The Illusion of Being in the Game

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I had a conversation the other day, as I am wont to do, occasionally, and I mentioned that I was fascinated by people who continue to exercise for long periods of time, but so inconsistently that they really don't make any positive changes as a result. What motivates them to continue grinding away, basically fruitlessly?

Now let me stop for a moment and explain myself. I am definitely a proponent of exercising for greater health, but consistency is a requirement to achieve this benefit. Let's say that Suzy hates running...absolutely despises it. But she forces herself to do it occasionally, maybe once every week or two, because she reads that its the "right" thing to do to better her health and lose that nagging ten pounds. She has the best intentions of running the minimum 3 days a week for 30 minutes, but doesn't seem to be able to find that much time, or motivation. She does, however, continue this sporadic pattern for months, but she is secretly mystified, utterly flabbergasted that she hasn't lost any weight or gotten more toned as a result of her running. She does still harbor some hope that eventually, her activities will get her back into her skinny jeans, so she continues to grind away in vain.

What keeps Suzie doing this thing that she hates but produces no result? She is living the illusion of being in the game. In her mind, she has rationalized that the small amount of effort that she is putting in is enough, even though reality begs to differ. She thinks to herself, "Well, at least I'm doing something." Is that really better than doing nothing? Maybe for short-term ego self-preservation, but in the long-term it only results in a big let-down and unmet unrealistic expectations.

So, my advice is this: Stop spinning your wheels! If you are not getting the results that you are after, really sit down and evaluate how much effort you are putting into it. Stop making excuses and make a concrete plan to succeed.

Don't Limit Yourself

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I've written for months in these posts about the actions that people can take to lose weight. The knowledge is out there and everyone understands what is necessary. So why are 66% of the population either overweight or obese? Why do so few people do the things that they know will result in losing weight? Some more common excuses...ahem...reasons:

• "I don't have the time to ."
• "I know what I need to do...I just don't want to do it." (Well, at least that one is honest!)
• "I don't have the money for a gym membership." (Who says you need a gym membership to be healthy?)
• "I don't have the energy to exercise."
• "I'm not an 'exercise' person."

I hear these all the time, and I've already posted reasons why these are really just excuses, and most readers would agree. As I speak to more people, I'm beginning to understand that these are really different manifestations of something else...self-imposed limits.

Willpower is self-fulfilling. If you believe you are a machine with Zen-like discipline focused toward achieving your goal...you will be. If you believe you can only go so far, then you certainly won't achieve any goals greater than your self-imposed limitations.

The first step toward overcoming personal limits is to stop the negative self talk. If you are making progress toward living a healthy lifestyle, acknowledge it. Don't berate yourself for not doing more. Small steps add up over time and acknowledging your progress, no matter how small, is great motivation to continue.

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The Process of Progress

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OK, let's get something straight, right now. Simply getting out there and doing the same thing, i.e. running the same speed/distance or lifting the same weights will not lead to improvement. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got! There is nothing wrong with lifting the same weights if maintenance is your goal, but don't spend the next two years lifting the exact same weights or running the same 3 mile loop and wonder why your squat or your 5k times haven't improved. The following three factors, in order, are essential for improvement.

Consistency Leads to Dedication

Consistency is the foundation on which a successful training program is built. The body requires a constant cycle of overreaching beyond your comfort level, followed by adequate rest and recovery to lead to supercompensation, i.e. your body becoming stronger, faster, etc. A good analogy is pushing someone on a swing. By consistently and repeatedly timing the small amount of force that is a single push, you can move the person much more than you could with only a single push. Randomly timing those nudges won't result in any significant movement. Focus first on consistency before mucking things up with complicated strategies to improve.

