Exercise should be routine

      One of the most common reasons most people do not exercise is they feel they just do not have the time.
      Although it is easy to say "make time for it," it is not so easy to do when you work and have a family to take care of, let alone try to have a social life. Hopefully, the following suggestions will help you better structure your day and start to include regular exercise into your daily routine.
      The National Center for Health Statistics has reported that although fitness is more prevalent now than in the 1960s, there are more fat and obese people living today than back then.
      What has changed? In the 1960s, only boxers jogged, there were no nonfat foods and cheeseburgers were eaten guilt free.
      The problem lies in that most of us talk ourselves out of working out before we even start. First, you have to pack a gym bag, then you have to drive to the gym, change clothes again, maybe shower if you have other plans and then drive home. All of this is a lot of work, so a lot of people do not even bother to start.
      The problem with exercise recently is that it has become too monotonous. You walk on the treadmill, do your weight machines (in the same order), stretch and go home. Boring. More fitness facilities are trying to cure the boredom factor by offering a variety of different class but for some this is not enough to get them motivated.
      Fitness and exercise should not be viewed as just a gym thing. Fitness can be part of our daily life: walking the dog, carrying groceries into the house, hauling laundry upstairs and raking leaves.
      All of these activities get the heart pumping and make us expend extra calories. A small amount of cardiovascular exercise (20 to 30 minutes) spread throughout the day is enough to keep your heart healthy and also keep off unwanted pounds.
      Instead of thinking, "No pain, no gain" or "Go for the burn," we should be telling ourselves "consistency." Consistency is the biggest factor in predicting whether you will get results out of a workout program and whether you will stick with it. So, somedays you might not feel like exercising or you might be under the weather, these are the days to get that done.
      Once you start making excuses about skipping your exercise, it becomes easier and easier until finally you are doing nothing at all. The best part is that once you get going, you will feel so happy that you did something productive and good for your body.
      Here are some great suggestions taken from the book "Too Busy to Exercise." It shows us how easily small bouts of exercise can be implemented into our day.
      At work, take a brisk 10-minute walk around the parking lot or go up and down the stairs for 10 minutes. Try doing jumping jacks or jumping rope in your office. Run in place for five minutes and then rest 30 seconds before repeating. Although your co-workers might think you have lost your mind, remember you are doing what it takes to look good and feel healthy.
      Strength training does not necessarily have to be done on fancy machines or with free weights. Perform several sets of push ups against your desk or a sturdy counter. You can eventually progress to doing modified (knee) pushups on the floor. Squats and lunges can be performed in a relatively small space; use cans of food or books as weights to increase the difficulty of the exercises.
      The biggest key to exercise is just making yourself move. Do what feels comfortable to you and if something hurts, don't do it. Finally, a great exercise you can do all day long is work on your posture. Sitting and standing upright helps strengthen the abdominal and lower-back muscles.
      Make the time for exercise even if it is just in small spurts throughout the day.
     
     Mike Springer and his wife, Kim, are certified by ACE, NASM and ACSM as personal trainers. They can be reached at 233-9442 and by fax at 233-9446.