I sit down in an office at a gym and meet with new people each week to discuss different aspects of exercise and training. Whether I end up working with them or not, it is always interesting and insightful to hear someone’s personal health story because each and every person is unique. My goal is to give away some knowledge that will help benefit them and guide them in the right direction.
Choosing a direction can be the most difficult part. If you have a goal, then you are already headed in the direction of success. Having a goal keeps your head focused as long as you keep that goal in vision. When you lose sight of that goal, you may end up veering off path for a while. I call that falling off the band wagon. Relate that to someone who once was very active with their faith and love for God. One day, it seemed, life got busy and the focus on God transitioned to focus on everything but God. The end result was an increase in anxiety and a feeling of loss of control. Once we re-direct our focus on what is most important then we begin to see, feel, and understand what is good for us.
Okay, so we see the light. Now what do we do? Create a plan! Everyone’s plan should be different, just like God’s plan for each and every one of us is different. Be sure that your plan is something that is do-able. If it seems too hard, then chances are it will be. If it seems challenging that may be a good thing. How you create your plan is up to you. It will be based on your capabilities. For instance, if you’ve got a toe you’ve had surgery on that just doesn’t want to bend and it aches when you do bend it a plank is not going to be a comfortable exercise because it entails toe flexion. The constant flexion of the toes that takes place when you walk on a treadmill may be uncomfortable during a 30 minute cardio session, so choose the elliptical since your feet can stay flat. As part of your plan you will also want to be sure you’re incorporating activities that are both cardiogenic, meaning the activity increases your heart rate, and activities that train muscle strength.
You have a plan, but you’re too tired or you don’t have the time. Aha! These are common excuses. You’re plan needs to be refined to something that is do-able. Remember if it seems too big then it probably is. If it’s time you’re lacking then choose six to ten exercises and perform them back to back without any rest. Give yourself a half-hour each day and don’t stop until you get through them all two to three times. Always begin with a warm-up and a cool-down. If you’re tired, start out small. Don’t tell yourself you have to go run three miles after an eight hour day on your feet. Instead, tell yourself you can walk first and if you feel like running you can run, but you don’t have to. Exercise gives us energy, but we won’t feel it unless we do it. You will most likely feel like running after you begin walking first.
Consistency is a key component to our health and fitness success. Without consistency it’s unlikely that you will see the results that you desire. You cannot consistently eat cookies every day and expect to lose weight. However, if you consistently eat fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats every day then over a period of just a few short months you will see changes. If you consistently sit on the couch without ever getting up to move or pick anything up then you can expect that your metabolism will slow down because it has become accustomed to reserving energy. Get up and break a sweat for twenty minutes five days a week and you will begin to feel the need to get up and move when you’re sitting down because your metabolism is beginning to work again.
Becoming fit is both a mental and physical process. If you’re reading this, you’re in the right direction. Start with a goal or a set of small goals. Losing 100 pounds is not a smart goal because it is too big and one can easily get overwhelmed with it. Starting with a five to ten pound weight-loss is much more ideal. We have no limitations on what we can do or how far we can go in our health and fitness journey. We will fail and get frustrated, but that is part of the beautiful learning process. Keep your eye on your goals and readjust your plan if it didn’t work for you. There are a vast majority of resources out there to help you begin with an exercise and nutrition plan. Exercise Programming books are becoming more popular and I see people in the gym with them all the time. They will help you discover new exercises, what exercises strengthen and develop particular body parts, and what muscle groups are involved. You can develop your own workouts from these books. I wish you all the best of luck and make it fun!
