You know it’s bad when the Surgeon General issues a warning
that lack of exercise is hazardous to your health. And that was
back in ’96. Since then, the stats haven’t improved
much, either: 25% of the American population is still sedentary
and 60% do not exercise regularly (Reference: http://www.cdc.gov)....
For fitness minded folks, we could do worse than to follow the
“hour-a-day” prescription outlined by the Surgeon
General’s Healthy People Report. It’s just a guideline,
of course and, as you already know, any amount of activity packed
into your busy schedule is going to earn you healthy rewards.
But there
are plenty of other reasons to exercise.
“If people exercised only moderately,” says Janet
Kneiss, Physical Therapist, “there would be far less incidence
of injury. The 15 or so people I see daily, who come in with back
and neck problems, usually don’t want to exercise, they
want a quick fix.”
The solution as she sees it?
“I think, if people could just reframe the idea of it [exercise]
being so much work and focus more on the enjoyment of doing it,they
would find the experience more positive.”
So, if exercise alone can keep you injury and disease free, how
do you keep it from being just another thing “to-do?”
Here are a couple ideas:
Do something you enjoy: This sounds incredibly simple, but it’s
worth mentioning. As we’ve already said, most seasoned fitness
fanatics as well as neophytes will be the first to tell you: if
you do something you enjoy, you will stick to it. What do you
like to do? Walk? Run? Spin the treadmill while watching the tube?
Or how about branching out and trying something unique and different
like kick-boxing or martial arts? It’s a great idea to add
variety; it will keep your exercise fresh and interesting.
