Most of us know we should exercise regularly, but lack of physical activity continues to hold many of us back from achieving health and fitness goals.
Can you relate?
Studies show people who exercise regularly are healthier than those who don’t. That makes sense, right?
In addition to building and strengthening muscles, exercise supports our lymphatic system, improves multiple functions of the body and reduces the risk for illness and disease. Exercise also stimulates brain cell growth and makes us feel good – who doesn’t want that?!
Did you know that exercise:
- Keeps you young – Workouts such as brisk walking or cycling boost the amount of oxygen consumed during exercise. Improving your aerobic capacity by just 15 to 25 percent would be like shaving 10 to 20 years off your age. Aerobic exercise may also stimulate the growth of new brain cells in older adults. Working out can keep you flexible, limber, and strong.
- Reduces infections – Moderate workouts temporarily rev-up the immune system by increasing the aggressiveness or capacity of immune cells. That may explain why people who exercise catch fewer colds.
- Prevents heart attacks – Not only does exercise raise “good” HDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure, but new research shows it reduces arterial inflammation, another risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.
- Eases asthma – New evidence shows that upper-body and breathing exercises can reduce the need to use an inhaler in mild cases of asthma (check with your doctor on this, of course).
- Controls blood sugar – Exercise helps maintain a healthy blood-sugar level by increasing the cells’ sensitivity to insulin and by controlling weight. Regular brisk walking can significantly cut the risk of developing type II diabetes.
- Protects against cancer – Exercise may reduce the risk of colon-cancer by speeding waste through the gut and lowering the insulin level. It may also protect against breast and prostate cancer by regulating hormone levels.
- Combats stress – Regular aerobic exercise lowers levels of stress hormones. For many people, exercise helps relieve depression as effectively as antidepressant medication.
- Prolongs life – Studies lasting many years have consistently shown that being active cuts the risk of premature death by about 50% for both men and women.
- Weight-bearing exercise such as walking, running, and strength building with weights can protect bone health.
Exercise is the closest thing to the fountain of youth, and it can transform your health. A healthy diet is important too, of course.
People who exercise regularly are more flexible, look better, and age better than those who aren’t physically active. I don’t know about you, but if I can look younger and age more gracefully, I’m all for it!
Overcoming Roadblocks to Achieve Health and Fitness Goals
You might have good intentions of starting an exercise program, but for one reason or another, you just feel ‘stuck.’ You get in a rut and stay there. Take a step back and think about what you really want.
Think about how you truly want to look and feel. What is most important to you? Do you want to feel fit, healthy, sexy, confident, empowered, unstoppable, strong, comfortable in your own skin, younger? Something else maybe? If you could imagine anything for yourself, how would you like to look and feel?
Now, if you could think of one thing that’s holding you back or stopping you, what would that be? Does anything come to mind for you?
The three most common roadblocks to incorporating exercise into one’s lifestyle are time, knowledge, and motivation.
Can you relate to one of these reasons? There was a time when I could relate to all three.
Everyone is busy, busy, busy!
The good news is you don’t have to spend hours at a gym. There are plenty of ways to fit various forms of exercise into your routine, without taking time away from your family or commitments. Of course, be sure to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.
Set aside one block of time each day to be active. You can get a good full-body workout in 30 minutes. So decide on the best time to set aside 20 to 30 minutes to do an activity you enjoy – or at least one you can live with. If one block of time won’t work, think about trying smaller chunks of time; 10 minutes three times a day or 15 minutes twice a day.
Replace less active blocks of time with active ones. If you sit at a desk at work, get up and take more breaks to move around and walk during lunch. Grab a coworker and walk together if you want.
Walk for half an hour instead of watching an extra half hour of TV, surfing the net, or hanging out on social media. Instead of sitting down to read a book, read while on an exercise bike or treadmill, or listen to a podcast.
Stand more while you’re at work. If you have the option to work at a standing desk, considering doing so, they’re awesome. Many of us sit for more than 10 hours each day, which is bad for our posture and activity level. With a standing desk that is adjustable, it can sit on top of your desk, and you adjust the height to use for sitting or standing so you can do both during the day.
Use a Swiss Ball (Yoga ball) as a chair at your desk. Using a yoga ball forces you to engage your inner core muscles throughout the day and challenges your balance.
Make choices to move more. Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Bike or walk to places that are within distance. Park away from the store or the office and walk to the entrance.
Knowledge
Sometimes feeling like we don’t know where to start can hold us back. But it’s easy to begin by walking. Just 15-20 minutes, most days or at least 4-5 times a week, is enough to start if the activity is new for you.
Once your practice becomes a habit, up your game by including other modalities such as strength training, yoga, cycling, etc. Once you have been walking regularly for 3-4 weeks, you will have created a new habit. Then it’s time to add something else to your routine.
