Title:

Warning! Lack Of Exercise Could Be Harmful To Your Heath

Author: Laura Turner

Article:
You know it's bad when the Surgeon General issues a warning that
lack of exercise is hazardous to your health. And that was back
in '96. Since then, the stats haven't improved much, either: 25%
of the American population is still sedentary and 60% do not
exercise regularly (Reference: http://www.cdc.gov ).

For fitness minded folks, we could do worse than to follow the
"hour-a-day" prescription outlined by the Surgeon General's
Healthy People Report. It's just a guideline, of course and, as
you already know, any amount of activity packed into your busy
schedule is going to earn you healthy rewards. But there are
plenty of other reasons to exercise.

"If people exercised only moderately," says Janet Kneiss,
Physical Therapist, "there would be far less incidence of
injury. The 15 or so people I see daily, who come in with back
and neck problems, usually don't want to exercise, they want a
quick fix."

The solution as she sees it?

"I think, if people could just reframe the idea of it [exercise]
being so much work and focus more on the enjoyment of doing it,
they would find the experience more positive."

So, if exercise alone can keep you injury and disease free, how
do you keep it from being just another thing "to-do?" Here are a
couple ideas:

Do something you enjoy: This sounds incredibly simple, but it's
worth mentioning. As we've already said, most seasoned fitness
fanatics as well as neophytes will be the first to tell you: if
you do something you enjoy, you will stick to it. What do you
like to do? Walk? Run? Spin the treadmill while watching the
tube? Or how about branching out and trying something unique and
different like kick-boxing or martial arts? It's a great idea to
add variety; it will keep your exercise fresh and interesting.

Mix it up! Speaking of variety, you can also mix up your
routine. For example: try splitting up your exercise sessions.
If you take a half-hour walk in the morning, take a half-hour to
stretch or resistance train in the afternoon. Just adding a bit
of variety could spice things up and keep you motivated.

Make an appointment with yourself. Make the commitment to
exercise by making an appointment with yourself. Write it on
your calendar. If you've never exercised before, start slow
[10-15 minutes] then build up. Begin exercising three times a
week, then slowly build up your time and your frequency. If you
love to exercise, try listening to your bio-rhythms. If you can,
schedule exercise during peak energy periods.

Strive for your personal best. A friend e-mailed to tell me he
was gearing up for another 5K relay race. I wasn't surprised.
When he was 40, never having run before and not having "runners
genetics" as he puts it, he decided at 15 pounds overweight and
asthmatic, he was going to run. He made up his mind. For a year
he trained, dropped the weight and signed up. His first goal was
simply to finish. Did he do it: you bet. Did he work through an
asthma attack to get across the finish line? He did, but he kept
going. Now, he continues to train and improve his time with each
race. His secret, he tells me: enjoy the journey, live in the
moment, and focus on your personal best.

"So, Laura, what's the take home message?" you ask. Never mind
what everyone else is doing. Stay focused on you, doing what you
enjoy and what is fun and exciting for you. Learn everything you
can about health and fitness. Then, do the best you can. In so
doing, you will be an inspiration for others. To summarize: A
quote from one of my favorite inspirational writers Dr. Wayne
Dyer, who says: "I don't want to be better than anybody, I just
want to be better than I was yesterday."