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OK, so you signed up for a Fitness Class, got your one year membership to the Fitness Center and signed up for Commit to be Fit. You're finally ready to lose that weight and make fitness a part of your life. But where to start? Here are some simple tips to help you get on track.
First check with your doctor, especially if you're over 40, or if you have any health problems, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, a family history of heart disease, or even if you smoke. It's a good idea to have your personal physician give the idea of an exercise program a thumbs-up before you begin.
Start off easy and make your first goals short term and specific. For example, if you are a total non-exerciser, “I will work out 4 times a week this week” is a good first goal. Reward yourself for meeting your goal. Then, as you find you’re meeting your goal more easily, increase the challenge.
Stretching prevents injury, increases your range of motion, promotes relaxation, improves performance and posture, reduces stress and keeps your body feeling agile. Bonus: it’s a little-known fact that stretching also increases body strength.
If you haven't worked out in a while (or ever) start with a program of about 20 to 30 minutes, 3 days a week. End your exercise session while you're still feeling good. You'll be more likely to return to your activity if you don't overdo it at first.
Schedule your workouts each week, just like you would a doctor's appointment. Use sticky notes, your handheld, or a good old-fashioned paper calendar.
Don’t cut calories too much. Focus instead on eating healthy, nourishing foods throughout the day. Consult the new food pyramid for an updated version of the old “square meal”. Cut out caffeinated and sugary drinks – water is the best and healthiest thirst quencher.
You know all about the benefits of regular exercise: it increases your energy and metabolism, improves flexibility and strength, relieves stress, helps fight disease and the effects of aging, and it makes you feel good.
With all these benefits, why do we have such a hard time sticking to our daily workouts? With our busy lives, exercise often takes a backseat to the demands of family, work and household chores.
What you need is a plan that makes exercise a habit – as automatic as that first cup of coffee in the morning. These strategies will make your fitness routine….well….routine!
Working out with a buddy helps you stick with your plan. Best choice: someone who is more diligent about working out than you are. Preliminary results of one study show that both people benefit – the fitness rookie and the more experienced exerciser both experience more fitness gains than people without workout partners.
Consistency creates habit. Taking two or more days off in a row greatly increases your chance of never going back. For best success, exercise 4 or 5 times each week. Take at least one day off weekly to let your body rest.
Research shows that your body gets used to a particular exercise in about three weeks. After that, you begin to see decreased returns on your fitness investment. You may also get bored of the same old routine. To stay motivated, mix it up. Sign up for a session with a personal trainer once a month or try a new fitness class each week. Make fitness fun and you’ll be more likely to stick to it.
Chart your progress on paper (or PC)! Research shows that people who keep diet or workout logs lose more weight - up to twice as much – as people who don’t. Keep track of your weight loss with your weekly weigh-ins to help you reach your goals.
Studies show that positive reinforcement will increase your chances of success. Rewarding yourself for working out or for reaching mini-goals will make you two to three times more likely to stick to it. Start small – weekly rewards are not too much. You deserve it!
Don't have much time? Every little bit of exercise counts, and here's proof: Take a look at the payoff to your body from bouts of brisk walking (about 4mph).
you'll burn about 100 calories and cover at least a mile. A study in the journal Science reveals that most of us consume 100 calories more than we need every day, so 20 minutes of hoofing it daily should keep you from gaining weight (and is more fun than crashing on the couch).
you'll burn 160 calories. Do it daily and you'll take off 16 pounds over the course of a year. The extra 10 minutes also cuts your risk of dying from heart disease and helps ward off diabetes, high blood pressure and colon and breast cancer. Plus, it keeps your bones strong. Mental bonus: You may avoid depression and reduce stress and anxiety.
women will slash their risk for endometrial cancer by 30 percent if they do it daily, a new study reports. It may help even if you're overweight (a risk factor for the disease) chances are, though, you won't be. Covering 4 miles in an hour is about 300 calories burned, and doing that daily can whittle 30 pounds off your figure by this time next year.
"The Power of Walk" from Self magazine at www.self.com
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The Power of Walk