Exercise – Page 3 – Vibrant Life

12 JAN

How to Get Motivated to Get Moving

I entered adulthood with an image of myself as someone who does not “do” sports. I figured there was a human divide and I was on the side with those who discussed books and foreign films, sipped frothy drinks, and had pale skin in the summer. In my mid-20s, after a few years at the computer, my body started to protest my lifestyle. Headaches and neck pain were frequent, and I sensed my metabolism slowing. I should mention that I wasn’t really inactive, but I was passive. I never grasped the idea that physical fitness was something I could take charge of for myself. As I got older, busier, and less active, I began to envision layers of fat overtaking me in the coming years, and yet I felt helpless to do anything about it.
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12 JAN

Workout Without Equipment

It’s not unusual for people to feel that they can work out only if they have a fully equipped gym with a large assortment of equipment. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only things you need to work out are motivation and determination.

There are basically two parts to a workout–cardiovascular (or aerobics) and strengthening (or toning). Most people are under the impression that aerobic exercise should leave you gasping for air. The reality is that working out aerobically should actually feel quite comfortable. You can work out aerobically without equipment by (in order of difficulty):

Walking

Hiking

RunningIf you are just starting an exercise program, begin by just walking in your neighborhood and try to avoid any hills. As you walk you want to feel a little out of breath and be perspiring moderately (barring high heat and humidity). If you had to describe your level of exertion on a scale of 1 to 10, it should feel like a 6 or 7. Remember that this should feel like a level that you could comfortably sustain for 20 minutes or more.
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12 JAN

Fit For Life

Motivation is the key to maintaining a lifelong exercise commitment. What will it take for you to make a permanent lifestyle change?

Start by taking a good, long look in the mirror. Do you see the weight of everyone else’s problems? Your spouse’s job-related stress pads your thighs, juggling the daily day care and work commute jiggles under your arms, or possibly the pressure of your own career thickens your waistline. Maybe losing a few pounds would boost your self-image. Perhaps the weight you bear can’t be measured in pounds, but in the heavy expectations of being the woman you think you should be–bright, successful, self-sufficient, and at all times beautiful. Take time to focus on how you feel. Perhaps your stress is entirely your own, visible as the perpetual purple rings under your eyes and the tension you feel throughout your body. Now close your eyes, and imagine the ideal you–a woman who is physically and emotionally fit.

5 Keys to Better Fitness

One of the toughest things anyone can do is start a fitness program after not being active for some time. Once you make the commitment to yourself, where do you go and what do you do? You know that aerobic exercise is good for your heart and burns extra calories, but the last time you went running, it was painful. And you only want to tone up, not have big giant muscles like something on an ESPN workout program.

12 JAN

In It for the Long Haul

Sure, it’s more difficult to get back into an exercise routine after a long layoff–or even start one when you’ve never worked out regularly before. Once working out is a regular part of your life, it’s easy to stay in the habit of keeping fit and healthy. But the battle’s not over. Even the most diehard fitness buffs occasionally fight workout burnout and boredom.

01 NOV

Wintertime Fitness

Winter is coming, and we are packing on the pounds. But surely our bodies are physiologically preprogrammed to pad on added insulation in the winter, right? Sorry, but no… not unless you are a hibernating bear.

While cold winter weather does produce a slowing of our body’s metabolism to compensate for the dramatic shift in temperatures, it is not nearly as profound as in other mammals, such as woodchucks or bears. Interestingly, recent clinical studies do suggest that we have “circannual cycles,” meaning cyclical changes in blood chemistry, hormone secretion, brain activity, and appetite. These circannual rhythms appear to relate to changes in the length of daylight and darkness, causing seasonal deviations.