Intensity = Effort

If you are religious in your consistency to following a plan, next concentrate on intensity. Workouts must be done with the intensity necessary to force your body to adapt. Consistency may be the foundation, but without the proper intensity, you will never get off of the ground. Workouts should never be painful, but overreaching, or pushing a little beyond your current level of comfort, by definition will be uncomfortable. Your muscles may experience a burning feeling. Some soreness the next day may result. These effects are common if you are working out with the intensity needed to get stronger or faster. Again, if your goal is to maintain your current state of fitness, you don't need to cross the threshold into discomfort, but if your goal is to improve on your current level of fitness, you must push beyond your comfort zone.

Progression Requires Planning

Progression is at the top of the graph because it is not possible without the previous qualities. Consistency and intensity are required to make progress, but ironically, they don't guarantee it. Progression must be planned. If your goal is to run a half marathon and you can currently only run 3 miles, what steps must you take to increase the amount of distance that you can run? Running the same 3 mile loop will not magically result in the ability to run 13.1 miles on race day! You must slowly add to the distance that you can run increasing your maximum distance by small manageable amounts. If your goal is to get stronger, how can you expect to get stronger when you lift the exact same amount of weight for 6 weeks, or God forbid, 2 years. The answer: You can't!

By applying these to your workouts, given enough time, you can achieve your goals, whatever they may be. Never stop pushing!

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Make yourself a slave to good habits!

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I can hear the groans now. Scott's gone off on another unrealistic tangent that "regular people" can't do. I know, I know, you don't have the time. When the day is done you are just a shell of your former self...totally devoid of energy. Let's face it...we are all slaves to our routines and habits. These daily rituals help us get through the day. Make sure that you are a slave to healthy habits, not unhealthy ones. Here are some healthy activities that you should do each day:

• Eat breakfast - I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again, "Don't skip breakfast". A good breakfast sets the stage for a great day.
• Eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables - Few people eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. These foods provide the essential nutrients that our bodies need to be healthy and strong. They also tend to be very low calorie dense foods so they are great weapons in your weight loss arsenal.
• 30 minutes of exercise - Someone a lot busier than you is taking the time to exercise, right now. No excuses. I know you're busy. Take 30 minutes each day to do something. Go for a walk. Stretch. Do some quick strength training. Go for a run. Take a yoga class. Try cardio kick boxing. Whatever floats your boat, but make sure you do something each day.
  
• Drink more water - Water is necessary for each and every biological function. Don't shortchange yourself by being dehydrated. Aim to drink one gallon of water per day.
  

Remember, it's hard to start a new habit, but once it becomes a habit it will just be an everyday thing like brushing your teeth. Start making changes that will benefit your health and life, today!

"I am here out of habit."

Make sure "here" is where you want to be.

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You can't bank fitness

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Fitness is a current status and is in constant flux. Unfortunately, you can't save fitness for a rainy day. Exercising every single day for a month doesn't mean that you can skip a month and expect to hang on to your fitness. It is a "use it or lose it" proposition. This is why consistency is so important. Progressive improvements require consistency!

Here are some tips to maintain consistency

1. Schedule your workouts

Everyone is busy these days. Don't let that be an excuse to skip workouts. Don't tell yourself that you will exercise "when you get an opportunity". It's funny how that opportunity never materializes.

2. Always do some type of workout during your allotted exercise time

Don't have time to do a full workout? Take an opportunity to stretch. Normally, run 30 minutes, but you don't have time? Go out for 10 minutes. Even if you can't get out to do a "complete" workout, make the time to do something. Even if you only go out for 10 minutes, that's better than nothing. It helps maintain the habit and you'll feel better for it. Excuses are easy, making lifelong, healthy changes are not.

3. Reschedule your workout if something comes up that cannot be avoided.

Sometimes things come up that simply cannot be avoided. If you know you won't be able to make your normal workout time, it's best to try to reschedule to get it done before your normal workout time. If you wait until after your normal workout time, you are more likely to just skip it.

4. If you must skip a workout, don't let it become a habit.

If you absolutely cannot do a workout, don't get into the habit of skipping them. Under not circumstances allow yourself to miss any of the next 3 workouts! That should get you back into the groove.

