Getting fit little by little

One of the things I enjoy most about being relatively fit is that life is so much easier than when I was out of shape. It’s easier to carry in the groceries. It’s easier to pick things up off the floor. There’s virtually no spot on my back I can’t scratch. And I can twist to get something out of the backseat of my car without risking a back spasm. My energy level is higher, and I sleep more soundly.

I had no idea I was taking sips from the fountain of youth eight years ago when I started what has become a regular fitness program. How did I get going? Fed up with being sluggish, achy and tired, first I began walking most days of the week. Then I started working with light dumb bells two days a week. Later I took yoga classes to build my core strength and flexibility.

I benefited from regular exercise so much that I wanted to share it with others and began studying to be a fitness professional.  Over time my strength, endurance and flexibility improved so much I now feel 20 years younger.

Are you game? To create a good balance of physical activity, opt for aerobic workouts (walking, dancing, tennis or such) at least three to five times a week and strength training two to three times a week. Warm up before you exercise and cool down afterwards, finishing with stretching.

If that sounds like too much time, remember many benefits of exercise accrue with a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise a week, according to scientific research. That’s 30 minutes 5 days a week or however you want to split up the time. Check with your doctor if you have health concerns to learn if you need to limit or modify exercise in any way.

If you have a hard time scheduling large blocks of time, accumulate activity in increments of 10 minutes or more several times a day. What about stretching or lifting dumb bells (or cans of food) while you watch TV? What about a short walk? Ten minutes here and there can kick start your fitness program.  Life is not only easier with exercise, its better.

What works for you

Starting off the New Year with new resolutions – especially those concerning fitness and wellness - is an energizing feeling, but the key to fulfilling them is a combination of desire, will and strategy.

Sometimes following a resolution is a snap. You decide to go after something, and you just seem to do it. Love it when that happens!

But many times a resolution may be challenging to fulfill. If you slip up it’s important not to be too hard on yourself and give up. Instead you can “fail forward” by becoming a student of your own behavior; learning from what went wrong and making adjustments.

Social scientist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., recommends analyzing what does and does not work for us in her book “The Willpower Instinct.” She says it greatly helps to consider what obstacles we may face and how we will overcome them. For example, if you can’t resist ice cream, but want to cut down on it to reduce calories, best not to keep it in the refrigerator at home. If you tend to forget your gym bag, put it by the door the night before.

Another aid to boosting our willpower is reducing stress in our life. We need down time to refresh ourselves whether it is listening to music, walking through the woods or meditating. The more stressed we are, the more difficult it is to make healthy choices, research has shown. When we are agitated we tend to seek relief, including through comfort foods and watching too much TV.

Not addressing internal conflicts may keep us from being fully committed to our goals and derail us.  For example, is a loved one pressuring you to do something you want to do but you are resisting doing it because of their insistence? Or is a friend trying to talk you out of doing something you want to do? Find an individual or a group who will be in your corner and maybe even exercise, diet or quit smoking with you.

It can help to shore up your resolve to fulfill those New Year’s resolutions by listening to inspirational speakers or reading encouraging literature. Journaling about the ups and downs of your wellness journey can be helpful. And many find calling upon their higher power makes all the difference. Find out what works for you and make it work for you!

Strong or flexible?

When it comes to being strong or flexible, which is best for keeping your muscles and tendons healthy?

Okay, it's a trick question as it is best to be both. Muscle-bound weight lifters can lose range of motion and become so stiff they walk funny. Ultra-flexible yoginis can injure themselves because of too much muscle and tendon laxity and little strength.

Weak and/or tight muscles – often associated with poor posture and body mechanics - can lead to muscle spasms and painful trigger points that can only temporarily be relieved by massage. The underlying problem needs to be addressed.

Another problem weak and tight muscles - as well as muscle strength and flexibility imbalances - can lead to or worsen is osteoarthritis. Healthy (strong and flexible) muscles and tendons help keep joints working properly. A balanced exercise routine to avoid repetitive use and injury of the joints is also important.

Any time you participate in strength training, please stretch afterwards. Resistance training tightens the muscles and over time can lead to loss of range of motion. Also, when you can, stretch after walking or other cardio.

Yoga and/or pilates can improve your flexibility overall. After doing my fitness turnaround several years ago, the increase in my range of motion, just through a bit of yoga and additional stretching, has me feeling 20 years or younger than my actual age.

For do-it-yourselfers: As I have mentioned before, an excellent book on stretching is "Stretching" by Bob Anderson. It's thoroughly illustrated and includes stretches targeting various sports and activities. There are numerous books on strength training. The American Council of Exercise website offers a wealth of information on balancing strength and stretch.

No matter how you approach it, just remember the archer’s bow. Seek to be both strong and flexible.

S.M.A.R.T Goals for the New Year

As the New Year begins it's great to look over fitness gains made in 2011, and create a plan for pursuing fitness in 2012. I like the ideas of setting S.M.A.R.T goals, as Paul J. Meyer popularized through his book Attitude is Everything. "S" is for "specific." "M" is for "measurable." "A" is for "attainable." "R" is for "Relevant." "T" is for "Timely." If you want to be S.M.A.R.T.E.R. also throw in "E" for "Evaluate" and "R" for "Re-evaluate" as goals need to be reviewed and revised over time.

Instead of setting the vague goal of getting in better shape during 2012, consider setting several S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals for incrementally improving your cardio health, muscle strength/endurance and flexibility. Also consider setting a goal for improving your balance, especially if you're over 50. And don't forget to consider how you'll fuel your training with nutritious foods such as lean proteins, whole grains, a variety of veggies/fruits, and healthy fats such as in olive oil, nuts and avocado.

Say you've been walking briskly for 30 minutes three to five times a week for awhile now and want to improve your cardio fitness level. You could decide to incrementally increase your walking to five to seven times a week for an hour within the next three months. (Remember you can split your cardio into multiple increments of at least 10 minutes each during the day if you need to and still get the benefit.) Another option (if your health allows) would be to graduately substitute 30 minutes of more vigorous cardio options such as a stair-stepper machine, running, spinning, and/or Zumba for walking three to five times a week over the next three months. You may opt to split your weekly schedule into two or three vigorous cardio workouts and two or three brisk walking sessions.

While I focused on walking one hour pretty much every day (after gradually building up to that activity level) while I was losing weight and getting back into shape, I now enjoy sometimes alternating brisk walking outdoors with Zumba and various cardio machines at the gym. This year I'll kick my cardio into higher gear with the goal of getting into the routine of four vigorous cardio workouts plus walking one to two times a week over the next three months.

To continue improving my muscle strength/endurance, flexibilty and balance I'll continue on the course I've set to strength train two to three times a week and take yoga classes at least twice a week. But since I've set a new goal of being able to do 15 push-ups in proper form within the next three months I'll be focusing kicking off my resistance training sessions with push-ups. I also want to be able to be able to balance on my right leg as long as I can balance on my left leg. That means extra work on my right leg. Three months from now I'll re-evaluate myself on push ups, balance, etc. and set some new goals.

Setting new goals, and thus changing/increasing my training techniques, intensity, frequency, time, etc., helps keeps me motivated to continue pursuing fitness. But what motivates me even more is the payoff in the way I look and feel. At 52 I'm stronger, faster, healthier and feel younger than I have in years. My sister, who has been working out of town and hasn't seen me in months, said when the family got together on Christmas Day: "I can't believe how great you look. Even your butt is higher."