How to FIT IN Activity
How to FIT IN Activity
I’m
too busy. How can I possibly fit it in?
Happy holidays! If you’re wondering how to stay active during this busy holiday season, I hear you. It’s tough when you are trying to manage work and family life, especially when you are a caretaker. My heart bows down to you. But can you afford not to? This blog will discuss how to fit in activity when you have so much on your plate, and why it is so important.
First
the WHY. I have never met a patient who wants to feel miserable. Instead, they
ask me how they can lose weight, gain energy and feel better. Consistent activity helps with all of these
things, when coupled with good nutrition, proper rest, and mental relaxation. To
be healthy, you must MOVE.
A
vision board is a great way to target in on our goals and view them daily.
What we can measure we can master. What we can schedule we can Achieve. Plan ahead and always put a date on it. Otherwise, your dreams are just that.
Guidelines:
The
American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week or 150
minutes per week, of moderately intense activity (or 75 minutes of vigorously
intense activity per week), along with strength training at least twice a week.
The
benefits:
1.Better
sleep
2.Reduced
risk for dementia including Alzheimer’s disease
3.Increased
blood flow to the brain, heart and nervous system along with the rest of the
body
4.Helps
you look and feel younger
5.Reduced
risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer
6.Stronger
immune system
7.Improved
mood, better management of depression and anxiety
8.Stronger
muscles and bones, lower risk for osteoporosis with weight training, improved
balance and less risk for falls
9.Helps
maintain body weight
How
to Fit it in:
Make
it FUN. I love the sense of community and friendships I have made where I work
out. The senior powerlifters at Crossfit Jaguar are truly exceptional. Coach Bill
is excellent, and I feel like the ladies have become my mom. At the YMCA, where
I teach yoga and at Krav Maga Martial Arts where I train, I also feel like I am
coming home to family.
All
my trainers, teachers, coaches, patients and students, I feel like they are my family.
It’s
said if you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life. That’s
how I feel with my life and my profession.
*FYI I have fun workouts
online on YouTube at Dr Gold fun yoga and on Facebook at Dr. Gold’s Optimal
Living Institute, if you are interested. 😊
No
Extra Time (aka NET) activities:
1.Brush
your teeth while doing squats or jumping on the trampoline
2.Workout
at work (peddler for a desk job or sit on a ball and bounce). Consider a
standing desk and do your squats and high knee lifts. You can walk in place
while you work.
3.Join
your kids at practice. I have seen parents watching their kids on the sideline,
which is sweet, but imagine if you joined them. You would actually get a valuable
work out and be spending quality time with them.
To
get motivated, train for something. It might be couch to 5k or remember you can
walk an event. What ever it is, get excited!
If
you have hate working out, change the language. I like the word Playtime. And
honestly, I know people who play active video games. Dance, dance revolution is
fun for my family, or consider the Wii fit. I dance when I do the laundry and
clean.
Instead
of seeing movement as a chore, what if you saw it as an investment in your
future (and in your families’ future). Remember if your health (and your
families’ health) declines due to inactivity, how productive can you be? It
does matter and your children are far more likely to follow what they see, than
what they hear.
Remember
it’s never too late to make progress and something is always better than
nothing. I literally have done 10 sit-ups and front kicks before bed, just to
get in something, if I missed my workout.
Studies
show even workouts as short as 10 minutes can be beneficial to the body.
HIIT
(high intensity interval training) workouts
are the quick, short intense bursts to build strength. They can help with
weight loss, and you can customize the workouts to meet your needs. Remember
something is always better than nothing. It’s better to MOVE than NOT (Move).
What do you like to do? What can you tolerate?
If you are injured, ask
“What can I do?” Chair or pool exercises, upper or lower body. I have seen
students at Krav with an arm in a cast and they are punching with the other arm
or kicking with the good leg. Whatever the case, there is always SOMETHING YOU
CAN DO! Breath, SMILE, LAUGH!
With warmest wishes, Dr.
Gold 😊
Bibliography
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/strength-and-resistance-training-exercise
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