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You must challenge your body to change it!

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The American Heart Association in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine has released it's newest set of guidelines for physical activity. Adults age 18-65 should get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days per week or 20 minutes of vigorous activity 3 times per week. Moderate activity is equivalent to a brisk walk and noticeably accelerates your heart rate. An example of vigorous activity is jogging and causes rapid breathing and a substantial increase in heart rate. Combinations of moderate and vigorous exercise can be used to meet the weekly activity recommendation. Additionally, adults should engage in muscle-building, or strength training activities twice during the week. People who engage in greater amounts of activity than this further reduce the risk of chronic disease and disabilities, as well as unhealthy weight gain.

So, here's the deal. This is the minimum recommendation for health. It's a good start. If you follow these guidelines perfectly, but make no change to your eating habits, don't expect to lose tons of weight, or to make huge changes to your body composition. To lose significant amounts of fat requires more hard work and consistency. If you have never been an "exerciser", start with this recommendation as an initial goal. Consider it an investment in the ability to really torch fat after you've gotten in better physical condition.

Don't let your own expectations of what you think you should be achieving hinder your progress or discourage you. It takes time to gain weight, and it takes time to lose it. Time is on your side. Let it work for you.

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When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Like You!

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As I get closer to a race, I usually get lots of questions about training, how much do I run, etc., to train for long distance races. My mileage tends to fall between 50 - 100 miles per week with most of that taking place over two very long runs on the weekend. Here are some other questions answered:

"When I grow up, I want to be like you. My weekends are so busy, I can't do anything else."

Cry me a river. I get up at 3:15, to be out running between 4:00 and 4:30am. On the longest run weekends, one weekend every 4 weeks, I'm out running until about noon. On 2 of the other 3 weeks a month, I get up and get my running done by 7:30am. I'm usually back home before my family is fully awake. On the final weekend of the 4 week cycle, I don't run at all. There is always a way, if you want something bad enough. The question is, "How bad do you want it?"

"Do you just go home and sleep all day after doing all of that running?"

Actually, I'm doing lots of landscaping around my house, and I usually come home and dig holes for trees and shrubs all day! On the one weekend a month where I put in 60-85 miles over Saturday and Sunday, I admit, I'm pretty whipped. On those weekends, I really don't get much else done. But to accommodate my family, the other 3 weekends in the 4 week cycle, I either don't run or I'm home before anyone even realizes that I was gone. My wife calls the off weekends the "wife clause" in my running plan.

"Well, that's just crazy. I can't do that."

You can't, or do you choose not to. There's a difference. I'm not suggesting that everyone should be running 100 miles a week, but not having enough time is no excuse to get a moderate amount of exercise each week. Make it a priority and schedule time to do it. It really is that simple.

So, what exactly is your excuse for not having time to exercise?

"The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people are willing to do what the unsuccessful people are not."
-E.M. Gray

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Planning for Plateau Busting

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By constantly, evaluating and re-evaluating your progress, you can make changes necessary to continue making progress. Plateaus are an inevitable part of making long term progress. Whether your goals are weight loss, better fitness, more strength, or greater performance, as your body adapts to what you are throwing at it, you will need to make changes to continue making progress and break through those plateaus. This requires a few things before it can work.

1. You must have a specific goal

Without a goal, you are a ship without a rudder. No matter how much effort you put into moving forward, you'll never get to your destination if you are moving in circles. You must have a goal so that you can create a plan tailored to achieving that goal. Specific goals make you more accountable for your progress. Having a goal of losing 5% body fat is better than having a goal of just losing weight. The more specific the goal, the easier it is to measure.

2. Have a measurement criterion

Goals are useless without a method to measure progress. You must be able to measure something to show that you are moving either closer or further away from that goal. If you goal is to be more fit, how are you going to measure it? The measurement criterion is this case might be your time on a mile run. Your goals must be measurable!

