exercise

Right Now is the Best Time Ever!

by ultrapeg

nowopti
Photo Credit: Foundry Company

If you’re still waiting for that perfect time to start coming to classes, here’s a news flash:  there is no more perfect time than right now.  Many of us keep waiting for changes but do nothing to make that change happen.  For example, if you’re waiting until you are in better shape, but do nothing to improve the shape you’re in then waiting serves no purpose. It just makes time tick past us. Most of us do not have any kind of magic wand that will suddenly endow us with traits we haven’t got.  Also, we cannot go back to a past that might have looked different.  A quote that is often attributed to Albert Einstein goes something like “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results”.  Until you take a different approach, nothing is going to change.  Or change may happen but it may not be what you want.  For example, when it comes to movement, the less you move the more difficult movement becomes.  Then all of the consequences of not moving (muscle atrophy, listlessness, difficulty in accomplishing simple tasks) can begin to become evident or, worse, increase.  So the less you move the harder it becomes to move and the more likely you are to suffer associated health consequences.

Overscheduling can also be an impediment.  You think “after this or that event I’ll have more time”.  This, too, is an illusion. It’s easy to fall prey to the perception that you are just too busy to take the time for a class or other exercise.  Among the flaws in that line of thinking is that somehow we forget that each of us only has so much energy to expend in any given day.  Many of us are guilty of expending all of that energy in the service of others.  This is noble, but when we act as if this energy supply is endless we can become depleted, exhausted and maybe even a bit resentful.  We all need to take time to replenish our energy supplies.  As I’ve said in other blog posts, taking time for yourself is equally – if not more! – important than the time you devote to others.  You can’t give what you haven’t got.  Try thinking of your “me” time as a gift you give to those around you.

At some point we all need to face the reality of where we are right now.  This day, this moment.  It may not be ideal, but there is probably more good than bad if you really take the time to think about it.  Maybe a perception adjustment is required. Whatever your current physical condition, if you can move and breathe you may have more capacity than you think you do. Perhaps you will never again ski in the Alps, run a marathon or compete in a gymnastics competition.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t find some kind of exercise that works for you.  Get creative!  Explore some new ideas.  Find out what your friends are doing.  Sometimes we can be so busy focussing on something we think we want that we ignore some of the other ideas that are right in front of us.  And if you’re still worrying that you’ll look funny trying to do something new or different here’s something to consider:  you will probably be anxious if you do nothing so if doing something also makes you anxious then either way you are going to experience anxiety.  Might as well choose the active path.  If you hate it, you can always go back to doing nothing.

And perhaps in the end that’s the most important truth.  Nothing is permanent.  No matter what you choose to do there is no rule that says you have to keep doing it.  You can change at any time.  Trying something doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it forever.  But you will never know your true ability if you don’t try.  With classes I always suggest that you try a few times before you give up.  Practice always makes things more accessible.  But there really are no hard and fast rules.  Just the rules each of us establishes for ourselves.  It helps to remember that those rules are of our own making and we can unmake them any time we want.  We all have the ability to make choices.  It may not always be easy, but it can be done.

Set an Example and Improve Your Health

by ultrapeg

From the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at health.gov, here are just a few proven health benefits of physical activity:

  • lower risk of a wide range of chronic conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes;
  • prevention of falls; and
  • improved cognitive function among others.

Some more good news:  the health benefits of physical activity are independent of body weight.  So it doesn’t matter if you perceive yourself as overweight or underweight. You will still benefit from exercise even if your weight doesn’t change. Frequently I hear people say “I need to lose some weight before I can come to your class”.  My advice – come to class whatever your weight, size or physical limitations.  There will be a way to adapt the exercise to your physical status whatever that is and your health will benefit.  In fact, I would even go so far as to say that if you keep the effort consistent over a period of weeks you will notice changes in your physical abilities and the way your body feels even if you don’t lose weight.  You may notice, for example, that your clothes fit better or you may see other changes in your appearance.  For many years there has been an ongoing discussion in the fitness industry as to whether it is better to be physically fit and overweight or unfit and thin.  My own opinion is that fitness and good health comes in all shapes and sizes.  Despite the physical form that our culture may revere as ideal, good health is far more important than measuring up to some myth of perfection.  Through the ages and in different cultural contexts there have been many variations in what is viewed as an ideal appearance.  Regardless of these fickle and changing perceptions, good health is indisputable.  We have all heard the expression “without good health we have nothing.”  All you need to do is get sick and you will see the wisdom in that sentiment.

Turns out, too, that you don’t need great amounts of high-intensity activity to experience these benefits.  Also, according to studies, the benefits of physical exercise outweigh the risk of injury.  It is not necessary to run a marathon or climb Mt. Everest to be healthy.  The importance of avoiding inactivity is so critical that even small amounts of exercise can yield significant benefits.  Reductions in risk of cardiovascular disease become evident with as little as 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.  Two classes per week will give you that much. And even better results can be seen with 200 minutes per week.  So add 50 minutes of walking per week (which can be broken down into two 25-minute segments, for example) and you are well on your way to better health, improved mood, reduced stress, enhanced endurance and numerous other improvements in quality of life in general.  If you commit to 6 weeks of consistent activity you may find that you actually begin to like it!  Make it a part of your life.  The benefits will continue to accrue and you may begin to notice a difference in how you feel about yourself.  In addition, you will experience improvements in your ability to perform everyday tasks like putting the groceries away and keeping up with your children or grandchildren. The strength, flexibility and balance training provided by yoga and Pilates will also help prevent falls, keep your bones strong, improve your posture and keep your muscles and joints pliable and functioning.

We have so little control over most of the events and circumstances that impact our lives.  So it becomes more important than ever to take control of what we can control while we can control it.  From that point of view it should be a no brainer to do what you can to improve your health, especially when that involves something as simple as adding more movement to your life.  It does involve a daily decision to make that choice.  But if you can’t do it for your own benefit, do it for those around you.  There lives will also improve by the example you set.