Fitness For The Exercise Adverse

Ellen Warren of The Seattle Times has shed light on a simple idea that can totally change your life.  She states that “twenty minutes, three times a week helps the “exercise adverse.”  I couldn’t agree more!  This is how I got started, and than exercise became an obsession.  If you haven’t mustered up the discipline to begin an exercise regime, why not just start with 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week.  The effects of approaching exercise this way are comparable to a tiny snowball starting an avalanche.

“Federal guidelines advise Americans age 18 to 64 to get 2 ½ hours a week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.”

“Frank Comstock, Tucson, Ariz., doctor and author of the book “Antiaging 101,” specializes in wellness and anti-aging. He insists that all it takes to truly be fit is an hour a week. So why not start there? Anything is better than nothing!”

We have all heard the old saying that a journey begins with a single step, you must begin somewhere!  Many times this is the hardest thing to do.  Changing the habits that have created your life to this point is a tough thing to do, but you must change what you are doing in order to get a different result.

The key do getting results from an exercise program is doing at the right intensity for the right period of time.

“So, how does this 20-minute workout do the job? It’s all about “interval training,” he says, which means short bursts of higher intensity aerobics, then returning to shorter periods of lower intensity. For instance, walk at a normal pace for two minutes than as fast as you can for 20 or 30 seconds. Then repeat. Gradually increase the fast bursts and decrease the slow ones.”

When I first started getting back in shape this is the approach that I took.  These small changes will get results when combine with the right nutrition.  It does not take large chunks of time in order to get results.  Here is the simple strategy that Comstock recommends to follow:

“-Find the exercise that is least objectionable, like walking, swimming, jump rope, jumping jacks, doing squats.”
-If you’re just beginning, pick a shorter time — even 5 minutes twice a week — then build up slowly.”
-Don’t give up. If you’re at the 20 minute/three times a week level and just don’t feel like exercising, employ the 10-minute rule. “Start your exercise session and plan on working out for only 10 minutes” that day, he recommends.
-If that doesn’t work, “look in the mirror.” Sometimes, says Comstock. That’ll probably be enough to get you back off the couch and into your interval zone again.”

You may not see results immediately, but if you stick with this strategy you most certainly will.  You friends will comment and you will like what you see in the mirror.  It does not take a lot in order to change your life, in fact it can be done in 20 minutes a day, 3 days per week.

The key to being successful with any exercise program is to begin and stick with it.  You can talk all you want to about losing weight, but things will not change until you do.  Start moving and do something!

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2016680411_fitness07.html