Exercise for everyone
- Jim Kellner
- Jun 1, 2014
- 5 min read
Updated on 6/26/14
Do you have trouble getting your exercise in even though you know it’s good for you? I understand, because I’ve been there. I still struggle at times to make it work. Let’s explore some of the reasons we need to exercise as a reminder for those of us who already know and as new information for those who don’t. We’ll discover some ways to make exercise work for anyone.
I know that many of us have trouble fitting exercise into our schedules. This "fitting it in” is part of the problem. Do you just "fit in" work? Showering? Feeding the kids? I hope not! LOL There's absolutely no doubt that exercise is extremely important for our physical, mental, and even emotional health. And there's hardly a disease or condition that exercise won't improve and/or prevent.
According to the CDC the leading causes of death in 2010 were.
Heart disease: 597,689
Cancer: 574,743
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 138,080
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 129,476
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 120,859 (Some of which could surely be avoided by having a stronger body and better balance which of course exercise helps with)
Alzheimer's disease: 83,494
Diabetes: 69,071
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,476
Influenza and Pneumonia: 50,097 (Because exercise increases immune function it can likely help with illnesses such as these)
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 38,364 (often caused by mental illness including depression which can be improved with exercise.)
Pretty much everyone knows exercise helps with heart disease and stroke but I've made some notes above regarding some of the ones not quite as obvious.
However, I don't even think these are the most important reasons to exercise. To me the most important things are;
Increased energy. (See Maxine testimonial. Went from naps after work to running 5k’s)
Improved mood.
Better stress control.
A better quality of life because you can do the things you want and need to do.
And people who exercise also tend to eat better, are more productive, etc.
Yeah I know, blah, blah, blah. I'm willing to bet you knew most of that stuff already. Nearly everyone understands the importance of exercise. But even those who recognize the value and are willing to do it often get hung up on the amount recommended by various experts and groups. These recommendations vary anywhere between 30 minutes a day 3 days a week to 90 minutes a most days of the week. I know personally how daunting that can be.
As I've talked about before, when I was at my heaviest every time I went to see the doctor the nurse would implore me to just start with 5 minutes. I always thought that would just be a waste of time. You can't burn many calories with a 5 minute walk. BUT when I finally decided I would give it a try my transformation began. It's embarrassing to say but that 5 minutes wasn't easy. It was challenging physically AND mentally. There were so many other things I wanted to be doing, like… um… pretty much anything else LOL. In the years since I began with that first 5 minute walk I’ve done Bikram yoga, Zumba, hiking, and for a while was even running at lunch time. Running? Me?
Today I did a Qi Gong class with Chris Brennan here at North Mountain Cardio where I practice hypnotherapy in Phoenix, AZ. I then spent 30 minutes working out with weights with the on-site personal trainer, Jake Tommerup. I have to tell you too seeing a personal trainer has taken my working out to the next level. I do more reps, my squats are deeper, and my form is much better. In fact now might be a good time to get advance tickets to the upcoming gun show. Because it’s only a matter of time before these guns, these pythons, these bulging biceps become unleased people, unleased. That’s why my recommendation to clients is - "just do five minutes", at least at first. Because it works!
Remember when you start doing 5 minutes you can always increase it later and even 5 minutes of exercise can be beneficial. There’s been some research, albeit controversial about the benefits of the "7 minute workout" among other short duration ones. You can try out the "7 minute workout here" or read about it here. You're not likely to ripped, pumped, jacked, or become an elite athlete doing it. But a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing. You don’t have to be perfect… to be perfectly successful.
I know some of you may think I harp on this topic of “just do 5 minutes” but it works. I understand it’s not a life shattering revelation, it’s not very glamorous. Every once in a while someone makes numerous, huge, monumental changes seemingly instantaneously in their life. They write a book about it. Then they go on Dr Phil and Good Morning America or whatever show is popular at the time. They talk about it, so of course we all hear about them. We might think that’s the only way. For most of us though our monumental changes happen over time. We don't write books about it, we don't appear on Dr Oz, it’s not glamorous, and no one hears about it. But it works!
Are you ready to start your 5 minutes? Great! Now if you are significantly overweight, out of shape, or have any health concerns it’s a good idea to see a doctor before starting an exercise regime. One of the easiest things to get started with is a five minute walk. You can do it outside, on a treadmill, or just standing in your front room. Many of my hypnotherapy clients love Leslie Sansone’s “Walk at Home” DVD’s. Or you could use a video game system with a workout routine game.
Other choices might be “Sit and be fit”, Qi Gong (I’m including a link here to watch one for free on youtube) or Yoga. There’s a really great site called www.doyogawithme.com. They have a ton of different yoga routines for varying levels and conditions. And best of all it’s FREE. You don’t even have to set up an account or login or anything. Keep in mind these are not necessarily a replacement for a quality instructor in person. And remember you don’t have to be in great shape to get started. I have so many clients who say they can’t go to yoga because they aren’t flexible. This is like saying you can’t lift weights because you’re not muscular or you can’t go to school to learn Spanish because you don’t speak Spanish.
If you need some help integrating exercise as a regular habit I’ve discovered a very cool app called The Fabulous (find it here)*. I’ve tried a lot of habit trackers but this is the one I like the most. It helps you to set up some daily reminders for habits you’d like to adopt. And it even has “The 7 minute workout” included in the app as well as a stretching routine and a meditation timer. And no I’m not getting paid to endorse it.... yet! Haha
And remember just because you are exercising you don’t get a free pass on eating. You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. And of course if you want to use hypnosis to help in creating this habit myself or Patty Vasconez, CCHt can help. I am available in person in Phoenix, AZ, Seattle, WA, and various other locations, and wordwide via the telephone and skype. Contact me :)
Be well, be AWESOME!
Jim
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