There’s never enough time to do everything we want to do, and definitely never enough time to do everything we SHOULD do but don’t really WANT to do. It is so much easier to sit on the couch at the end of a hard day than to work out.
If you do decide to work out there are decisions… Do I have to put on gym clothes and sneakers? Do I go for a walk? Play a sport? What IS exercise?
The short answer is that exercise is something that elevates your heart rate and makes you breathe more heavily. If you’re having a long conversation with a friend while strolling down the beach, that’s really more of a social event than a fitness one.
Gretchen Reynolds, author of the Well blog in The New York Times, wrote recently about a study that showed that one minute of all-out exercise was equal to 45 minutes of moderate exercise. That’s an investment you can get behind! Where else does 1 = 45? Here’s the link to her post:
Denise’s Two Cents:
I’m a huge fan of the book Body for Life by Bill Philips, and his philosophy that INTENSITY in some form is an essential part of pushing through to another level of fitness, changing your metabolism, losing weight, or all of these. Short bursts can do so much to propel you to another level of fitness and tone. No, you can’t go to the gym and just work out really, really hard for 60 seconds and then leave, but you can warm up, then alternate moderate with intense bursts for 20 minutes and reap all the benefits of a gym rat.
So just start. Check out Body for Life from the library and make a commitment to invest some time in yourself. If you’re unsure of how far to push yourself, ask for help from a trainer or other professional. But don’t just sit on your couch and imagine your life. Get out there and live it!
Denise Gaylord
Personal Trainer & Challenge Coach
Provincetown USA