3. Keep a log

In order to make corrections, you must keep a log of what you have done in the past. If you are not making the progress that you hoped for, you can't evaluate what you are doing unless you can look at what you've done. Everyone hates to do this, but it is essential.

4. Analyze your results

Are you making progress? If you are, what are you doing right? If you are not, what could you do better to get you there faster? Are you at a plateau because you've slacked off on your nutrition? Or has your body adapted to your plan and it's time to try something more advanced? This step is the most important for getting through those eventual plateaus. If you are not making progress, there is always a reason. Find the reason and change your approach.

5. Plan for continued progress

Ok, you've achieved your goal. Now what? Decide whether you want to continue making improvements by creating a new goal and repeating these steps. Don't forget that maintenance is also a valid goal. But maintenance doesn't mean stopping everything and becoming a couch potato. Maintenance requires that you continue measuring yourself to check that you don't backslide. This is a big problem for people whose goal is to lose a number of pounds by the time the family vacation rolls around. They achieve that goal, then stop everything and revert back to old unhealthy habits. Don't let that happen to you. Keep working toward staying at your new level of achievement.

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Food Guilt?

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I've just come back from vacation and I admit that I didn't watch what I ate at all. I ate all the wrong things and way too much of them. Heck, isn't that the purpose of a vacation. As a result of my overindulgence, I put on a few pounds, real ones, and just generally felt like crap for about a week upon returning home. While vacationing, I did get my runs in, but they were more to keep my sanity than for weight control. The few miles I ran were like trying to extinguish a blazing inferno with a teacup of water. During a conversation with someone around the office, I was recounting how I ate lots of crappy (great tasting, fat and sugar laden) food and how terribly I felt. She had also had a "bad eating" week and she asked me a question that got me thinking:

Did you physically feel bad, or did you feel guilty?

I was taken aback. Guilty?! I didn't even realize that was an option. No crime was committed. Feeling guilty would mean that I had done something wrong and I did nothing wrong. I make a conscious decision to eat those foods and I knew there would be a price to pay, but the benefit, for that week anyway, was worth the cost. After the week of being back at home and feeling like crap, I think that the extra calories and rest from that vacation have actually been beneficial in terms of recovery from all of my recent training. Now I'm ready to get back to work, as they say.

Accept the decisions that you make regarding the food you eat and accept the consequences of those actions. No one is perfect. No one! Not me, or even that fitness model on the cover of a magazine. Accept that you will eat desserts, you will miss workouts, and move on. You are not a failure, you are human. Don't let those indiscretions discourage you from continuing to make good decisions. The key is to get back on the program and keep moving forward. Remember, two or three steps forward for every one step back is still moving forward.

Do you feel guilty after overindulging on foods that you perceive as being "bad"?

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Have a fitness or weight loss goal? Change is required.

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...and I don't mean the rattling stuff in your pocket, either. Any endeavor in life that differs from the status quo, by definition, is going to require you to make a decision to do something differently, and here's the important part: Start doing it.

It's easy to tell yourself that you'll start eating better, tomorrow, or start exercising, tomorrow. But exercising today, that's hard. Not eating that piece of birthday cake that's calling your name from the office lounge...that's hard. If you continue doing the same things that you've always done, can you expect to have a different result?

Many well-meaning people spend billions of dollars each year on the latest fad weight loss Ab-o-matic devices and weight loss pills, all in an attempt to avoid making the lifestyle changes that lead to long-term weight loss. Is it because people really don't want to lose the weight? Is it because they lack the will power to do it the right way? Are they lazy? Of course not.

Human nature is such that we are resistant to changes, even small ones, and switching from a lifestyle that led to a 50 pound weight gain to one that is going to bring about healthy weight loss is a scary proposition. Fear of failure hangs like an albatross on those who have not been successful in the past. On average, it takes seven attempts to make a long-term change in your life, so don't think of those previous attempts as failures, but small steps toward eventual success.

