[Lony]

I wrote this for some people (on another website) who just don't exercise. Maybe some of it will be useful here.

"THE MAGIC PILL

There is something that can:· make you feel good · lower your blood pressure · reduce fat levels in your blood · help control insulin levels · change your body chemistry to boost your body's ability to burn fat · give you more energy and more stamina · make you feel better about yourself · help you sleep better and live longer · teach your body to burn fat .....
Intrigued? Then Read On

This "Magic Pill", of course, is exercise. For me, it has been the single most important factor in losing weight over time and in keeping the weight off.

WHY SHOULD I? The reason to exercise is not to try to burn off some calories because you overate at lunchtime. Nor is it to allow you to eat larger amounts of food. The reason to exercise is that exercise moves you towards fitness, and fit people are "Better Butter Burners" - their bodies burn fat rather than storing it.

Exercise changes the chemistry in your muscles. It creates fat-burning enzymes in your muscles, and if you exercise on a consistent basis, your metabolism will eventually rev up so that you burn more calories all the time, even when you are sitting still or sleeping. Exercise changes how your body utilizes the food you eat, and ensures that you convert less of that food to body fat.

WHAT IS THE BEST EXERCISE? For now, it's whatever exercise you will actually do. For most people this is walking. You may prefer swimming--that's fine. Or an exercise bike, stair-climbing machine, or rowing machine. Weight lifting is fantastic exercise as well.

The point is to move it, to get your body moving...If you haven’t done any exercise for a long time, start walking. The idea is to walk quickly enough so that you are heating up, and breathing a little harder than normal, but not gasping for air. If you can go for 20 minutes, great! If not, do what you can, even if it's only 5 minutes. If you're doing 5-10 minutes, then in a couple of hours, do it again.

The possibilities are endless. If the 20 minute walk was easy for you, you have a choice: increase either the walking time (20--25--30--35--40--45 minutes, etc.),or the effort and pace, so that you are really moving as you walk, just about the break into a jog. If you start to sweat, so much the better. Sweat is good. The shower afterwards is even better.

HOW CAN I KEEP MYSELF MOTIVATED? Over time I learned that: - every day I HATE the first 10 minutes of exercise. Every single day! But around the 11th-12th minutes, everything changes. The body's core temperature raises one degree, and the "feel good" chemicals (called endorphins) begin to be released. From this point on, it's comfortable. Tomorrow I will again hate the first 10 minutes, but I know that all I have to do is get past that point.

WHAT DO I WEAR? If you are going to walk, you will need comfortable shoes. Most people prefer shoes designed for walking, however, I like shoes designed for running, because they are much lighter (more mesh fabric, less leather) and cooler.Wear socks. Wear a hat. Use sunscreen.

HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO DO? American exercise physiologist Covert Bailey says that if he were greatly overweight and wanted to lose the fat, he would resign from his job and spend all his time walking, all day long, until he'd walked himself into fitness and leanness. I think the point is this: Something is better than nothing. If you want more results, then you'll need to increase frequency and the time you spend exercising , but this you do gradually over time. When you really get into it, increase the intensity, the effort level--again, do this gradually, over time.
* Better Butter Burners is a phrase I have borrowed directly from Covert Bailey. He uses it in his book "Smart Exercise" and the "Fit or Fat" series of books"

There ya go. Somebody on another website asked me to write something for non-exercisers, really basic exercise info.

[Aomiel]

okay okay....so I'll go back to Curves in the morning ;-p

[Leeney]

Funny Aomiel, I'm off to walk/jog the dog, so bumping this up. Lony should join our 'pushy' thread. LOL

[gmak]

Lony made a convert out of me--and if I can do it--anybody can! You guys all listen to her--she is very smart and very right about exercise!

[Lony]

Leenie, I'll consider that an invitation and go post on the pushy thread

After I go cook my oatmeal and apples.

[Lony]

Remember, all you really need to do is get to 11 or 12 minutes of exercise and then it *really* does feel easier. Cheers.

[Leeney]

Your words ring in my ears, Lony, whenever I use the elliptical. OK, just 5 more minutes. OK just 2 more minutes. It's like gmak said on another thread. Pick a goal (another minute for me) that is just up ahead, and when you reach that one, reset and keep going. Kind of a metaphor for life, isn't it?

[ This Message was edited by: Leeney on 2006-06-22 11:58 ]

[Lony]

Yeah, Leeney: when I finally figured out that I "only" had to get to 11 or 12 minutes of exercise and then I'd be more or less happy to keep going,

it ...taDA...

changed my life.

Because I always can talk myself into "just 20 minutes", since I know that if I get to 11 min I'll be OK...and usually when I hit 20, I'm good to go for longer...

[Aomiel]

Hey Lony,
I exercised today. I mowed my lawn! That counts!

[Aideen]

Here is another article I recieved from the Spark/People site. It has some good, yet easy exercise hints.

