Let's Get Physical!

I know it's purely serendipitous but my doctors were seemingly conniving in reminding me to schedule my appointments with them soon. Those little reminder cards arrived in the mail just about a few days apart from each other. One always puts me on the defensive. Good thing I have at least four months to prepare for this rather intimidating encounter. It's during this appointment that I can empathize with my patients because I'm the one in the receiving end of the question about my exercise habits. I try to behave by setting time for cardio at least 3 to 4 times weekly. My physical therapist self knows I also need to add strength training in that regime. My human self makes excuses to skip it altogether especially during the winter months.

According to the (CDC) Centers for Disease Control, it is beneficial for women to engage in moderate amount of physical activity, daily. It can be done in longer sessions such as a 30 minute brisk walk or a more strenuous shorter session such as a 15 to 20 minute jog. More health benefits can be attained if the activity is maintained longer with increased intensity routinely. Apparently, 60 percent of American women don't meet the recommended amount of physical activity; 25 percent are sedentary and generally are more inactive than men. The fact that women are more inactive than men is very telling. We are inherently the care-givers and are always putting our families first. We really do need to make time for ourselves. The benefits of physical activity are enumerable. It decreases risk of death from coronary heart disease and development of high blood pressure, colon cancer and diabetes. It aids in maintaining healthy bones, muscles and joints as well as controlling weight, building lean muscles and reducing body fat. For a person with arthritis, it helps control joint swelling and pain. For menopausal women, physical activity decreases bone loss. It enhances mood and feelings of well-being, thus reducing anxiety and depression.

I can't claim that I practice what I preach 100 percent weekly. Sometimes I fail but I don't beat myself up for it. I just pick up where I've left off and that's all I can do. Here are some things that have helped me on my journey to a better health:

JOINING an EXERCISE CLASS- I'm finding that being in a group motivates me more than exercising on my own. I feed on the energy of the men and women around me. Yes, I admit, I used to get intimidated by the extremely fit but I don't anymore. I realized as I had gotten older, nobody really cares what and how I look when I'm panting for air or struggling to maintain a plank. They're on their own journey. I've met individuals whose enthusiasm makes me feel accountable to show up because when they don't see me, they'll tell me. There's this 70 something lady who urges me to stay for another class after just completing one! Yes, she's a rocking septuagenarian who kicks my butt!

FINDING a SALIENT and FUN ACTIVITY- Incorporating physical activities that are fun and meaningful to me helps. It's not uncommon to find the same type of physical activity monotonous if you've been doing it routinely. Better Health Australia suggests doing incidental exercises through walking for short trips instead of driving a car, playing actively with your children, dancing in your favorite music and getting the family active during weekends by bicycling or swimming.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF NATURE- The American Heart Association published a scientific statement that owning a dog reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Not only dog owners benefit from the social support these pets provide but they are 57 percent more likely than non-owners to achieve the recommended level of physical activity because they walk more. Take advantage of the city trails and enjoy nature by walking and hiking. Gardening is also an excellent physical activity involving nature. Stand up paddle boarding or outdoor yoga are some activities that take us outside with nature to break up the monotony of indoor physical activities.

REWARDING HEALTHFULLY- I reward myself with an inexpensive exercise outfit if I find myself sticking to a good routine for a month. I also sometimes splurge on a healthy shake at my favorite health food store after a strenuous work-out.

Now that spring is finally showing up, let's go out there and get physical!

Inexpensive exercise outfits from a discount store that I reward myself for sticking to exercise. Total outfit worth $33.

#women #exercise