Quit Hating!!!

Do you hate exercise as much as I do? Of course I tell stories of how much I ran in college, but for 20 years the main kind of running I've done was to the refrigerator, out for pizza, or to the Krispy Kreme (is there really anything that tastes better than a box of hot glazed doughnuts?). I have been hogging the remote for a long time, and the only game of football I've engaged in comes on the television. I was seeking a new definition for "couch potato". But that all had to change.

I was determined to get healthy again so I made exercise my number 1 priority.  I was already going to the gym 3-4 days a week, and walking on the treadmill 20-30 minutes each time but it wasn't nearly enough. Today I am going to the Omni East Club 5-6 days a week, and I'm there between 1.5-2 hours every time I walk through the doors.  I'm on the treadmill 45 minutes (30 at a moderate run), the elliptical for 10 minutes, and the recumbent bike for another 20. I didn't start at this pace originally.  I started out walking 12 minutes a day, just raising my heart rate to 120 bpm.  Many people start out trying to do too much and are discouraged so they quickly return to the couch again.  Making the decision to start out running 3 miles a day is a sure plan for failure for most of us. It usually doesn't work, so start out slowly.

About 6 months ago I started to seriously add weight training to my routine, something I tried desperately NOT to do for decades!  It isn't that I want to bulk up.  It's just that as I have grown older gravity has caused everything that used to be strong and tight to become loose and weak. Lifting smaller weights with more repetitions is reversing the effects of years of inactivity. I have also added core training and stretching to what I do on a regular basis. Because I am partially retired I am able to dedicate the time I need for exercise but nearly anyone can find at least 45 minutes to an hour every day if we make it a priority.  Sometimes it's as simple as stepping away from the remote.

The real problem, after all, is our priorities, right? We are leading busier lives than at any other time in the history of man. We all aspire to become great at multitasking, but a wise man once said that if you chase two cats at the same time they'll both get away. Our careers, our homes, our families, and our friendships are all important, but they don't mean anything without our health. I am convinced by everything I have experienced this past year that if I make exercise a priority I can eventually reclaim my health. Join me and just get started !  Raise your heartbeat a little for just 12 minutes. A journey begins with the first step.