"The journey of a million miles begins with the first step." Chinese Proverb
Exercise may add years to your life or prevent a serious illness. No doubt about it; genes play a significant role in determining the probability of developing a life threatening or chronic illness. But you can do something to reduce your chance of illness and improve your health. Lack of exercise is a behavioral risk factor for disease: so exercise regularly.
If you are new to the business of regular exercise, the thought of taking precious time away from your preferred activities may be enough to send you to the couch. But wait, exercise can be fun and rewarding. Exercise increases energy, improves mood, self-esteem, physical strength and overall fitness. Do some exercise; it's better than nothing.
Here are some tips to get you started.
Recognize from the start, exercise is a lifestyle . The benefits of exercise accumulate over years. Taking a walk or swim can be relaxing; but making the decision to exercise regularly is a commitment. You may not come upon the decision all at once.
Lynn is runner; but she mixes up her workouts at the gym lifting weights. Recently she ran a marathon and injured her leg. So she switched from running to swimming and weight lifting. Her friend, Jere, was feeling depressed, so Lynn got him a guest pass to her health club. She taught him a workout routine that is fairly strenuous and he was hooked. The next week Jere signed up at the health club and now the two work out together. Get a work out mentor. Someone who can show you the ropes and keep you company. Jere's decision to work out came after a positive experience that offered him companionship, social support and improved self-esteem from working out.
Assess your health status . If you suffer from a chronic physical condition or physical limitation, ask your physician about activities you can do. If you can't spell exercise; take a walk around the block. If you start and stop exercising, evaluate your program and set new goals. If you're a fitness fanatic, help someone else get started.
Choose your sport wisely . Whether you run, lift weights, play basketball or walk, choose a sport you like enough to stick with. First, try out a handful of activities. Assess how you feel after each sport, are you energized, relaxed or more stressed? Do you enjoy activities with someone else or do you like the serenity of a solitary sport? You know cyclists who never run, and weight lifters that don't play tennis. You will get plenty of advice about from all of them, but pick what you do best.
Choose a sport that fits your lifestyle . Exercise takes time, money and discipline. If your life is filled with work deadlines, children and social commitments, you may not have time for golf three times a week, but you can walk on your lunch hour or after work, before you pick up your kids. If you live on a shoestring, you probably can't afford an expensive health club, but you might afford a less expensive 24-hour fitness center: check out your YMCA and your community recreation schedules. If you travel, you probably can't bring your tennis partner, but you can bring your running shoes or workout in the hotel gym. Combining aerobic exercise -- swimming, running and dancing with strength training -- free weights or weight lifting produce the best results.
Guarantee your success : set goals you will achieve. You can manage to exercise one day a week for an hour or two days a week for 30 minutes or three days a week for 20 minutes. The key is to start with the right frequency and duration of exercise. Once you successfully maintain your exercise schedule, add another day or add 10 minutes to your workout or both. Add only when you will succeed. For minimal health benefits, exercise three times a week for 60 minutes at a moderate to strenuous intensity.
Pick the best time(s) of day . Everyone is different. Some people manage to work out at all times of the day while others need a set routine. You can mix and match your activities with suitable times. If you run on the weekend, but it takes too much time to dress, run, shower and change at lunch, try running after work, or try walking for 20 minutes at lunch or during a break. If running is the only thing that satisfies your workout hunger, then make it a priority. Forget the Macy's sale, skip trips to the water-cooler, make calls from your car phone, or run errands later.
Wear the right cloths : use the right equipment. Wear non-restrictive, breathable, clothing, comfortable fitting shoes, and use rackets and golf clubs you can grip. A focus on discomfort is sure to slow you down or stop you in your tracks or cause an injury. It may take awhile to get the best fit. You can buy cheap work out cloths from Target and K-mart and clearance racks at sport shops, RoadRunner Sports always sells last year's shoes at a discount, you don't have to make a fashion statement to get fit.
Keep yourself motivated . If you get runner's high after your first couple of runs, you will keep running. If you dig the people you play bi-weekly tennis with, you will show up. If a 30-minute walk gives you a break from the kids, you will keep walking. But a lot of exercise does not have immediate payoffs, so you will have to contrive different methods to reward your success and keep you going. So tell your friends or other fanatics about your workouts -- get praise where you can. Track your progress: record the amount of time and number of days you workout on your calendar.
Consider other healthy behaviors . Drink a lot of water and fluids: stay hydrated before and after strenuous activity. Hydrating your body improves your performance, aids digestion and helps your body eliminate toxic chemicals through your skin and kidneys. Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables -- in addition to containing large amounts of water, they are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Stretch before and after a workout, take a hot bath, and take a short relaxing swim or walk to quell stiffness or pain and prevent injuries. Persistent stiffness, swelling or pain may signal an injury, change your work out to prevent further injury or seek professional advice.
Take one step at a time . Now that you have a workout program together, you developed this idea you should be perfect. Forget it. Your meeting runs late and your weight lifting session is cut by 10 minutes. You walk at lunch because you missed your morning run. Still, you lifted, still you walked. Don't use that pint of Ben and Jerry's you wolfed down last night, or those beers you drank at the sport's bar last night, or that cigar you smoked on the golf course as an excuse to stop your program. Nobody's perfect.
Start from the beginning, from the first minute, hour, week, and month to over the course of years to develop healthy behavior. Occasional indulgences and adjustments are part of living. Cut yourself some slack.
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