The Life You Want

by Greene, Bob; Kearney-Cooke Ph. D, Ann; Janis Jibrin

  As you return to exercise after an injury, it’s also a good idea to ice the sore spot after you’ve finished working out. The body heats up with exercise, and as I noted earlier, that helps increase blood flow to the injured area. But heat also increases inflammation, and that can exacerbate the injury. Icing the area for ten to twenty minutes provides the best of both worlds: the heat-induced increase in circulation and all the nutrients it brings to the area from the exercise, plus the curtailing of inflammation from the ice. After you remove the ice, the blood rushes back in, once again bathing the area in healing nutrients.

  Finally, make sure that you’re able to distinguish a real injury from a little soreness or discomfort. It’s completely normal to have minor generalized aches and pains in your muscles and joints after a workout or an activity in which you’ve exerted yourself (helping a friend move or doing yard work, for instance). An injury feels different, causing severe pain that’s localized in one area of your body.

  YOUR EXCUSE: “I HAVE A CONDITION THAT MAKES

  EXERCISE DANGEROUS OR PAINFUL”

  When I think back on my bedridden great-grandmother, whom I wrote about in the introduction, I know that it would have been very difficult for her to exercise. She was that overweight. But I also know that obesity can be self-perpetuating and that it’s important to do what you can until you’re able to do more. While it’s certainly true that excessive weight, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, a neurological problem, or other chronic conditions can limit your exercise options, it’s certainly not the case that no exercise is right for you. In fact, having a chronic condition typically makes exercise even more critical to your well-being. The symptoms of many health problems actually recede with exercise. (Of course, you should always check in with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine—and this is true for everyone, whether you’re suffering from a chronic condition or you’re perfectly healthy.)

  No matter what your physical limitations, there’s a way to get moving. Stop thinking of yourself as someone who “can’t.” Within reason, you can.

  In appendix 6, you’ll find guidelines for exercising with some of the most common chronic conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, low back pain, and osteoporosis. These guidelines are meant to give you an idea of how to get moving, but always work with your doctor to flesh out an exercise program and make sure that you’re not taking on too much. If you can afford a personal trainer who specializes in your condition, or your insurance will cover physical therapy, those are ideal ways to begin.

  YOUR EXCUSE: “I HAVE NO PLACE TO EXERCISE”

  If you’re looking for a way out of exercise, logistical problems are not hard to find. You want to work out to a DVD, but your living room is too small. There are no good gyms or exercise studios in your area. You live in a neighborhood that is unsafe for walking. These are all legitimate complaints. However, if you are committed to getting active, you can find a way around these inconveniences.

  It involves opening your mind to other options. You may prefer working out at home to a DVD, but if you can’t reconfigure your furniture, it’s not going to happen. (Yet also be aware that many DVD workouts don’t require much space; you can do a lot within the narrow confines of an exercise mat.) So move on. Walk in your neighborhood, exercise in a park, or check out exercise classes at community centers, local Ys, and public parks. They may be more expensive than a DVD but are often reasonably priced and certainly a lot cheaper than private fitness studios. Public classes also tend to be low key. If you tend to feel uncomfortable in gyms that attract a lot of sleek bodies, you have another good reason to seek out the low-cost alternative.

  If finding good exercise classes is your problem, but you can work out at home, then consider the DVD option. I have a Total Body Makeover DVD that is right for every level of fitness, and I am the virtual trainer on two EA Sports Active video games that you can use on the Nintendo Wii. But, of course, there are hundreds of at-home DVDs and virtual trainers out there. It is so easy to find good exercise instruction these days. You can even search for free yoga or Pilates podcasts on the Internet, which you can download to your phone. Access a few of them, and no matter where you go—on vacation for a week, to spend a weekend at your in-laws—you’ll always have a workout on hand.

  Living in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe exercising outdoors is definitely a challenge. And if you feel that way, you’re not alone. A 2009 Gallup poll found that 42 percent of people without easy access to a safe place to exercise reported getting no exercise whatsoever. Interestingly, 30 percent of people who did have easy access to a safe place also got no exercise, so it’s not just the police reports that stop people.

  So let’s think through some solutions. Could you drive or take public transportation to a nice park, better neighborhood, or school or university track? What about the neighborhood where you work? Could you exercise during your lunch break or arrive early or leave late so that you could take advantage of the area? Talk to your colleagues at work about joining you; some companies will even help you bring in an exercise instructor. And how about a mall? Malls are great places to walk and are the perfect option for anyone when the weather is inclement.

