Hello all. My first post is to help those who:
-Never exercised before and are thinking about it
-Have trouble keeping an exercise routine
-Want to “get serious” starting in the new year
-Are bored of the same routine and lost motivation
For those who are more advanced and always motivated, you can still benefit from this post to gain some insight and begin to help others. Great job nonetheless!
I appreciate all my readers allowing me to take 10-15 minutes of their time. Who knows, these 10-15 minutes could change your life.
The 1st Dimension:
Don’t let yourself fall into the same old trap of beginning your outstanding, but unrealistic fitness program as a new year’s resolution. What do I mean by “outstanding, but unrealistic”? Well, I will give you a common example.
As the new year approaches and all the holiday festivities and great foods are available, Amanda (29 years) begins to think about her plans for the new year. She has not exercised in a few years and gained an unwanted 15 pounds. She thinks to herself what a great time for her to start fresh on a program for “toning” (slim but defined shoulders, triceps, abs and calves) and “weight loss” (loss of belly, thigh and arm fat). Highly motivated by the idea, she quickly begins to asses her financial situation, searches for the right gym (which will include fitness classes and personal training), and begins to plan her schedule starting the first week of January. At the same time, she is enjoying herself with all the candies, cookies, foods, and drinks from the holidays. Her mentality is “Hey, I can go all out with my diet and partying because in just a few short weeks I will start my fitness program”. This was December 2008
www.countryliving.com
Monday, January 5th, 2009. Amanda is back from vacation working at her office from 9 to 5 pm. She arrives at the local health club around 6 pm and observes what seems to be a disorganized circus full of people with the same highly motivated plans she thought of. So she signs the contract without fully reading it and pays for the registration fee and the first & last month fee. She also agreed to receive automatic payment deductions of about $40.00/month. Then she visits the personal trainer section and fills out the waivers, pays an extra $160/month (roughly) and is given a body fat assessment. Amanda and her new trainer create a work out plan that consists of 3 resistance training days and 3 cardio days, plus a diet which consists of too much protein, eating 6 small meals a day and limiting her carbs. Then she and her trainer begin a 30 minute bodybuilding-like workout. Needless to say, every part of the first day was extremely overwhelming; the gym chaos, the extra money she did not know she was going to spend, the trainer speaking words way over her head, and homework (diet) that is 24 hours 7 days a week.
Monday, January 19th, 2009. Amanda is a little more adjusted to her new fitness schedule, but still needs improvement. The 6 smalls meals/day and the specific number of proteins/day is very tough for her. Work meetings and family distractions can get in the way. She was feeling very sore throughout the first 2 weeks and had to cancel on some training and cardio sessions due to fatigue and mental stress from everything building up at once, as they tend to do at the beginning of every year (work, school, gym, family, relationships, car maintenance). She still persists and tries really hard to continue, but has lost much of the focus and motivation she had when the “toning and weight loss” program was only an idea. She is starting to believe it is too hard for her to keep up. Her trainer works her out on all the bodybuilding-like machines and she is not sure if this program is going to achieve her goals of “toning and weight loss”.
Monday, February 9th, 2009. Poor Amanda has realized she cannot keep up with this outstanding new year’s resolution (wanting to get in shape really is an outstanding idea). Although she achieved some results (3-4 pounds weight loss, and increase of strength), she has realized it was unrealistic for her to follow in many ways. She then decides to quit the training sessions and ease up on her strict diet. She still has plans to go to the gym and do her cardio/workout on her own when she finds the time. Well, we all can see where this is going.. before spring is over, Amanda is back to the way she was in December 2008.
Unfortunately, this example is no made up story. I have seen this happen to many people and it creates a negative association in their minds when they think about exercise and gyms. Amanda’s situation was one of too much too soon. She was bombarded with an overwhelming amount of stress (mental and physical) when she originally thought it was going to be something fun and exciting. Now she will forever be turned off to the idea of being fit and lean, although she might try it again in the future and yield the same outcome.
