Friday, July 19, 2013

exercise ... also known as ...


                 The

                                   word






          




           
             First of all, I am in no way, shape or form an expert on any of this stuff. I am writing from the perspective of ‘what works for me’ and, naturally, what works for you may be completely different. 

This is just the way things have worked out (excuse the pun) for me.








"eye test" by Claire Collier



Exercise was never something I particularly enjoyed … until now, that is. It was always just a means to an end. I wanted to lose weight, and that meant I had to do some form of exercise. In hindsight, my reasons for wanting to lose weight and my motivation to do so was misguided and probably the reason I failed so many times. All those years I had such a negative mindset about exercise that it became a chore, or something that must be endured. It was boring, it served its purpose, and when it was over, I would resume my rightful place on the couch, eating whatever it was that I had just ‘earned’. The concept of exercise had always had largely negative connotations for me, it was something I didn’t look forward to, and was always glad when it was over ...

... and then something changed. I can't pinpoint when this event happened or if it even was a singular event, but something clicked in my head and I realised I was approaching exercise and weight loss all the wrong way. It wasn't a chore, it wasn't "something that must be endured". It had to become an integral part of my self. It had to be a positive, rewarding experience, it had to be sustainable and it had to be for life.



The greatest lesson that I have learned over the past year is that attitude is everything. Something has changed for me since then that has made all the difference. Ever heard the expression "Change the mind and the body will follow?" I knew, at that point in time, that this was the key to my success.

I needed to change the way 

I thought about it.

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Suddenly, exercise was something I wanted to do. Yes, it was still a means to an end, but, once I changed my approach, I found it was a pleasure to do, and when I started to push harder, some things became more of a challenge, something I wanted to achieve. I set goals and I pushed myself as hard as I could until I achieved them. After that, I would set new goals and keep pushing. That feeling of accomplishment became something that would drive me to do more, lift more, last longer, go further, run faster and want to do it all again the next day. This is still the way I think and it is still working.



My thinking has changed in other ways too. I don’t earn reward food with exercise. The exercise and the positive feeling I get when I've just finished a workout is reward enough.
Setting goals and striving to achieve them is a critical part of why this works for me now.

There are many different types of exercise.
I don't think it really matters about the labels or names you use to describe them, but broken down into their simplest form, there are three basic types:

Types of Exercise

 

 

Cardiovascular / Endurance (aerobic)           



                                   

                                                     



                                                                   Strength / Resistance  (anaerobic)

                                                                                                  







Flexibilty / Balance


Source: A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia

The benefits of exercise to your body and mind are phenomenal, as anyone who does it will tell you. Every single part of your being will benefit from it, and what's more, it is nature's antidepressant.


Cardio Vascular


Strength / Resistance


Flexibility / Balance

Benefits


All forms of exercise can improve general physical health, mental and emotional wellbeing and your overall physical fitness level as well as help you to lose weight.

Burns fat
Increases heart rate, allowing blood to flow to muscles
Releases endorphins*
Strengthens large muscle groups
Builds muscle
Boosts stamina & strength
Improves flexibility & balance
Lengthens muscles and helps them to recover after cardio and resistance workouts
Examples
Walking
Running
Cycling
Swimming
Tae Bo
Zumba
Skipping
Jumping Jacks / Star Jumps
Climbing stairs
Cardio Drills
Sports training
Boxing
Playing sport
Dancing                                  
At the gym:
Treadmill
Elliptcal
Rowing
Stationary bike
Lifting weights
Planking
Squats
Free weights
Weight machines
Resistance bands
Yoga
Pilates
Stretching
Tai Chi
*   Endorphins are natural opium-like hormones that are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus of your body. Endorphins act on your brain’s opiate receptors to block their ability to receive pain messages from the sensory nerves. This makes you less sensitive to pain. Endorphins also work on your emotions. They create a sense of pleasure, making you feel empowered and good about yourself.
Source: www.fitday.com


Motivation


Something I’ve always struggled with in the past is staying motivated. So many times, I have  started out with a hiss and a roar and then a few weeks later, have become tired of what I’m doing and have just given up. 

This has happened more times than I can count. I now know just what I was doing wrong, and it was all in the way I thought about it.


Thinking about exercise in a more positive way can mean the difference between success and failure.

  

Some simple tips to stay motivated:


1.      Don’t always do the same things. Mix it up. Alternate between different types of cardio work, different types of resistance training and different types of stretches. Check out the examples in the table above. I use DVDs for Tae Bo, Zumba and Yoga. There are some great workout DVDs around. The even make workout discs for Xbox and Playstation now!


