I told you about aerobic exercise the other day. You also hear about anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise might actually be a goal for your health if you are so inclined or physically fit.
Anaerobic exercise is exercise at a more difficult pace. You’re going all-out. Races are a good example, but it can also include weight lifting, jumping rope, and sports. All the things that would leave you really winded when you finish. If you get really fit it can be a real reward. You get that “runners high”. But if you’re not fit you get aches, pains and maybe worse. Don’t do it without a doctor saying you can. I’m just nagging you to exercise for general health and fitness and to burn calories to reach your goal, not to go for the gold.
Here’s a quick way to tell if you’re doing too much, too fast. You should be able to talk when you’re exercising. Just don’t talk about eating.
TODAY: TAKE A GOOD LONG AEROBIC WALK.
Take today to plan a walking route for the weekend and each day in the coming week. Nothing elaborate. Just set a schedule of locations and write it down to check off each day. If you plan for it and anticipate doing it you will get more satisfaction and be more likely to carry through with it.
TODAY: PLAN YOUR WALK DESTINATIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK.
March is ending, but you should be hitting your stride now. No more excuses about it being too cold out to go walking. It doesn’t take anything besides putting one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left. Left, right, left. Out the door and down the street. If you want, you don’t need an mp3 player to give yourself a beat. Hum a marching tune. “76 Trombones” comes to mind. Or try the famous song from Saturday Night Fever “Staying Alive”. It’s got the perfect pace for a nice workout. Of course you’ll need to put on your white suit like John Travolta.
TODAY: HIT THE BRICKS AND WALK.
You may have noticed that you weren’t as hungry at “meal time” since we started Daylight Saving Time. But you’ll likely adapt to eating earlier easier than waking up earlier. Just try and use that reduced appetite to reduce a few calories. You can still satisfy the cravings that come later with a nice piece of fruit or high fiber cereal AFTER you take a walk in the daylight that is left at the end of your day.
TODAY: RENEW YOUR COMMITMENT TO EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE.
We’re into the first week of DST. (Unless you live in Arizona or Indiana) I love it. I can cook dinner on the grill, play with the dog and still see the glow of the sun fade, even after staying at work until almost 7:00. I know, we “lose” an hour of sleep, but we quickly adapt to that. Getting that precious daylight at the end of the day makes it easier to get some exercise in. It should also give you one less excuse.
So spring forward with your diet and get walking.
TODAY: TAKE AN EVENING WALK.
Since I’m urging you to get out and walk this week, I figured I’d give you a walking joke to make you smile a bit while you’re doing it.
A blonde goes out for a walk. She got down to the river and cannot see a bridge anywhere to get across. She sees another blonde on the other side of the river and yells over to her “How can I get to the other side?” The other blonde looks up and down the river then shouts back, “You’re already on the other side!”
TODAY: TAKE A WALK DOWN BY THE RIVER AND HELP THE FIRST BLONDE YOU SEE.
Even 10 minute exercises need to be enjoyable to keep you on track. You should find that walking time is a great time to let your brain churn and come up with ideas. That happens to me when I walk alone, ride my bike or even while mowing the lawn. But if you can’t seem to get motivated to start just add walking to your routine chores. Do you need to go down to the market? Walk instead of hopping in the car.
If the exercise bike or stepper seem boring. Do something else when you exercise. Some people say they can read when they are doing it. I never could, but I did move it to in front of the TV. You’ll find that the time really moves along faster. You can even use the commercial breaks as a convenient timer. Start during one set of commercials and finish during the next. Or maybe decide to keep going.
The main thing is to think of those 10 minutes as being YOUR time. It’s also paying you back with more time living a healthy life.
TODAY: DECIDE ON SOME FUN WAYS TO EXERCISE.