Embrace the changes that will lead you to a healthy lifestyle and MAKE...THOSE...CHANGES.

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The Slow, Steady March of Progress

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Our bodies are remarkable in that they adapt to almost anything that we throw at them. That's a good thing for survival, but it also means that we must continue to do more if we want to continue to improve. Plateaus are not inevitable, but to avoid them requires that you continue to strive to do better, to improve, to do more. Eventually genetics will determine how thin you can be, how strong you can be or how fast you can be but don't let that be an excuse to do anything less than your best.

The easiest technique to ensure that you continue making improvements is to keep a log. I would suggest that you keep track of your food intake, exercise activities, and strength training. You don't have to make it overly complicated. Just jot down your information each day and, if you find yourself not meeting your goals, hit those logs and do some research.

If weight loss is your goal and you've hit a plateau, log your food intake and how many calories you burn each day for exercise. Are you eating too many calories to sustain the weight loss? Are you eating so few calories that your metabolism has gone down? Determine the cause of the plateau and fix the problem.

Are you training for a half-marathon or marathon and you just can't seem to motivate yourself to get out the door for your long run, or any run, for that matter? With a log of your daily miles and food intake, you can determine if you are eating enough to provide the needed energy, or if you simply have ramped up your mileage too quickly. Maybe you haven't included enough rest days to allow yourself to recover properly from the additional workload. A log provides a wealth of information to help you get out of those ruts.

Use your log to record what you've done, but don't underestimate the importance of using the log to plan what you should do next. Without a road map detailing the specifics of how to get from point A to point B, you're less likely to get to point B. Improve your chances for success by planning for success.

"You are capable of more than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can."
-Ken Chlouber, creator of the Leadville Trail 100

Do you keep a log of your activities or food intake? If so, do you think it is helpful in achieving your goals?

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20 Ways to Find Time to Exercise

photo by Willem Tjerkstra

"Those who do not find time to exercise, sooner or later, will have to find time for illness."
-Earl of Derby

• Watch less television - Americans watch 14 hours of television per week. Cut that down to 10 and get 30 minutes of exercise a day.
• Get up 30 minutes earlier - I know, I know, you already get up at the butt crack of dawn, you're not a morning person, yada, yada, yada. Going out for a morning walk or jog will do more to energize you for the day than any cup of coffee.
• During lunchtime - Go for a 30 minute walk and use the remaining time for a quick lunch.
• After work - This works for some people, but it's very easy to get sidetracked and not take the time. If it works for you, exercise after work. If it doesn't, there are lots of other options.
• Ride your bike to work - Obviously, this isn't an option for some people depending on the length of your commute, but there are some of you who could ride your bike to work or even walk to work.
• Have a walking meeting - if you need to have a meeting with someone why not do it while walking around the building or around the block.
• Walk your kids to school instead of driving - this is probably an option for lots of people, but getting in the car is just a habit.
• If you live and die by your planner, plan your exercise time - make your 30 minutes a day a priority and schedule it in your day planner.
• Always carry work out clothes and shoes - only have a few minutes to go for a walk? Be a good Boy Scout and always be prepared. Bring a gym bag without workout clothes and shoes with you everywhere you go.
• Walk to lunch - try walking to lunch instead of jumping in your car and driving a mile.
• Find a friend to walk with - people are more likely to make an "appointment" with a friend a priority since someone else will be waiting for you to arrive.
• Let the dog take you for a walk - Rover loves to go for a walk. All I have to do is say the word, "Walk", and my dog gets her leash and brings it to me. Don't have a dog? Go for a walk anyway.
• After dinner, make an evening walk with the family a tradition - instead of crashing on the couch in front of the television after dinner, gather up the kids and go for a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone will feel better for it.
• Don't sit while your kids are playing sports, walk around the field - can't exercise because you need to take your kids to soccer? Not so fast. Instead of sitting around waiting, go for a walk around the neighborhood, or around the field during practice or the game.
• Get a stationary bike for your desk - if you own one of these, and use it, you don't need to be reading this. You are THE MAN!
• Go out for 10 minutes at a time - if you can't find 30 minutes, what about getting up and walking around the block or your building for 10 minutes a few times a day.
• Do situp, crunches, or pushups during commercials - Squeeze in a little exercise when you would normally be sitting around.
• Write down how you spend your time each day - You probably have more extra time in the day than you realize. Keep a log for a few days and find out if there is a good time each day to get in your 30 minutes.
• Park as far away as possible - on a good day you can probably get in 2 miles of extra walking by parking as far as possible from stores or the mall.
• Instead of emailing or calling a colleague, walk to their office to give them the message - maybe this isn't the fastest, most hi-tech way to deliver a message, but it's a way to get you up and walking more.