There are so many different activities you can do for exercise; take a dance class or a group fitness class, workout at home with a YouTube video, try kickboxing or Martial Arts, or you can hire a personal trainer. Change up your routine every 4-6 weeks so you don’t get bored and you continue to see progress.
Is there something you’ve been thinking about trying? Now is the perfect time to get out there and get started.
Related Post: Get Active, Increase Your Energy, Feel And Look Awesome
Lack of Motivation
We all have excuses that creep up. But that’s when we need to ask ourselves a question like “If this was a top priority for me, would I be able to make the time for it?”
Is your reason for doing bigger than your reason for not doing? When it is, it’s easier to make yourself go. You don’t always have to feel ‘motivated,’ but seeing progress will motivate you to keep at it.
Crank your music up while your walking outside or on the treadmill. Join a challenge or find a friend for accountability, set a goal to train for an event – you can even just walk a 5k. Fitness tracking devices like a Fitbit, are great to help keep you motivated and on track.
Finding a workout partner is great too. You can help keep each other accountable and on track and time flies by. Before you know it, you’ve been exercising for 30-40 minutes, and you’re done!
Start where you are right now and commit to moving forward from here. Focus on where you want to go – how you want to look and feel.
Will one workout make a difference? No.
Will 4 workouts make a difference? Not really.
Would 208 workouts make a difference? Certainly!
If you worked out just four times a week, at the end of a year, you’d have worked out 208 times!
A year from now, image how you would look and feel after 208 workouts! That starts with your decision today. It all comes down to your daily habits.
It’s better to start out slowly and then gradually increase the time, intensity, and frequency of your workouts. This will build your strength and stamina and reduce the chance of injury.
Set your goals based on your current fitness level. Make the goal challenging enough, so you’ve something to strive for, but not so high that you get discouraged and frustrated.
You may be surprised at how quickly you make progress. Set a short-term goal for 2-3 weeks from now. Maybe your goal is to start out walking 20 minutes 4 days a week, for example. After 2-3 weeks, bump that up to 30 minutes 5 times a week.
Make Health and Fitness a Priority and Reach Your Goals
Everyone is busy. We all have the same 24 hours though. Some people have commitments like an 8-5 job they have to work around. Others have kids schedules, meal schedules, and meetings they have to work around. Yet, it only takes a decision to do something and to commit to it.
Take your weekly calendar out and block out all the time slots that are already booked and set in stone. Look at your open time slots and then block out a 15-30 minute slot each day for yourself – your exercise time. Then fit in other obligations around that.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~ Stephen R. Covey
Make sure you are on your list of priorities. Scheduling is key. If you think of it this way “Your schedule is your life.” The way you run your schedule is the way you run your life. What you schedule is a reflection of what your priorities are.
Put yourself on your schedule.
Deciding that exercise is a priority and working other things around it is the first step to incorporating it into your wellness routine. If it’s not a big enough priority, ‘excuses’ always creep up.
Ask yourself how and when you can fit in 20-30 minutes of activity, 5 days a week. Write it down.
Grab your calendar and schedule your days and times for this week. When you put something on your calendar, it’s easier to make it happen. Think of it as a necessary appointment that you’re making.
I did some yoga last night and ran to the gym this morning in 8 degree temps! I’m getting back into the groove of my fitness schedule and feeling great 🙂
Brrrrrrr! It’s indoor treadmill jogging for me. That’s great to hear, Erik. Stay fit and strong.
Great exercise motivation! I’m a big fan of the scheduling angle. I always schedule body pump classes at the gym on my calendar – the set class times “force” me to drop what I’m doing and head to the gym!
Thanks, Kat! Exactly, nice!
I used to love exercising! Somehow I would always find time to get in an hr a day…and I miss long running. However, after the whole kid thing, my only time to work out is early morning…and I swear that weakens my immune system. I always get going for 2 weeks, then bam – knocked out with a cold for another 2. Sigh. I’ll keep trying! Thanks for the motivation!
Perhaps that’s from getting too little sleep due to that little one of yours. 🙂 But yes, keep trying! Some simple yoga or bodyweight exercises during your lunch hour maybe?
We’ve been consistent with walking 3 miles every day. We may miss a day due to heavy rain or a trip but otherwise it’s daily. I need to get back to my free weights which I got out of sync with. Usually when I reach the point of something becoming a habit, it’s ingrained in me like brushing me teeth, and I don’t waiver. I’ve had a few extenuating circumstances the last few months. Still, I managed to finally get past that weight plateau and lower my “set point” this year by about 10 lbs. I weigh less than I did in high school which feels pretty good! And your emails and tips really helped. Thank you!
That’s great, Mrs. G! I love that you and Mr. G get your walking in together. I hope things are calming down so you can get the other exercises in to. I’m glad you found some success!!
