Happy New Year Lets’ Exercise! . Can you believe it is the start of a new decade? 2020, I hope it brings you and your family much love, joy, prosperity, and health.
Every year we all make resolutions that we hope to accomplish during the new year. Some wish for money, new jobs, new homes, better educations, etc. Yet so many of us make the resolutions to get into better shape and to lose weight.
We want to lose weight and get fit!
We run out and join gyms and buy exercise equipment or buy new diet books. We desire to be healthier and leaner. We want to lose those extra pounds or the girth around our gut. We want to wear smaller clothes of we are overweight and bigger clothes if we plan on building muscles.
Ah, what a pleasant thought.
So let us talk about what is healthy. Let us build a plan that will be reasonable and will not be detrimental. A program that we can accomplish.
Myths
First, let’s dispense with some myths and discuss facts. I hear so many patients say they cannot lose weight because they cannot exercise.
Do you realize that if you exercise 40 minutes four to five times a week, this will account for maybe 1/2 – 1 pound of weight loss per month!
Some are lucky and can lose much more. In fact, we may actually gain weight as you convert fat into muscle. Of course, there is a difference in being 200 pounds Danny Devito versus 200-pound Dwayne Johnson The Rock!
Make a Plan
It takes work and dedication, and that is where most of us make mistakes. We make unrealistic goals and go out to fast or do no follow the plan. Let’s make a plan!
Since everyone runs out or plans to buy exercise equipment or join a gym, we will start with this. As I mentioned before, exercise will only account for about 1/2 pound weight loss for the majority of us. Yes, we all know that person who started walking or lifting program and looks great. But if we take ten people and do the same program, one will shed off weight quickly while the rest of us sweat and wonder what we are doing wrong. Please do not get me wrong, exercise is essential. It helps give us strength endurance and helps our cardiac and respiratory systems while building endorphins and making us feel great. The problem is our plan to become super fit is not an overnight thing.
I am assuming that you do not work out at all, so I suggest the following program. Start with a walking to walk or hopefully running program.
The plan is to build your endurance slowly. For two weeks, start by walking 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Do not worry about the distance. Only worry about time. After two weeks, start with intervals. That is walk 5 minutes to warm up. Then jog slowly for 30 seconds and walk two minutes. Repeat this until you have accomplished 35 minutes. Then every week, you increase the jogging intervals by 10% only. That means week two, you would jog 33 seconds. The recovery walk remains at two minutes. Every 1-2 weeks, the jogging increases by 10%. You will see that as you increase the jogging time, the total distance will be increasing. When you have gotten to 45 – 60 full minutes, then start to decrease the walking by the same amount that you continue to expand the jogging time. Within months you will be jogging or walking quickly for 45 minutes.
Avoid Injuries
DO not push too fast. Most injuries occur because the person has increased too quickly. Again do not worry about distance as this will build as you grow the time and become more fit.
I want to discuss weight loss, but due to space limitations in the newspaper, I will do so in next month’s article.
Happy New Year! Make your resolutions and make a plan and succeed.