Finally,

• Stop making excuses - Someone much busier than you is exercising right now!

Think you've got a busy schedule...Condi Rice, I call her Condi since we're close friends, gets up at 4:30am every morning and either does 40 minutes of cardio or strength training. So what's your excuse again?

What's your favorite excuse for not exercising? Post a comment and let me know.

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Behavior Self! Setting the Right Goals for Weight Loss

photo by sailing nomad

Successful weight loss usually begins with a goal...to lose a certain number of pounds. Most people will decide to cut out some junk food, maybe eat "healthier" foods and just see what happens. At first, it's easy, the motivation to lose the weight is strong, but after a week or so, the motivation starts to wane and the diet is out the door. Unrealistic expectations coupled with a lack of smaller, achievable steps leading up to the weight loss leads to another "diet failure".

It's what you do that will get you there

The key is to set behavior-based goals, not just milestone goals. What good is it setting a goal of losing 10 pounds if you don't plan how to get there? Whether you are trying to lose 5 pounds or 100 pounds, you must determine what behaviors will lead to those goals and make a smaller, daily goal of incorporating those behaviors into your activities. For instance, trying lose 100 pounds can seem to be an impossible, overwhelming task, but going for a 30 minute walk seems much more achievable. Here are some smaller, daily goals that you can use that will lead to losing weight:

• Eat 1500 calories of healthy foods in 6 small meals spread throughout the day (you may have to adjust the calorie level up or down)
• Go for a 30 minute walk
• Strength train for 30 minutes
• Skip the usual doughnut and eat a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, instead
• Snack on fruit and yogurt in the afternoon instead of raiding the vending machine
• Bring a healthy lunch to work
• Drink water instead of soft drinks

Each day, focus on hitting one or more of these small goals and the weight will take care of itself. If it is going to be 100 degrees outside, then maybe that would be a good day to focus on your eating. Take your plan for the day into consideration when choosing which daily goal on which to focus.

Notice that none of these goals mention weight loss. I would suggest not making goals such as, "Lose 5 pounds this week". Those types of goals are unrealistic and don't take individual differences into consideration. Climbing mountains is a tough, arduous task, but taking a single, small step is not. If you take enough of those small steps, they accumulate and you might just find yourself at the top of a very big mountain.

Do you set small daily goals? Or do you just throw caution to the wind and try to stick to a loose plan? What has worked, or not worked for you, in terms of goal -setting?

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Exercise? No way, that stuff will kill you!

Photo by A-Wix

I've recently read several articles indicating that in certain circumstances being overweight seems to have life-extending qualities. In cases where people have had heart attacks, some cancers, and various forms of cardiovascular disease, the overweight patients simply lived longer. Huh? Doesn't this fly in the face of everything we've ever seen, read, or heard?

These studies are real studies and I've added links at the end of this post if anyone is interested in reading more about them. Even the studies that suggest being overweight has some protective effects in this population of patients are quick to point out that being overweight is a proven risk factor in developing these diseases in the first place. The best thing to do is not end up in one of these studies by having cardiovascular disease. Whew! Looks like all of that running isn't going to kill me, after all.

