sustaining health

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.

Changing the Rules

by ultrapeg

 

mic-trail-tunnel-2
Photo Credit: Peg Ryan

It’s still January so the new year is still a work in progress.  Perhaps you’ve already seen some decline in your resolve.  No problem.  That’s not a signal that you’re a failure or that you should give up.  It may simply mean that you need to adjust your expectations.

When you start something new or return to something after an absence, you usually don’t know what to expect.  You observe and listen and work at mastering skills.  But once you’ve become a bit more experienced, you may find that you begin to establish rules.  Your mind tells you that things need to be done a certain way.  Perhaps you’ve read or heard other people suggest methods deemed as “correct” by some standard.  Or maybe you look around and see others performing in ways that seem beyond your capacity.  Instead of concluding that you’ll never be any good at whatever it is your pursuing, try changing the rules.  Adjust your expectations.  Do what works for you.  It may look different from someone else’s version but it will still be “right” and you will still benefit.  Best of all, you will stay on track and continue working toward your goals.

When it comes to diet and exercise, most rules are just guidelines.  Each of us is an experiment of one.  Regardless of what you may read or hear in popular media, there is no such thing as the perfect answer. What works for one person may not be appropriate for someone else.  Moreover what works one day may not work the next.  And vice versa.  Change is constant.  It is one of the only certainties in this life.  Even though we waste a lot of energy resisting change, it is always happening.  As difficult as it is sometimes, in the long run we are much better off if we can just go with the flow.

So if what you’re trying to do today just isn’t working the way you want it to, instead of beating yourself up because you’re not “doing it right”, try doing it differently.  March to your own drummer.  It may seem like it’s not the same as what you’ve been told or what you’ve observed, but so what?  That doesn’t make it “wrong”.  It just makes it different.

There is substantial evidence that exercise is an important way to keep your muscles working and your bones strong. But it is the exercise you actually do that matters.  The key is consistency.  Developing habits helps you to maintain that consistency, but adjusting to daily circumstances is equally important. If you stop doing something because you’re not living up to your concept of perfection, then you’re not getting any benefit at all.  Try allowing yourself to be who you are right now in this moment and move from there.  You may surprise yourself by eventually noticing that you still experience positive changes.

Unless you’re ill, it is far better to show up, go easy and just do what you can than it is to not show up at all.  Intention is more about process than outcomes.  Adjust your rules, let go of expectations, participate in the process and be grateful for what you can do.  You won’t be sorry.