way you think of brushing your teeth. You brush your teeth regularly to keep them healthy and in your mouth. You don’t brush your teeth with the idea that if you brush them for an hour you can stop for a while. Exercising keeps you healthy for life, but you have to make it a lifestyle. So how do you accomplish this if you feel you have tried everything and “cannot exercise”? I recommend you start out by deciding on a number of days per week and an amount of time each of those days that you can 100% commit to without fail. For instance, between 3 - 5 days a week for 5 minutes a day. I know that sounds ridiculous, but trust me if you can commit to a minimum of 3 - 5 times a week for 5 minutes a day and think of everything else as a bonus, you will feel proud to have kept your commitment to yourself. You will wind up doing more than the bare minimum eventually but start with something that is so easy to commit to and then gradually increase it.  The way this truly benefits you is you are not starting off with an unattainable goal. I cannot tell you how many people have told me they tried exercising 5 days a week for an hour a day and cannot do it. Well, of course not! They set an unrealistic goal. Then let themselves down and saw this as proof that they could not do it. So they stop doing anything at all. Not necessary to do this to yourself. ANY exercise is better than no exercise. Soon I will be posting several exercise videos where I'll show you specific exercises you can do in 5 minutes (or more!). But there are so many things out there on YouTube. Here are a few of my recommendations: Lunges Burpees (aka Squat Thrusts) Pilates Isometric The exercises I recommend are those that do not require any equipment. So if you go on vacation or stay at someone else’s home, you can still exercise. Though if you would like to incorporate weights, holding weights while doing lunges definitely adds an additional strength component. You can also walk up and down the stairs for 5 minutes. Jog around your block for 5 minutes. Do 5 minutes of sun salutations. It is important to do a mild stretch prior to exercise. But this does not need to take much time. Simple stretching or a set of Sun Salutations are sufficient. In my opinion, it is more important to stretch after exercising. You want to be sure to stretch the muscle groups you worked. Also, be sure to drink water to avoid muscle cramps, strain, and dehydration. I have been mentioning a lot of “exercising for the sake of exercising” techniques here. But there are lots of ways to get true exercise without getting into “workout” clothing. Active team sports like basketball, volleyball, tennis; solo exercises like running; activities like dancing all are fabulous cardio exercises that qualify as exercise. I have a client who is incredibly successful incorporating the minimum 3 days a week 5 minutes per day schedule and she often dances around her home when getting on the treadmill seems daunting. There are no excuses. Often when I talk to someone who is struggling with exercise they come up with a list of excuses. On top of the list is time. But if you don’t have 5 minutes a day 3 - 5 days a week, you are kidding yourself. Then next excuse I hear is someone is tired. Well, exercise is proven to increase your energy, so all the more reason to do it. I also hear a lot about injuries. I know all about injuries from personal experience. When I was a pre-teen I had to stop dancing and doing gymnastics because of scoliosis in my back that affected my back and my right hip, knee, and ankle. Later in life, I spent years running marathons until my hip (same right hip) decided it was time to stop when I developed bursitis. There are plenty of modifications that can be done to guarantee you a fabulous workout. If you have any questions on the specifics of modifications, please reach out to me. You can leave a comment, call or send me an email. I absolutely LOVE helping people figure out how they can modify the exercise to accommodate their body’s preferences. Please let me know your thoughts. Please share your struggles. What have you tried? What works for you? What do you wish you could figure out how to do?