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I know I need to do it, but I don’t. I know I’m supposed to get at least 30 minutes a day, but I don’t. I don’t exercise. I don’t like to be out of breath or to have achy muscles and for some reason I feel that if I’m not hurting, I’m not exercising.
When I feel guilty enough, I get on my treadmill and I run. I usually last for a month or so and I lose weight during that month. Then I stop running, slowly start to feel guilty again, and after a couple months, get back on the treadmill.
I know that getting out and walking is pretty good exercise, especially for a sedentary person.I’ve spent way more of my life out of shape than in shape, and a lot of my life trying to get into shape. Once I get there, I know that exercise won’t be so bad, but I don’t want to take the journey.
Part of my new plan, my plan of getting fit slowly, is to incorporate exercise (in any form) into my daily life as much as possible. I’m not going to call it “working out” anymore. I’m going to call it “leading a more active life.” I’m going to play harder with my kids, go for more walks with them, do some situps and push ups during commercials, and work vigorously outside in the garden. And yes, I’m still going to get on my treadmill and run.
As I’ve been researching topics for GFS, I’ve come across a lot of articles that talk about working exercise into your everyday life. Several key points have turned up often. First of all, start gradually. Don’t jump into a difficult program that makes you out of breath and achy. Find something you like doing and gradually increase the time spent doing it. Next, if you’re only willing to spend a short time exercising, it pays to exercise the large muscle groups like your chest, legs, and back. These muscle groups burn more calories than the smaller ones, so they increase your fitness levels faster. Finally, have a baseline physical fitness test that you use to measure your progress. Repeat this test every month and if you’re pushing yourself hard enough, you should perform better on it each time you try it.
I know that getting fit requires efforts on both the diet AND the exercise front. I’ve already started on the diet front–now I’m ready to start on the latter as well. Feel free to send me reminder emails about exercising, it can only help!
J.D.
18 responses so far ↓
1 Dan // Dec 10, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Have you tried an elliptical? They are a good option for getting a solid 30 minute workout in each day without getting out of breath or allow you to push yourself to a point without doing damage to knees, ankles, and other joints.
I prefer them to treadmills for indoor workouts.
2 Dave // Dec 10, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Mac — are you into success books like how J.D. is? I ask because sometimes your best motivation for fitness will actually come from books outside the diet/exercise genre. Try a book called The Success Principles by Jack Canfield for inspiration, motivation, and techniques that will directly aid your quest for fitness … Canfiled has this one principle called “99% Is a Bitch; 100% is a Breeze,” and the price of the book is worth it just for the chapter on this principle alone. Just try reading this one chapter while you’re standing around in the bookstore and just see if it doesn’t change your life right there on the spot w/ regard to your fitness quest.
3 Emily // Dec 10, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I hate “working out” when working out feels like the same thing, day in, day out. So I am a true believer in Crossfit (www.crossfit.com). Variety every day, a mix of metabolic conditioning and weightlifting so you burn fat, build aerobic capacity, and strength, and the workouts are SHORT (I can be in and out of the gym in less than an hour, and that includes warming up and stretching). It is also scaleable. The main page workouts of the day (”WODs”) are extremely difficult, but if you go to the “Start Here” link you will see a link to “Brand X” workouts. These are scaled versions of the WODs, go up every day, and the scaling goes from the lowest possible level (”Buttercup”) to just below being ready to complete a full Crossfit workout (”Big Dawgs”).
The main Crossfit webpage is a wealth of information, too. The “Exercises” link has information on how to do all of their exercises, workout demos, and skill training. The sidebar of the “Crossfit Journal” page has links to free articles that outline all the important points of Crossfit workouts and the Crossfit philosophy.
I probably sound like I am selling something, but this is all free (unless you want to buy Crossfit Journal articles). The forums are really supportive, and the community loves new people. It is seriously worth checking out.
4 Justin // Dec 10, 2007 at 5:30 pm
The elliptical is a good suggestion for starting out a little slower. Another thing that helped me when I started working out was buying a heart rate monitor. Most gyms have the receiver built into the machines so you just need the rather cheap part that straps around your chest. With it, you quickly realize you don’t have to kill yourself to get a good workout in.
5 f // Dec 10, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I’m with Dan — I absolutely LOVE the elliptical. Treadmills make my ankles and knees extremely achy and I just don’t feel like I’m burning off enough calories while I’m doing it. With the elliptical, I can usually burn 500 calories in 30-40 mins (depending on how much resistance I’m using).