Dear Readers, this is not what exercise is supposed to be! The previous example is one of commercialized fitness and bodybuilding hype/myth. It will not apply well to your average person/working individual. A modern-day adult, who is in the process of only thinking about losing weight and getting into shape, is like a young child trying to learn something new. When you are teaching children how to ride a bike, you do not want to make it a stressful situation for them because it will create fear in their minds, therefore turning them away from riding. Ideally, you would want to give them confidence, be gentle, give positive reinforcement, and only practice for 15 minutes a day. Not overwhelm them with hour-long practices, riding with kids who already know how to ride, or negative reinforcement when they fall or do not want to participate. There is a gradual build up of confidence and skill which will not develop if there is “too much too soon”. The children must establish a strong and positive psychological foundation in order for him/her to be motivated and want to accomplish their bicycle riding skill on their own. The same applies for fitness.
An introduction to my philosophies:
Exercise IS and SHOULD BE fun, exciting, and healthy. Unfortunately, mainstream media, bodybuilding, nutritional supplements, and all other forms of commercialized fitness, although very effective when applied correctly, have influenced people in a one-dimensional way. What happened to the days of going outside and playing a pick up game of basketball, soccer, volleyball? Or going for a walk/jog/hike/bike ride with family or friends? What happened to the days when kids used to run around and play man-hunt? Or when seniors would physically play with their grandkids? When was the last time coworkers took 5 minutes out of their lunch break to toss a football, or take the stairs instead of the elevator? The more movement, the more efficient your muscles and joints will be and the more calories you will burn. Let’s begin to think outside the box people!
The 1 dimension approach to fitness and a healthy lifestyle is part of the reason why obese individuals are turned away from the idea of exercise. Many of them think it HAS to be at a crowded gym, it HAS to be a certain amount of time on a certain machine, it HAS to be a certain amount of calories, it HAS to be this or that… etc. I am here to tell you it does NOT have to be that way. That stuff is stressful to think about, even to me. Don’t let other people tell you how to move your body. I am here to help you create a fresh start in the way you think about health, exercise and fitness. The purpose of my blog is to use it as a vehicle for me to share realistic and professional knowledge to those who seek help. As individuals, we need to establish a strong, but open-minded psychological foundation just like we would want our children to.
Additionally, the one-dimensional fitness world that I speak of can become very superficial. People start to focus more on the way they look inside and outside of the gym, how big their muscles can be, how much weight they can lift, who is doing what exercise, what female can look better than the other, and what male is bigger than the other. This is called working out your ego, not working out to get healthy and in shape. It is not a good place for people to start because it will either intimidate them and scare them away, or they will eventually jump on the superficial bandwagon and have an altered sense of why they exercise. But hey, who is to argue that defined muscles and slim waists look good? Just don’t let it get to your head and have it become your sole purpose.
Furthermore, “I have to find the time between picking up the kids and traffic and work and bills…etc, in order to get to the gym” If you have ever caught yourself saying anything similar to this, you are already making it a stressful association in your head and will be setting yourself up for failure. This is not your fault, as I have mentioned how commercialism and the social notion of how exercise has to be this, that, there and then, make you think if you can’t make the time, then you are lazy, unmotivated, too old or it’s just not meant for you.
Here are some unusual examples of how you can work around this to get started: First, stop thinking you need to attend a chaotic gym. Do 15 bodyweight squats when you wake up, do 5 or more push ups, brush your teeth standing on one leg, park further from your work place so you have to walk more, take the stairs, at lunch do 15 BW squats and 5+ push ups, pick up the kids and go with them to walk/bike/rollerblade with the dog (yes, kids and dogs need exercise too), before dinner do 20 walking lunges, do 5+ jumping jacks every TV commercial break, push your car 10 feet on your street if possible. All these examples, as silly as some may seem, are small lifestyle changes that add up tremendously! And, if you noticed, they are randomly spread throughout the day and require only seconds at a time. You can make them up yourself. If you make them a part of your life routine, just like taking a shower and tying your shoes, it will be enough to maintain a good amount of strength and endurance.
