“How do I make exercise part of my life?”

Developed and published by Change Healthcare, I feel it is important for me to share this essay with you. After all, I have difficulty making exercise a daily part of my life. You may as well.

  • “Find ways to exercise that you enjoy. Think about your style. Do you like organized activities or exercising on your own? Do you need someone or something to help motivate you? If so, sign up for a class or workout with a friend or family member. It’s better to choose a form of exercise you’ll stick with than trying to do what burns the most calories.” My simple choices of daily exercise are to walk around the house – up and down the hall, around the dining room table, frequently around the yard, depending on the weather  – to complete a certain amount of daily, recorded steps. 
  • “Eat healthy meals that provide the right amount of calories for you to have the energy to exercise and keep a healthy weight.” Eating colors is a remarkable joy to me. All inclusive vegetables and fruits are in this category.
  • “Track your fitness goals. Write them down and put them in a place that you will see often, such as a note on the refrigerator or bathroom mirror. There are also websites or app that allow you to track your progress. Celebrate your successes.”
  • “Try using a wearable activity tracker. The tracker will log your activity, such as how may steps you’ve taken in a day.”
  • “Try working out with videos. You can exercise with videos for all levels of fitness. You can borrow them from your library, view them on websites, or buy them at stores or online.” Although I am not a fan of videos for exercising. However, they are certain to be an option for you.
  • Build up slowly (key words) to a level of activity that makes you breathe more heavily, increases your heart rate, and makes you sweat. Do not do so much that you strain your muscles or feel dizzy or sick to your stomach.”
  • “After a few weeks of walking or water exercise, add strength training, such as using weights, into your routine. Strength training will make your muscles stronger and able to work longer without getting tired. Muscle burns more calories than fat so as your muscle increase, so does your ability to burn calories. Aim to do strength training at least two times er week.” Be patient with yourself.
  • “If you get sick or get hurt, give yourself time to recover before exercising again. Then start slow and increase a little at a time.”

Best wishes in this endeavor.

A. K. Buckroth

 


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