Are you too busy for exercise? In today’s fast paced society, it seems we find ourselves taking care of everything and everyone except ourselves. Many of our professions require 40 hours plus per week. So the one thing that suffers is our exercise time. (You do have an exercise time, right?) This time is easy to give up, because it is not the most pleasant or convenient activity we do. But, it is by far the most effective thing we can do to keep healthy and perform the activities we find pleasurable.
There are so many forms of exercise now it is hard to know which form is good for what. I get confused watching television or reading fitness magazines when it comes to all the options. You read Pilates will do it all, or maybe a form of Yoga is the answer, run, don’t run, it is all so confusing.
So lets shed some light on what will make the best return for your time when it comes to exercise. This will keep you from claiming you are too busy for exercise. One thing we know about fitness is in order to be in decent physical shape we must have muscle tone. If a muscle is flaccid it does not function properly. The old phrase, use it or lose it, is true when it comes to muslce.
We must find a form of activity that puts a load on the skeletal muscle. This can be in the form of resistance training with bands, dumbbells, free weight machines, or body weight. Whatever you select, it must be something you can continually adjust the resistance to create more of a stimulus to the muscle. Our muscle system is highly adaptive and will adjust every four to six weeks to the same stimulus. This is why it is vital to find a form of exercise that is forever changing.
When choosing a form of exercise find a professional in that art who will sit down with you and design you a program. You can obtain significat change by performing resistance training 3 or 4 times per week for 45 minute sessions. Another aspect when considering a fitness program is, looking at cardio-pulmonary strengthing. This is basically anything that elevates the heart for extended periods of time. You want to look for activities that are going to use large muscle groups.
For example, walking, jogging, biking, swimming, aerobic classes, or ellipticals can all be used to increase aerobic conditioning. When it comes to aerobic conditioning you can achieve some amazing results with 20 to 30 minute sessions 3 to 5 times per week. Each individuals goals and genetics really affect the outcome.
The last thing I will mention is definetly not the least important. Stretching. In order to get a return for our effort when it comes to stretching you must make it a habit to stretch regularly. I encourage my clients to stretch when they are finished with their workout sessions. This is the best time, when the muscles are warm. If you do not have time to stretch after a workout session, then try to stretch while watching television.
For a stretch to be beneficial it must be held for at least 30 to 60 seconds in a relaxed state. The stretch does not need to be uncomfortable or bouncy. To achieve maximum results in your flexibility, hire a professional to set up a stretching program specifically designed for your imbalances. Great results can be achieved with no more than 15 to 20 minutes 3 times per week.
Let’s calculate what your fitness plan will take out of your week in order to be fit and healthy and see if you are too busy for exercise. There are 168 hours in a 7 day period. We sleep 35 to 40 hours per week, and work another 40 to 50 hours per week. That leaves us with about 88 hours. With bathing and eating you use approximately 16 hours, leaving us with 72 hours. During this time we do recreational activities, drive, take care of family and many other duties. But surely we can find 4 hours and 45 minutes to get exercise. If we perform 3 sessions of 45 minutes resistance training, and 3 sessions of 30 minutes cardiovascular work we have used 3 hours and 45 minutes. Then why we are watching television we can stretch two times for 30 minutes taking our total activity time to 4 hours and 45 minutes. If you look at it this way really exercise time is a small investment in the big scheme of things.
It is amazing to know that 67% of Americans do not get regular exercise, and our children are falling into the same trend as their obesity rates continue to rise. We must find a way to schedule regular exercise into our daily schedule. Here are some tips that will help you make exercise a part of your daily routine.
1. Make an appointment with yourself (and stick with it).
2. Set weekly and monthly fitness goals.
3. Keep a daily exercise journal.
4. Join a group exercise class.
5. Exercise with a friend
6. Join a local recreation league that meets weekly.
7. Walk or jump rope while your kids perform their activities.
8. Don’t give up if you miss one workout.
9. Reward yourself for accomplishment.
10.Best of all, hire a personal trainer.
Chris Hill is a NSCA certified personal trainer. He is the owner of Personally Fit by Chris Hill Inc. His website is www.personallyfitbychrishill.com
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