Integrating Exercise into your Life

I’m sure all of us wish that we exercise more than we do. From what we have gathered in our lives, most of us know that exercise is an important part of maintaining good health. However, the daunting task of going to the gym, going for that walk, waking up earlier to finally start playing racket ball with whoever has never fully manifested itself with the ease required to maintain it. We all have busy lives, engaging jobs, kids, etc., that are all very demanding of our time and energy.

In order to gain the full benefit of exercise, it has to be established as a priority and incorporated into a daily routine. It has to be within the limits of your level of fitness and enjoyable in order to sustain it. There are a few different types of exercise that we will talk about, but the one that we will focus on first for the purposes of this lesson will be cardio…

Each day, a person should be engaged in a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio-based exercise. Personally I am runner, and get up every morning at 6am and hit the track for my daily 5k. This is a very high-intensity level of cardio training to do on a daily basis, but it was easy for me to build up to it because I kept a daily habit of integrating this routine exercise into my mornings that led me to the level I’m at right now. I didn’t start out this way… not by a long shot. But what I do now is exactly the same as what I did when I started, and hasn’t changed.

I go everyday.

At first it was walking. Walking became jogging. Further and faster everyday. What’s even better is that I began to really enjoy the running as the painstaking and agonizing fatigue gave way to increased energy and confidence in my ability to run the longer distances. We all have to start small, within realistic limits of our fitness and what will be enjoyable for us. The running is fun for me because of the track I run is very close and it runs around a picturesque lake with lots of exotic waterfowl. The convenience is also a big factor in being able to go everyday; be sure to keep that in mind when deciding where you can go for your 30 minutes. Your cardio can be anything you want from walking, running, bicycling, aerobics, elliptical machine, etc., as long as you are sustaining a heart rate of at least 130 bpm for 30 minutes.

I suggest everyone start walking for 30 mins in the morning or on a lunch break. The earlier in the day, the better. Do this on weekdays only. Take Saturday and Sunday off.  Here’s what you should have:

• Workout clothes: Keep an outfit dedicated for your exercise.
• iPod/mp3 player: Groovin’ to your tunes takes your mind off the fact that you really want to go back to bed instead of doing all this walking and running…..
• Sunscreen:  Get in the habit of putting this on before exercise. Sweat droplets and smears on your forehead can prismatic-ally magnify sunlight and burn your skin faster than usual.

Without a daily integration of exercise into your life, the benefits of becoming physically fit will always elude you.

Be sure to consult a doctor and fitness professional before starting any kind of exercise
routine.

A cool app to help you get started