Eventually, you will find more time to do longer bouts of exercise. Eventually, you’ll learn how to set aside 1 hour twice/week for physical activity while still doing the maintenance routine stuff from the previous paragraph. Eventually, 4 times a week and you’ll learn how to tweak your diet the right way. Eventually, you’ll be ready to join a gym as a supplemental component to your fitness. I know you get the point by now. Mentally and physically, fitness requires time to build up. It does NOT happen in 1 day or 1 week. Remember this: Fitness is a way of life and it is also a journey. It is not a chore or a destination. It is part of you!
It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone should have their exercise routines flow with their learning curves and their energy levels. One-dimensional thinking, and “Too much, too soon” does not do this. Eventually, little by little, you will understand more about the body and exercises, you will want more, and you will have more energy to progress to higher levels. Also, watch out for that spike in your learning curve and that big jump in your energy level that appear to happen out of no where. When those happen you should learn, do more and take advantage!
If you have ever observed kids play at recess, you will notice they are not preoccupied with sets, reps, time, etc. They do not even consider what they are doing to be exercise or a work out. The same should apply to us adults. It is not natural for the human brain to quantify how the human body moves, it should just move. Just get out there and move your body! Way back in the caveman days, they had to run after their food and they had to run away from becoming food. They jumped, crawled, sprinted, threw spears, climbed trees because they had to survive. It was random bouts of exercise, which I’m assuming they did not think twice about or make up excuses. When they learned how to do it in large groups, then they were more successful at the hunt. It was their mission. I can’t even imagine a fat caveman. As extreme as all this may seem, we still have the same bodies and instincts. Our bodies are made for exercise. It is the reason we have feet, legs, upright torsos, arms, and of course, cardiovascular systems.
I’m a strong advocate of the phrase, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” especially to the elderly. This can apply to both our bodies and our minds. In today’s age, we are all slaves to the mighty man-made dollar and we are caught up in sedentary lifestyles. Our minds are stuck in a reality where we work, we eat, we spend, we eat, we sleep, we eat, we hurt each other, we drive, and we start the cycle over every single day. News flash, our bodies will deteriorate with these inactive and greedy demands. Again, I am here to help you realize that there are other realities to experience. The ones that are natural, that ones that you are born with, the ones that make you feel like a real human being again! I believe every single person needs a daily break from the slave-like reality to go out and play (exercise, basketball, walk on the beach/park) not only for the body’s health but for the mind’s health. It will re-center you in a spiritual-like way (especially when the endorphins kick in) and you will be able to go back and tackle on your position in society better and with motivation.
Now back to the reason why you are here, the best time to start or improve your exercise routine is right now. Don’t wait for a calendar/schedule made by someone else to dictate when you will improve yourself. You have to be your own leader to yourself before you can take care of others. Amanda should’ve begun her exercise plan during the holidays to get a head start and balance out some of the holiday calories consumed.
Finally, once you do decide on a plan, surround yourself with your goals. Post up notes, reminders, pictures on walls and refrigerators, facebook status’, etc. so you do not forget. Get your family, friends and peers involved to support and motivate you. Have at least 1 person join you. You will be doing them a favor. Try different types of group exercise classes (pilates, yoga, spinning, dance, boot camp). You will find the right one for you and will gravitate towards the one you are good at.
Obesity and sedentary lifestyles have contagious tendencies, but luckily so does the other side of the spectrum. Before you know it, people will want to join you on your journey, or have you help them on theirs. I can sit here on my laptop and give you an endless list of the health benefits of exercise, short and long-term, but you won’t truly appreciate them until you walk through that open door and experience them for yourself. It is what you are made to do! No more waiting, no more excuses, the time is right now!
I wish everyone Happy Holidays and an active New Year!
-Mr. Workout
(Copyright 2009 by Javier Fleites/Mr. Workout. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