Would you mind posting examples of “baseline fitness tests” that you’re doing? Are you opting for a full workout, or just one exercise?
Finally, some added motivation (I’m not sure if you’ve posted this somewhere already, forgive me if you have):
http://www.bripblap.com/2007/101-thoughts-on-losing-100-pounds/
6 JR // Dec 10, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Have you ever heard of the website traineo.com. It is a great way to visually see your progress. You can see you weight go down — you can see the exercises you do etc. It is not so complex that you feel overwhelmed easier.
Also — have you ever tried a bike? I used to run but it was just too painful. A bike is way lower impact and if you have a book, tv, ipod, radio or just about anything it can be relaxing. I have been working out daily for a few months now and it has markedly improved how I feel and the amount of energy I have.
7 Ryan Fitblog // Dec 10, 2007 at 6:54 pm
You’ve got the right idea—losing weight and keeping it off isn’t about dieting or starting some temporary exercise regimen: it’s about making *lifestyle* changes.
I think the thing that will help you the most, Mac, is to find an exercise you genuinely enjoy. You won’t even think of it as exercise, and best of all, you’ll *make* time to do it.
8 jon // Dec 11, 2007 at 6:03 am
You should check out the book “The Ultimate Fit or Fat” by Covert Bailey. (http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Fit-Fat-Covert-Bailey/dp/0618002049)
He basically says that the point of exercise should not be to burn calories (although you do) but to tune your body into a fat burning machine. The best way to do that is to walk at a moderate pace. He goes into how fast you should walk, but basically if you can’t talk while you are walking, you are walking to fast. Walking at this pace causes the fat burning potential of the muscles to grow. If you walk to fast, you burn sugar, not fat, and you don’t cause the fat burning potential to grow. There is a lot more to his book then that of course. There are reasons to walk hard, but if you are primarily interested in getting rid of fat, check his book out.
9 Lucas // Dec 11, 2007 at 7:40 am
Just to clarify Jon’s statement: moderate walking alone is not the best way to burn fat. “The Ultimate Fit or Fat” says that the best way is light cardio (moderate walking) in combination with high intensity work (sprints) and weightlifting. The moderate walking alone, while better than doing nothing, isn’t enough to change your body into a fat burning machine.
Go to a 5K race and look at the body types of the people who are walking the race vs the body types of those who are running. What you see should tell you that you need at least some higher-intensity exercise to burn the fat.
10 ideasenator // Dec 11, 2007 at 9:28 am
Try a dance routine or something interesting like that…I think that helps. However I am unsure if guys think of dancing as an option!
11 TosaJen // Dec 11, 2007 at 12:44 pm
When I was first trying to figure out how to work out (17 years ago?) , I started collecting toys to make working out easier: running stuff (took me a few years to think running was a good idea, but here we are!), walking stuff (pedometer), bicycle, exercise videos, swimsuit, step, treadmill, xc skis, ice skates, roller blades (sold those), weights, resistance bands, etc., etc.
The point is, I have so many choices for any weather, any time, and length of time, any mood that [b]I cannot justify skipping a workout[/b]. Can’t do it, and I feel like a chump and a wuss when I don’t do it. I don’t feel guilty about it; I feel stupid. And I don’t like feeling stupid. I had the opportunity and everything I could possibly need, and I just didn’t. Dumb. I don’t do that too many days in a row. And when I do, it’s time to find a new toy to add into the mix . . .
Yeah, I’m 13 lbs heavier than I want to be (5 lbs heavier than I’ve been in a few years), but I’m still exercising. It’s the food thing . . .
12 TosaJen // Dec 11, 2007 at 12:46 pm
And . . . I totally have to agree with the “active lifestyle” thing. I walk or bike my kids to school every chance I get, walk all the errands I can, chase my kids around the playground, take them to the pool, etc. I call it “accidental exercise”. Everything counts, especially when you wear a pedometer or let a software program add all your movement up.
13 JenH // Dec 11, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I have found that when I use exercise equipment, having something to distract me is key. When I’m at the gym, I have some podcasts that are long enough to last through the workout and that I only allow myself to listen to while working out. Same with the stationary bike I have at home - for that, I reserve TV shows that I get from Netflix. I can only watch them if I’m on my bike. The one thing is that it can be easy to get into the show or podcast and slow down without realizing it, so I have to check in with myself periodically to make sure I’m keeping up the intensity. That makes what would normally be a boring workout more entertaining, and it gives me something to look forward to.