Is exercise really necessary?

Why bother with this whole exercise thing? It is possible to lose weight by dieting alone. People do it all the time. The real question, though, is how many of those people keep that weight off? The answer is not many. As mentioned in a previous post, the National Weight Control Registry is a study following people who have kept off more than 30 pounds for more than 5 years. How many of these successful, long term, weight loss, veterans turned to exercise? 94% used increased physical activity as a technique to keep the weight off. I'm always second guessing numbers and statistics, but to me, that is a powerful statistic.

What motivates people who frequently exercise to continue?

Few people would argue that exercise has lots of benefits. Here are some of those benefits for the readers out there who have lived under a rock for the last 30 years, or so.

• Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease - The American Heart Association, American College of Sports Medicine, Center for Disease Control and the Surgeon Generals Office all consider a sedentary lifestyle a major risk factor in developing cardiovascular disease.
  
• Increased energy - It is counter-intuitive to think that you will feel more energetic by being more active, but increased activity increases your metabolism and this effect lasts for longer than the time you exercise. The result...you feel more energetic after you exercise.
  
• Exercise lowers LDL cholesterol - Exercise reduces the "bad" cholesterol in the blood. 'Nuff said.
• Reduces stress - Stress causes a release of hormones in our body activating the "fight or flight" response. Exercise is a positive way to put those hormones to use, rather than allow them build up. Over the long term stress hormones, like cortisol, can do damage to your body.

That's all fine and dandy, and there are many more benefits to exercise, but are those reasons really why people do it? I can tell you, nothing, and I mean nothing makes me want to go out, spend hours on a Saturday morning running 30 miles, or so, than knowing that my LDL cholesterol might be a point or two lower as a result. As a matter of fact, I'm getting all worked up right now just thinking about how much I've decreased my risk of cardiovascular disease.

Umm...I don't think so. Those things are all so...abstract. If I get those benefits, then great. They sound like they are good improvements in my life, but that doesn't get me out the door at 4:30am on Saturday morning. So what does? Simple...it makes me feel good.

Feel good? I've been on a treadmill before and the last comment that I would make about it was that it "felt good".

I'm not going to lie to you, after I've been out running for hours, I'm definitely not feeling good. I just want it all to be over with. But when it's all over, that's when the magic happens. Mentally, I feel better having accomplished something for the day. Physically, I feel tired, but very calm and at ease. I consider the time spent exercising an investment in feeling good for days. It's a "no-brainer".

I'm not suggesting that someone has to do as much exercise as I do to get those same benefits, but the more fit you become, the greater the benefit from a "feel good" perspective. If you are very unfit then your body is not working efficiently, but you don't know any better. For you, feeling sub-optimal is the norm. By increasing your fitness level, you start to feel better and you realize that what you thought was normal was really feeling crappy. If you increase your fitness level by 20%, that's 20% more enjoyment out of each day that you were missing. The reason that people continue exercising is that they never want to go back to the point in their lives where feeling bad everyday was normal.

Your body is an amazing machine that has the ability to adapt and improve. By becoming more fit and healthy, your body will work much more efficiently throughout the day. The number one reason to stick with exercise for the long term is not because of how it makes you feel during exercise, but how it makes you feel the other 23 hours a day.

What are your reasons for continuing to exercise? If you don't exercise regularly, why don't you?

Study/Article links:

Body Mass, Fitness and Survival in Veteran Patients: Another Obesity Paradox?
Obese Heart Attack Patients Are More Likely To Survive After Treatment Than Normal Weight Patients

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Starting a running program

Visualize yourself thin!

Visualization is a tool that has been proven to be effective in motivating people to achieve their goals. Now I feel compelled to stop right here and say that visualization combined with action is great, but visualization alone will get you nowhere.

