Saturday, August 24, 2013

Exercise

I know, I know, it's a bad word. You have been working your rear end off all week, you're exhausted and all you want to do is sleep, run errands, and do something "for you" (a treat) so that you can get ready for Monday morning. But you know what I think about rewards.

WRONG

Exercise is "for you". If you have gone through the transition of starting Paleo, then you sure as heck better have enough "drive" to get your rear end somewhere and do that cardio! Exercising is part of healthy living. Live healthy or don't, that whole straddling-the-fence thing irks me to no end. Thanksgiving and Christmas may be special occasions. Tuesday is not.

Besides, exercising on a regular basis GIVES YOU MORE ENERGY! Trust me. Three days of not being at the gym, going for a walk, or doing some sort of dedicated exercise (we will get to that in a minute), and I feel like a zombie. It gets progressively harder to get up and go to the gym. 

Benefits of exercise:
*More Energy! Less Tired! (your body learns how to use oxygen and nutrients more efficiently)
*Less Hungry (over time, you may feel a little hungrier after a workout the first few days, don't binge!)
*Higher Metabolism = More Calories Burned
*Better Sleep (better sleep will result in lower amounts of stress and cortisol, decreased appetite, more energy... see where this is going?)
*Better Mood (Cardio workouts stimulate parts of the brain to release more "feel-good" chemicals like serotonin)
*Lower Cholesterol (Cardio of 30 min or more can help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise your HDL (good cholesterol)

Ideally you will be able to workout 4-5 days a week for at least an hour at a time. While "warming up" on the treadmill for 15-20 minutes is good, actually getting your heart rate up for 30 minutes is even better. 

So you're not much of a runner. That's okay. If a brisk walk gets your HR up, great! If not, try increasing your walking pace and increase the incline plane (if you're on a treadmill that can) to increase your body's demands and get that heart rate up. If you want to run but you're not quite there, try walking and jogging on and off for 1-3 minutes at a time. Eventually you will be able to jog more and walk less in between the intervals. 

***When you exercise you should still be able to talk! If you find yourself so out of breath that you can't even say one or two word sentences, slow down or stop immediately! This is a sign that your body can't keep up with what your are asking it to do.***
 
Earlier I mentioned the words "dedicated exercise" and the reason I did this is because I have seen too many articles that say if you don't have time to workout it's okay! IT'S NOT. House work, chores, ect., yeah it IS work but it's not going to keep your heart rate up consistently and long enough to really reap all of the benefits you get from dedicated exercise. The same thing goes with taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Yay for you! You burned 3 more calories! I take the stairs too, but it is not an accomplishment that keeps me from going to the gym or watching what I eat. 

If you have trouble being motivated, it is good to have that support group to encourage you and maybe even go with you. Me? I'm competitive. So I have a friend who texts me his accomplishments and I try to match or one-up him, and then text him back. 

I am not you. You are not me. Do what works for you.

Another thing you can do is set up weekly challenges between you and a friend. Alternate who makes the challenge each week. An example might be: Go to the gym three days in a row and walk/jog three miles. The more you jog, the less time it takes! Anything else you do to get in your (hopefully) hour or more workout, is up to you.

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