2.      Find a balance between cardio, strength & resistance, and flexibility workouts. It makes things more interesting and your body will thank you for it. Schedule in some form of the three each week.


3.      Set yourself mini-goals and larger, long-term goals. To start with, my goals were focused on a) how long I could run for on the treadmill and b) how much weight I could lift during my resistance work. These days, my goals are based around specific tasks. One set of goals that I have achieved recently is to be able to do a plank and a proper (men’s) push up. One day (this is a brand new goal) I want to be able to complete a chin up. I’ve included some examples of goals at the end of this blog.


4.      Do activities that you want to do. Ride bikes with the kids, have a game of tennis, play with a ball at the beach or in the pool, join a sports team or club. Exercise doesn’t have to be about spending hours at the gym if that's not your thing. Make it fun! Something that makes it fun for me is setting that next challenge and then going for it.


5.      Find someone else to go with. Lots of people say that they feel more motivated, not to mention accountable, when they have a ‘workout buddy’. I like working out by myself, meeting each challenge and pushing myself hard but I also love those days when I get to go for a long walk with the family or go for a walk or a run with my daughters.

6.      Plan. Get out the calendar or weekly planner and write down what you intend to do. Add specifics too like duration and reps if it’s lifting or resistance / weights work. I’ve included a very simple plan below that works for me. I’ve got heaps more detail in my actual plan but those are designed for my personal fitness level and strength capacity. Yours will more than likely look different to mine, so I haven’t included it here.


7.      Write it all down. Having your fitness or workout plans and goals written down is a great visual reminder of what you intend to do. It feels great to tick them all off when you’re done or when you achieve those fitness milestones. Keeping a chart or a graph to show your progress is also a great visual reminder. Some people also like to keep a fitness journal. This is a perfect way to keep a record of what you’ve done each day, week, month. Months later, when you look back at your journal, you will be amazed at how far you’ve come.


8.      If you reach a plateau, feel like you are just ‘going through the motions’, that the workouts are no longer a challenge or are becoming too easy, it might be time to ‘step it up a notch’. Try running a little longer, a little faster, lift a little heavier or increase your reps. Do something completely different for a while. There are so many ideas out there. Websites like spark people www.sparkpeople.com are filled with fantastic workout ideas! Reputable sites like this one are careful to show correct form too.


9.  If you can afford to, join a gym or even hire yourself a personal trainer … they really know their stuff! If not, working out at home or walking outside still beat sitting on the couch.


10.  Last, but not least, think positively, be patient and just keep going. Some days will be harder than others but the rewards are outstanding!

 Start Now. Today. Not tomorrow. Not on Monday. Today. Make a Plan. Just Do It.





What to do, when and how often?


At the end of the day, these decisions are up to you. I do at least four cardio sessions per week and they range from half an hour minimum to an hour or more. I do strength work in the evenings,  in the ad breaks or while I’m watching TV. I think the family is used to me now, working away on my strength routines in the middle of the lounge!


I have read lots of different articles about how often a person should work out and there are many different opinions. I found this article from the prevention website to be an excellent source of information, one that I highly recommend and definitely worth a read.



My Routines:


Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Cardio
Gym or Run
Gym or Zumba
Gym or Run
Gym or Zumba
Rest
Taebo, walk or run
Rest
Strength
Training
Arms, abs
+ back
Legs
+ abs
Arms
+ back
Legs
+ abs
Rest
Abs
Balance & Flexibility
Yoga
Stretches
Yoga
Stretches
Stretches
Yoga
Stretches


Arms = Tricep dips, bench press, bicep curls, rows, push ups, plank, arm specific machines at the gym


Legs = side leg raises, squats, leg press, lunges, rear leg raises, plank, leg specific machines at the gym


Back = Superman routine, plank, yoga, 


Abs = Crunches (upper and lower abdominals), vertical leg crunch, bicycles, plank (on elbows and toes), abdominal specific work at the gym (I am yet to use the captain's chair, but I intend to!)
                                                                                                         Correct Form for 'Plank' Balance


Stretches: 





I've written some examples of exercise goals below.  Gradually, over time the distances, times and weight will increase.

·         Run for ___ minutes on the treadmill

·         Run for ___ minutes on the road

·         Run for ___ kilometres on the treadmill

·         Run for ___ kilometres on the road

·         Bench press ____ kilograms

·         Bicep curl ____ kilograms

·         Do ___ tricep dips

·         Do a proper push up

·         Do a plank for ___ seconds

·         Do a side plank

·         Hold a balance for ___ seconds

·         Do a ___ minute cardio workout ____ times a week


Other resources





http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness.asp

Enjoy!

Find me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-is-Possible/166432330197796



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