One day a carpenter decided that he was done building houses for a living. Now our carpenter was a very pious man, so he decided to start praying with all of his might that he would win the lottery so he could build the house of his dreams and live the good life. Every morning, he would pray and pray that God would let him win the lottery, checking the newspaper to see if he had won. Well, this continued for ten years, until one day, the carpenter checked the numbers to see if he had one, only to be disappointed once again. He looked skyward and said, "God. I've been praying that I would win the lottery every day for ten years. I've been a good, reverent, and righteous person. Why haven't you let me win?" To the man's surprise, God responded in a booming voice, "You have been a good, righteous man, but what do you want me to do? YOU'VE GOT TO BUY A TICKET!"

Imagining yourself having the things you want is great to keep you working toward your goals, but this is only 1% of the work required to achieve those things. The other 99%, the real meat and potatoes, is action. Whether you pray, hope, wish, or just rely on dumb luck as a means of achieving your goals, do the things that will lead to accomplishing those goals. Luck smiles upon those who work hard.

Follow the suggestions in these fitness, diet, and nutrition posts. You can and will be more fit, lose that extra weight, and live a healthier life.

Have you ever used some form of visualization to motivate yourself to achieve your goals?

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It is easier to find an excuse than to find a reason.

What are the two best times to start an exercise program? Six months ago and right now. If you've been at it for six months, congratulations, you should be seeing some benefits for all of your hard work. If you aren't seeing results, it is definitely time to re-evaluate what you are doing and figure out why you are not making progress. In the beginning of an exercise program, almost any consistent exercise will create results, but no matter how good of a program you do, no program works forever. As your body adapts to the workload, you need to change things up to continue making progress. Don't continue a program that isn't working...change it up. Talk to your friendly, neighborhood fitness coordinator for suggestions on what to change in order to continue your progress. If you haven't yet started a program, there is no better time than right now. You say you can't. Let me guess...

You don't have the time

Here's a little secret, life isn't going to stop and wait for you to start an exercise program. Work will continue, children will need to be taken to soccer practice, the weather will always be beyond your control, grocery shopping and housekeeping won't ever end. Yet even with everything going on, we somehow make time to do the things that we deem important. It's all about priorities. Take a shower. Check. Brush teeth. Check. Get the kids to school. Check. Your health should be that important. According to A.C. Nielsen, the average American watches television for 4 hours per day. Resolve to watch one less Seinfeld rerun and go out for a walk. No one else can do it for you. Stop making excuses, and really, deep down, you know they are just excuses. Make your health a priority...TODAY!

You don't have the energy

There is a common misconception that a little exercise is going to take what spare energy you have, burn it fruitlessly, leaving you a pale, lifeless, shell of your former self. Not quite. In fact, exercise gives you energy. By moving and getting your blood flowing, you metabolism increases and stays at a higher level for hours after you are finished, leaving you feeling refreshed, vital, primed to devour PSRs. It is the lack of exercise which causes lethargy and an overall feeling of listlessness. Stop the cycle and get moving.

You don't have the money to join a gym

Who says you need to be a member of a gym to go for a walk, take a hike, or ride a bike? Have kids? Take them to a playground and play with them. Be a kid again...run, jump, climb, crawl, hop.

You are just not an "exercise" person

Yeah, me either. I used to think I was too smart to exercise. I wasn't going to waste my time doing something that worthless. Not having been an "exercise person", I didn't see the benefit. (Warning! Graphic content!) This happened->. Not a pretty sight...and you know what, I was wrong. I was too set in my ways to consider that the choices I was making resulted in that photo. The flip side of that is by doing something different, I could get a different result. I consider my time spent exercising an investment in feeling good, lower overall stress levels, and looking good. And like any investment, you can't expect an immediate return. It takes at least 4 weeks of consistent exercise to start seeing and feeling the benefits, so give yourself some time.

Remember... "If you always do what you always done, you'll always get what you always got."

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