If you aren’t too keen on it, I really want to challenge you to change your mind (Yes, we’re talking about exercise!). I certainly wasn’t an “A” student in P.E., and I know how tedious conventional exercise can be for some of us. However, it should be enjoyable and/or purposeful, so whatever floats your boat is OK! The only rule is that you need to do something 6 days a week for one hour a day. Now don’t freak out, you can work up to that slowly. In no time you will be looking forward to your workouts as you will come to view them as time spent with the most important person in your life….you! And for some it is the time spent with others, friends old and new and family.
The key to enjoying exercise is finding out what kind of movement you enjoy doing. Ultimately it should be balanced and beneficial to your whole being. And, it should burn more calories than your usual day to day activities as well as work your cardiovascular system for better endurance.
I personally abhor "cardio" equipment but love to walk (really fast), bound up stairs, hike beautiful hills and mountains and dance with abandon both on the "floor" and off! And, I am fortunate to teach my BODECI method workout several times per week. I'm not dissing treadmills and I know plenty of people who really dig jogging on a treadmill or zipping along on the elliptical trainer; it affords them personal time to catch up on reading a book, catching the news, or to simply "zone out". Your choice is personal.
Fitness isn’t just cardiovascular exercise, however; it’s also maintaining muscular strength and endurance. The average person loses about a pound of muscle per year after the age of 25, which will not only weaken the body but slow down the metabolism. Simply put: Aging! Your body ages many ways, but, not rebuilding it is a slow death. I want to be alive at an old age to see my great grand kids, too, but I don't want them carrying me to the event.
Helen, my Bodeci body of the month, has lost a total of 26.5 lbs. on the scale. But, she has gained an amazing 17 lbs. of muscle!! Her total fat loss is 43 lbs.!
Resistance training is for building strong muscle. Strong and healthy muscles act as a machine for our structure as they fuel movement and function. For every pound of muscle gained, one can burn 50 to 100 calories more per day. One may notice they are getting leaner, but may not even see a drop on the scale because they may have gained five pounds of muscle and lost five pounds of fat. Now, at the same weight, a person could burn two hundred fifty to five hundred extra calories per day!! That can add up. Once muscle muscle is developed, one can lose half a pound to 1 pound of fat and not have to give up a whole lot! But, let me be very clear here, working out is not a complete means for weight loss especially when one has been working out for a while and they only need to lose five to ten pounds.
Exercise, whether structured or playtime, is one of the most positive things you can do for yourself. A shaman I studied ‘myself’ with years ago said it is hard to have an unhealthy mind in a fit body. Exercise gives us confidence and a wonderful sense of wellbeing. On those days you’d rather sleep in or run home for a glass of wine right after work, you are missing out on more energy and more relaxation. Yes, exercise does both. I call it relaxed energy and it is the best feeling one can have. The ability to comfortably move through your day with a lack of stress can make you more productive and happier. So never think you don’t have enough time in a day to exercise, you won’t have much energy to get the job done if you don’t.