Great post Amy. The benefits of exercise and being fit keep revealing themselves more and more to researchers over time. It really trickles down to make every aspect of life better.
I know this is true from personal experience. When I was in my 20’s I drank beer for a living and was very out of shape and quite a bit overweight. I would get cold’s 3 or 4 times every winter, sometimes even in summer too.
Then I got serious about my fitness and lost 50 pounds. I now race bikes semi-competitively and maintain a schedule of 10 – 12 hours a week of hard exercise. After that transition, I literally went 5 years without even getting a cold! And I still only get one every 2 or 3 years. My immune system is so much more efficient!
Thanks, AF! Wow, that is so great to hear. Putting ourselves first gets us to a point where we can then be better for everyone else too. Congrats!
Good timing! I just posted about New Year’s Resolutions and exercise is of course, part of the theme. For me personally, if I go two days in a row without a run, ride, or weights, I feel miserable. It’s more about “feeling good” than vanity or anything else.
Nice! I agree, the feeling good part keeps me going after it. Eh, who am I kidding, I like being able to fit in my jeans too. 🙂
“If this was a top priority for me, would I be able to make the time for it?”
Bingo, Amy! Nailed it. The people who say they don’t have time to exercise kind of remind of the people who say they can’t save. Really? Let’s look at what you do with each hour of your day and see if we can carve out a half hour for exercise. One less hour of Netflix each day will give you all the time you need to move your body. Thanks for this great post, Amy. Exercise is indeed the closest thing we have to a fountain of youth.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Congratulations on Parker. She’s gorgeous.
Thank you, Mr. G! I completely agree with you on this too! 🙂
Yes!! It’s amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it. Save more and move more so easy even I can do it. Thanks, Mr. G!
Great post! There is basically no way to over-state the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet. Everyone struggles with those 3 reasons, me as well. Back on the strict diet & exercise wagon (for selfish reasons sure, but overall wanted a diet cleanse). “Improving your aerobic capacity by just 15 to 25 percent would be like shaving 10 to 20 years off your age.” This is such an intense statistic and so true. I love that you’re realistic though, if you currently hardly move at all, walking down your driveway and back might be a challenge. Just focus on your “why”, and after those 208 workouts imagine how much stronger you will be! Cheers to at least 208 workouts in 2018.
Thank you for the kind words. And YES, to 208 or more workouts in 2018!
I know, I know I need to exercise more. Stop yelling at me 😉 I’m going to publicly post my 2018 goals in my first post of the new year. Once will be exercise related. Then I can’t fail because the whole world will know I did. Thanks for reminding me of the importance of it.
🙂 Who me?! Good idea, Jason. I’ll be watching. 😉
I definitely need to step it up when it comes to my fitness. It’s especially hard to get out there during these winter months but I have to make it a priority to go for walks a few times a week. It does help that i have a dog so I’m at least forced to do some short walking a few times a day but I really need to get in some extended hikes too.
Yes, if you are in the cold weather areas winter can be a huge stumbling block. That’s why I invested in a treadmill years ago, I’m not a fan of the cold and slush. Dogs are great for that! See if you can find someone to go with you so that you can help each other stick with it and schedule it in. 🙂
Great advice! I’m a runner, but I know I need to do more weights/bodyweight exercises to get stronger and prevent injuries. It’s just hard to find the time sometimes! I try to run before work because I know I’ll be pooped in the afternoon.
Hey Mrs. FF, thanks for stopping by. Could you throw a few bodyweight squats and push-ups in at the end of your run? That’s great you get your running done when you’re at your best. I tend to be an evening exerciser myself. Stay well in the new year!
Timely message. We had a nice warming spell here yesterday (65F!), so I took advantage of the oppty to get in a 4 mile jog last night. Nice to run outside this time of year in shorts and a t-shirt!! Thanks for keeping us motivated!!
Go Fritz! I saw your Twitter pic and was a bit envious ;). Keep going strong!
Health is so important. I must workout or I start to lose it. I have been working out about 4 times a week consistently my whole life. I love it. I think what keeps me consistent is not doing it for the wrong reasons. I don’t work out to add an inch to the biceps or get 6 pack abs. I workout for mental health the physical aspect is a bonus.
Excellent, DM! The stress relief that comes from exercise is so important. Thanks for sharing!
Tabata’s work for me! 4 minutes here and there, just drop and do them. My french press takes 4 minutes, which is exactly the time I need for a push-up tabata.
Yes! I love that. Fit it in where you can, it really doesn’t take much. Thanks for the comment.
“Replace less active blocks of time with active ones” is key when you think your schedule is too busy. I have been trying to incorporate small workouts in my daily routine…like walk up 17 set of stairs to get to my office:) Baby steps.
Oh, yea! Nice, Caroline. Small changes really add up.