A Consistent Approach to Health
Physical activity is good for us because it helps us cope with what life throws at us, both physically and emotionally. And, of course, it helps us to enjoy life more. But exercise doesn’t have to be something major, like a nightly “working out”; it can be simply taking the opportunity to be active during the day rather than avoiding it or choosing sedentary alternatives.
Exercise doesn’t have to be serious. We don’t need to be a marathon runner to engage in exercise sufficient to benefit our wellbeing. General exercise can include such simple activities as gardening, walking or cycling, taking the stairs and housework.
The World Health Organisation defines “fitness” as “the ability to perform your daily tasks with vigour and alertness without undue fatigue, with enough energy left in reserve to cope with any emergencies that may arise or to follow the leisure pursuits of your choice.” So true fitness is all about improved quality of life, about enjoying life and not being restricted from doing things.
The benefits of exercise include those physiological aspects we so often hear about; it delays ageing, strengthens the heart, prevents heart disease, and accelerates speed and efficiency of food absorption. But, note it also impacts on our psychological wellbeing. Exercise can increase self-esteem, increase alertness, make us more effective workers, reduce depression and anxiety and enable us to better manage stress.
barriers to exercise
This being the case, why aren’t more people out there exercising? There are many common and real barriers that prevent people from getting enough exercise, the most common being insufficient time and exhaustion from the stress at the end of the day.
But these barriers can be overcome. For example, one simple way could be to use your morning tea break to walk up and down the office-block stairs or taking a brisk walk during your lunch break.
how to exercise
Make physical activity/exercise part of your way of life. But how much is enough for a health benefit? One myth suggests you need to double your heart rate for half an hour, starting when you start puffing. Basically, to gain a health benefit, be active for 30 minutes every day. That doesn’t mean 30 minutes of jogging, but 30 minutes of accumulated time throughout the day. It can be three 10-minute sessions or six five-minute sessions. Or it could be gained through incidental activities—doing all those small, seemingly insignificant physical things that we otherwise avoid—they all add up.
Exercise is accumulative. All activity adds toward improved health. It’s therefore important to include incidental activity as part of your routine. This can be as simple as not avoiding exertion when the opportunity offers. For example, parking your car on the far side of the car park and walking a little further to the office, using the stairs rather than the lift, getting up to change TV channels instead of using a remote, walking across the office to speak with a colleague instead of emailing them, or doing your own housework and gardening instead of hiring a contractor.
In these ways, by making activity a lifestyle choice and including it into every aspect of your day, it’s easy to increase incidental activity and accumulate 30 minutes of health-reinforcing exercise each day.
smart training
In contrast, if you want to get serious about exercise and experience optimal wellbeing, you should be doing three aerobic and two strength-training sessions per week. Strength-training sessions are important for building muscle tissue, which can increase your energy level and improve bone density, providing protection from osteoporosis.
maintenance of exercise
No matter what size time commitment you make, just adding a few incidentals each day, it is important to maintain your commitment. We all begin with good intentions, but so often fail to follow through.
Here are some ways to help maintain that good intention:
Make a commitment now! No matter how big or small, make a commitment to yourself and agree you’ll stick to it. It may be useful to start small, by adding only one thing into your daily routine. For example, you may simply add parking four blocks from work and walking, into your routine. Continue to do this, and don’t add any more until this activity has become routine. You might then add a lunchtime walk. The commitment to do one extra thing every day can make a big difference.
Get support. You don’t need to go through this alone. Tell a friend, spouse or family member of your decision and have them check up on you and encourage you. Let them be your conscience. They may even want to get involved.
Reward yourself. If you’ve reached your aim at the end of the week, give yourself a reward because you deserve it. It isn’t easy to change habits and incentives can be useful in doing so. Treat yourself by doing something that will enrich your day.
In the event that you haven’t attained your aim, commit to making it up. Use the weekend to make up for lost activity. This could be a walk, doing some gardening or spending time in the local gym. It is often necessary to recommit. Remember that a failure is only truly a failure when you fail to try again!
Use reminders. Post-it-notes on the car sun visor, mirror or fridge—wherever you will see them—may be the boost you need to get you out the door or up the stairs.
Physical activity is good for us because it helps us cope with what life throws at us, both physically and emotionally. And, of course, it helps us to enjoy life more. But exercise doesn’t have to be something major, like a nightly “working out”; it can be simply taking the opportunity to be active during the day rather than avoiding it or choosing sedentary alternatives.
