Get More Exercise!
Resolved: Get More Exercise (You Can Do It!)
By Cheryl Stallings, R.N.
Many of us want to get more exercise, and we really try. When we aren’t successful, we need to keep several things in mind.
First, it is important to understand that willpower alone does not work. It may help you for a short time, but long-term success requires planning and finding ways to motivate yourself every day. Second, your source of motivation may change, and you need to find different ways to motivate yourself. Third, even people who are highly committed to exercising don’t want to exercise every day. Like you, they have to find different ways to stay motivated.
Why Should I Exercise?
Regular exercise is good for you. According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent Report on Physical Activity and Health, regular exercise…
- Reduces the risk of dying from heart disease
- Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes
- Helps people control weight and keep their bones, muscles and joints healthier
- Reduces depression and anxiety
- Helps older adults maintain their ability to function and to remain independent
How Should I Start?
Older adults and people with health problems should check with their doctor before starting an exercise program. A good way to begin regular exercise is by doing an aerobic activity such as walking, swimming or biking.
You may want to add strengthening exercises later. Strengthening exercises include such activities as lifting weights to build muscles and increase metabolism, which causes you to burn more calories. Make warm-ups before exercise and stretching after exercise part of your routine in order to minimize injuries.
Eventually, it is good to do equal amounts of aerobic and strengthening exercises. This combination helps increase flexibility, strength and endurance.
How Do I Maintain an Exercise Program?
There are several steps you can take to help maintain an exercise program throughout the year.
- Create a personal game plan. This means writing down your goals and ways you plan to achieve them.
- Don’t go overboard with goals. People who try to accomplish too much too soon tend to become discouraged and stop trying.
- Have fun! Include exercises and physical activities that you enjoy in your plan. If you buy home exercise equipment, place it in a spot where you can watch television, for example.
- Have a backup plan in case you occasionally cannot do your normal workout. The backup plan might include climbing stairs rather than taking an elevator; walking more by parking some distance from your office, the store, or other destination; and standing up and sitting down while commercials run on television.
- Set weekly goals and reward yourself when you achieve them – but avoid food rewards, especially if you are trying to lose weight. The goals should be obtainable. Few of us are going to look like a super star or highly paid model no matter what we do.
- Wear comfortable shoes with good support to minimize foot injuries when exercising.
- Before beginning strength training, work with a knowledgeable trainer who can show you how to use the equipment and exercise safely with it.
- Start your exercise program slowly, especially if you have not been physically active in some time.
- Make exercise part of your schedule. Decide on the days and time you will exercise, put them in your plan, and stick to your decision.
- Exercise with a friend and motivate each other, or join an exercise class.
Changing Your Attitude
Some people have bad attitudes about exercise. They think of it as painful, boring, time consuming, impossible to maintain in the long term, or punishment for unhealthy eating habits.
However, attitudes can change. People who have negative ideas about exercise should determine whether their attitudes are excuses or based on personal experience. Then, they need to start thinking about physical activity in a different, more positive way because exercise does not have to be painful, boring, etc.
A more positive approach is to think of exercise as a reward, a way to increase your energy and improve your mood, and a break from an otherwise stressful day.
About the Author: Cheryl Stallings, R.N., B.S.N., is the Family Education Program coordinator at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. She teaches a number of family classes sponsored by the medical center, coordinates several groups for new mothers, and manages several exercise classes for people of all ages. Stallings also participates in community events to educate parents, grandparents, young children in expectant families, and others about various aspects of family life. She is a graduate of Union University in Jackson, where she earned a bachelor of science in nursing. She has more than 20 years of experience in nursing, including emergency medicine, critical care, nursing management, and staff development, and is the author of a graduate preceptorship program.