14 Yinna // Dec 11, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I’m not overweight, but I do suffer from depression and, next to medication, I just need to excercise. The good part is that I feel an immediate effect (some weight loss came over time, as well). But I absolutely detest exercising on machines! So instead, I learned to row (yes, outside), I cycle to work, I joined Habitat for Humanity so I can help build houses, and I offer to help people move or clean their gutters (try going up and down a ladder all around a house). A week ago, a friend (he’s 50) and me went trampoline jumping (www.skyzonesports.com), today I shoveled snow (three times!). It’s not cardio, or exercise, or fitness, it’s using your body the way it was intended: to do lots of different things.
I think you are right in calling it ‘a more active life’. With kids, the possiblilities should be endless. Take them geocaching (www.geocaching.com) or (I don’t know how old they are) play hide and seek using the whole house.
And keep eating those bananas
Good luck, and keep posting!
15 Catherine // Dec 11, 2007 at 7:56 pm
A diet program I did long ago (not a healthy one) had one great tidbit of advice I still recite to myself. When trying to generate activity, remember:
Don’t sit when you can stand, don’t stand when you can walk, and don’t walk when you can run.
The key is in the can. Sometimes, like at work, I’m stuck behind a table and can’t walk around. But when I’m at home, I can be standing doing laundry, walking while tidying the house or following the kids, and running up the stairs instead of strolling. This way, I don’t get too sweaty if it’s not convenient, but I do all that I can.
16 Douglas // Dec 12, 2007 at 1:22 am
Great idea for the website. I look forward to watching it develop.
I have to echo Emily’s sentiments on Crossfit. Most people go to the gym, hop on a treadmill or elliptical with their iPod’s on, and do their thing for 30 minutes and call it a day. With Crossfit, you have to pay attention to what you’re doing. You have to be involved in the process, because you won’t be doing the same thing day-in and day-out. Once you try it for a week or two (with the scaled versions to start) you’ll become hooked.
And here is a tip I’ve developed from Crossfit on those days I just don’t have it in me to do a full intensity workout: Use the Tabata protocol. After warming up on your cardio machine of choice, go hard and fast for 20 seconds, then relax for 10 second. Then repeat 7 times for a total of 4 minutes. Do three or four 4 minutes cycles, with a little rest in between each one, followed by a cool- down period, and you’re 30 minutes will go by in no time. It also works for weight training too, just go lighter than normal for your load/weight.
17 Jag Nogg // Dec 12, 2007 at 10:47 am
JD,
Suppose you were miserable living in NY and you decided, for a variety of reasons, that you wanted to live in LA. LA is where you would be happy. You know this for a fact.
This decision is set in stone in your mind. What do you do?
You’d sell stuff. You’d pack up stuff you wanted to keep, and then you’d plot out a course and start driving. In your mind, you’d leave NY behind forever. Right?
What, then (I mean literally here on an actual drive like this) would you do if you took a wrong exit, or missed a turn? Would you beat yourself up and get depressed? Would you completely give up on the new life you had pictured and drive back to NY? Would you continue driving down the incorrect road to god-knows-where?
No.
You’d get angry. You’d sigh, and then you’d mentally put it behind you. Then you’d look at your map, make a course correction, and get back on the road that you know will eventually lead you to LA.
Personally, I was living at 225. I want to live at 195. I know this for a fact. I’ve been trying to move to 195 for a number of years and so far I’ve been all over the map. Currently, I’m in a place called 217. I’m on the right road, but 217 isn’t where I want to live either.
I view nutritional / fitness setbacks as wrong turns. I accept it, make a correction, and get back on track. Going back to 225 isn’t an option. There is no place for me at 225. I sold that house.
-J
18 Dani in NC // Dec 14, 2007 at 6:33 am
It sounds like you and I are on the same page. I “work out” in fits and starts, mainly whenever I feel guilty enough about it.
I like what Tosa called accidental exercise. I have seen a difference in my fitness level just from choosing to get up and get things myself instead sending my kids to do it :-). It may not be the popular choice and you certainly won’t lose weight quickly, but working more movement into your life rather than “working out” will keep you in it for the long haul, IMHO.
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