Exercise doesn’t have to be serious. We don’t need to be a marathon runner to engage in exercise sufficient to benefit our wellbeing. General exercise can include such simple activities as gardening, walking or cycling, taking the stairs and housework.
The World Health Organisation defines “fitness” as “the ability to perform your daily tasks with vigour and alertness without undue fatigue, with enough energy left in reserve to cope with any emergencies that may arise or to follow the leisure pursuits of your choice.” So true fitness is all about improved quality of life, about enjoying life and not being restricted from doing things.
The benefits of exercise include those physiological aspects we so often hear about; it delays ageing, strengthens the heart, prevents heart disease, and accelerates speed and efficiency of food absorption. But, note it also impacts on our psychological wellbeing. Exercise can increase self-esteem, increase alertness, make us more effective workers, reduce depression and anxiety and enable us to better manage stress.
barriers to exercise
This being the case, why aren’t more people out there exercising? There are many common and real barriers that prevent people from getting enough exercise, the most common being insufficient time and exhaustion from the stress at the end of the day.
But these barriers can be overcome. For example, one simple way could be to use your morning tea break to walk up and down the office-block stairs or taking a brisk walk during your lunch break.
how to exercise
Make physical activity/exercise part of your way of life. But how much is enough for a health benefit? One myth suggests you need to double your heart rate for half an hour, starting when you start puffing. Basically, to gain a health benefit, be active for 30 minutes every day. That doesn’t mean 30 minutes of jogging, but 30 minutes of accumulated time throughout the day. It can be three 10-minute sessions or six five-minute sessions. Or it could be gained through incidental activities—doing all those small, seemingly insignificant physical things that we otherwise avoid—they all add up.
Exercise is accumulative. All activity adds toward improved health. It’s therefore important to include incidental activity as part of your routine. This can be as simple as not avoiding exertion when the opportunity offers. For example, parking your car on the far side of the car park and walking a little further to the office, using the stairs rather than the lift, getting up to change TV channels instead of using a remote, walking across the office to speak with a colleague instead of emailing them, or doing your own housework and gardening instead of hiring a contractor.
In these ways, by making activity a lifestyle choice and including it into every aspect of your day, it’s easy to increase incidental activity and accumulate 30 minutes of health-reinforcing exercise each day.
smart training
In contrast, if you want to get serious about exercise and experience optimal wellbeing, you should be doing three aerobic and two strength-training sessions per week. Strength-training sessions are important for building muscle tissue, which can increase your energy level and improve bone density, providing protection from osteoporosis.
maintenance of exercise
No matter what size time commitment you make, just adding a few incidentals each day, it is important to maintain your commitment. We all begin with good intentions, but so often fail to follow through.
Here are some ways to help maintain that good intention:
Make a commitment now! No matter how big or small, make a commitment to yourself and agree you’ll stick to it. It may be useful to start small, by adding only one thing into your daily routine. For example, you may simply add parking four blocks from work and walking, into your routine. Continue to do this, and don’t add any more until this activity has become routine. You might then add a lunchtime walk. The commitment to do one extra thing every day can make a big difference.
Get support. You don’t need to go through this alone. Tell a friend, spouse or family member of your decision and have them check up on you and encourage you. Let them be your conscience. They may even want to get involved.
Reward yourself. If you’ve reached your aim at the end of the week, give yourself a reward because you deserve it. It isn’t easy to change habits and incentives can be useful in doing so. Treat yourself by doing something that will enrich your day.
In the event that you haven’t attained your aim, commit to making it up. Use the weekend to make up for lost activity. This could be a walk, doing some gardening or spending time in the local gym. It is often necessary to recommit. Remember that a failure is only truly a failure when you fail to try again!
Use reminders. Post-it-note on the car sun visor, mirror or fridge—wherever you will see them—may be the boost you need to get you out the door or up the stairs.
recreation
It’s important to make regular physical activity part of your day-by-day lifestyle, and especially part of your family life. This can be done through a variety or sports or weekend leisure activities for the family and friends.
Exercise doesn’t need to be serious stuff; you can make it fun by choosing activities that you enjoy and by involving people you love. Exercise becomes synonymous with recreation when you make it your lifestyle.
It’s important to make regular physical activity part of your day-by-day lifestyle, and especially part of your family life. This can be done through a variety or sports or weekend leisure activities for the family and friends.
Exercise doesn’t need to be serious stuff; you can make it fun by choosing activities that you enjoy and by involving people you love. Exercise becomes synonymous with recreation when you make it your lifestyle.
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