Fitness Articles

Jump Start Your Workout Program
Shocking the Body

-- By Holly Little, Certified Personal Trainer

Tuesday: Go to the gym, run on the treadmill for 30 minutes, go home. Thursday: Go to the gym, run on the treadmill for 30 minutes, go home. Saturday: Go to the gym… well, you get the point. Hitting a rut in your workout routine is a common pitfall that can halt your fitness momentum and even tempt you to stop exercising.

Figuring out if you’ve hit the wall is simple. Ask yourself two questions. "Am I not seeing the same results as when I started my workout routine? Am I losing my motivation to go to the gym?" If "Yes" is the answer to either question, it's time to shock your body with a new or different routine. As the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life," and workouts are no exception.

Drastic changes are not necessary; in fact they’re discouraged. We’re talking about small changes that confuse your body a bit and return it to "fat-burning" and "muscle-building" mode. When your routine remains utterly monotonous, your body thinks it's in maintenance mode, making body shape change hard to obtain. That's why an element of shock is needed.

How do I do it?

It all depends on your current routine. Here are some suggestions:

Runners:

Decrease/increase length of time
Decrease/increase intensity
(Outside) Change your route, even if it's the same distance
Add some hills
Strength workouts:
Shift the focus of your workout each time. (Upper body one day, lower body the next, core the next)
Add some cardio
Shorten your total workout time and go at a quicker pace. (Or lower your pace and add more exercises)
Simply do different exercises, even if it hits the same muscles
Other ideas:
If you take classes (yoga, Pilates, etc.) try adding a day of swimming or spinning
Cardio: Do sprints one day, endurance the next
Whatever your workout, do it with a buddy/group; or if you take classes, do a solo workout.
These may not seem drastic enough to produce noticeable results, but your body responds to even the slightest bit of change if it's used to the same routine, day after day. If you feel sore or achy the next day, consider it a sign that your body is responding positively. Remember, every once in awhile, the body needs a little shock.



Article created on: 12/15/2003


About the Author Holly Little

Holly is a certified spinning instructor, a certified personal trainer and a former collegiate Division I women's basketball player. Holly Little

[Lony]

These days the only result I'm looking for in exercise is the process. The process of a 20 or 30 or 40 minute jog or run. The endorphins I get (my drug of choice these days), the shower afterwards.

But I will say that I'm happy that my upper arms look so much better when I do weights a couple of times a week than when I don't (of course the basic reason for arms looking better is the Rice Diet)...and when I run regularly then my thighs feel like mucles, at least the part that isn't jiggly-fat...which my thighs still have a lot, lot, lot of.

Other people may well love to push themselves to get better, faster etc, and if you do I applaud you. Me, I just like the shower afterwards.

[Leeney]

Know what you mean, Lony. For me the reward is the steam room at the health club. I swear I could fall asleep in there.

I'm thinking about what you said about 'pushing' (seems to be a theme these days). I think I try to find a balance between pushing myself to be stronger, faster, leaner, etc. and just enjoying the physical exertion. I do about 3 miles of moderately fast walking with the doggie 3 days each week, in a lovely park and I thouroughly enjoy it. Only thing I work on there is my posture and form (abs in, shoulders back...kind of thing) but my 3 days at the gym I think I try to push my limits some. Not always, some days I'm lucky to show up and go throught the motions.

[Lony]

Yeah, when I used to work out at the Y, I used to say the only reason I did the workout was for the sauna afterwards. Or the steam bath. Odd, how wonderful a steam bath is, but how much I loathe hot, humid weather! Nowadays, I use the weight room and cardio room at my neighbourhood community centre...Not fancy, but good basic equipment. All you really need.

I'm not a fast walker. I find that really difficult. I can break into a jog and be happy, but I find the fast walking takes way too much effort, lol. I do concentrate on walking with my abs engaged. And I often walk several hours a day (although I had a really bad bout of arthitis/fibromyalgia pain for about 5 weeks, and didn't walk much then--now it's fine), and unless it's a really crummy run, I try to remember to keep the abs engaged when I run, too.

BUT: I still hate the first 10 minutes. Every day.

[Aideen]

AideenCailleach@yohoo.com

I am confused by the pushing comment; I hope that isn't what you took what I posted is supposed to be about. I didn't take it that way or mean for anyone else too either. It's just about mixing things up so you don't get bored, in a rut or stuck in a plateau with the effort you are already putting out.

[Lony]

Sorry, Aideen...I was actually responding to something Leeney wrote on another thread. (I was still thinking about her post there when I clicked to open this thread.) There had been a "see how much you can improve in 3 areas" thing at her gym and she had done just great. I was musing to myself that I'm OK with what I'm doing (in terms of exercise)...let me add this: as long as I *do* it. The article you posted was excellent.

[ This Message was edited by: Lony on 2006-06-25 15:22 ]

[Aideen]

Lony,
Oh good, I'm glad you liked it, that makes me feel much better. Thank you for clearing up my confusion.

[Lony]

Bump to the top.

[Lony]

Bump to the top for newbies.