  The point is, you do have options. Make the effort to seek them out.

  KEEPING AN EXERCISE LOG HELPS

  There’s a reason that many people keep diaries, and it’s not just because they want to preserve a record of their days for posterity. The physical act of writing lets you reflect on your actions (and, depending on what you’re recording, often your feelings and ideas, too). An exercise log works in much the same way as a diary, which is why I recommend that you keep one. It also helps you stay honest. It’s easy to “forget” the fact that you left the gym before doing any strength training, and harder to ignore it if you have to write it down. What’s more, it’s very motivating to see your progress in print.

  The Lifestyle Log in appendix 1 will get you started. It’s a comprehensive log that allows you to jot down all of the bouts of physical activity you engage in above and beyond walking around your house, office, grocery store, or other low-intensity activities of daily living. It also has room for other information that can help you pinpoint barriers that might get in the way of accomplishing your fitness goals. For instance, there is a “Sleep” column that allows you to note how many hours you sleep per night. If you find that you’re frequently too tired to exercise, seeing your nocturnal habits in black and white might clue you in as to why. This log also has a “Food and Drink” column. While you don’t have to fill in everything you eat, it will help you keep track of things like whether you’re skipping meals or eating certain foods that lower your energy—either one can make your incentive to exercise wane.

  Your exercise log serves a couple of other purposes. It’s also a planner. At the beginning of the week, you’ll write in exactly when and where you’ll be exercising. This helps solve the “I don’t have time” and the “I have no place to exercise” dilemmas; forced to fill in the blanks, you’ll have to think of a solution. Granted, things don’t always work out as planned. Changes happen, and it’s actually to your benefit to be a little flexible when they do so that you don’t get discouraged and give up on your routine altogether. But scheduling exercise in advance simply makes it much more likely that you’ll do it.

  Another advantage of keeping a log is that it lets you document some of the payoffs you’re seeing from exercise. You might not even realize that your clothes are looser or that you’re feeling and sleeping better until you have to think about it for your journal. Remember, weight loss isn’t the only benefit that comes from physical activity. The log can help you keep that in mind.

  For a more extensive log than the starter log found in the appendix, go to my website, www.thebestlife.com.

  YOUR EXCUSE: “I DON’T SEE RESULTS”

  Does it seem like working out just isn’t working for you? Here are a couple of things t
o consider. First, while exercise helps with weight loss and, in most cases, is imperative for maintaining weight loss, exercise by itself generally doesn’t trigger major weight loss for many people. You also have to cut calories.

  When you begin exercising, your body plays a little bit of a trick on you. One way it responds to increased activity is by upping the amount of glycogen it stores in the muscles. The storage of glycogen, which is a type of fuel made from the carbohydrates you eat, requires approximately 2.5 to 3 grams of water per gram of glycogen. Therefore, as you become more active, you’re going to be carrying around more water weight. More water is also stored in the bloodstream when you’re active, adding even more water weight to your body. This physiological fact of life can disguise the real situation, which is that whatever exercise you’re doing is probably causing you to lose body fat even though it’s not showing up on the scale. That’s why, in these early weeks of increased activity, I urge you to avoid the scale and gauge your progress by the way that your clothes fit. Most likely they will feel looser, and that is a good indication that the exercise is working. Ultimately, you’ll stop putting on water weight, and actual body fat loss will begin to translate into a lower number on the scale.

  What, though, are the results you are hoping for? That is something you should seriously consider. Is it simply the numbers on the scale that matter to you? My guess is that when you are exercising regularly, you actually experience a number of benefits, but that with lower weight as your primary goal, you’re not noticing them. It may be that your arms and legs are stronger and more sculpted. Most regular exercisers have more energy, are less irritable, sleep better, and have brighter, healthier-looking skin. Moving your body also has payoffs—like better cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar numbers—that are undetectable unless you’ve had a recent checkup from your doctor.

  Another mark of progress is increased strength and endurance. Are you able to lift heavier weights than when you first began strength training? Can you last longer in your cardio workouts? Are you able to set the treadmill to a steeper slope or increase the resistance on other cardio machines? Can you walk twice as fast or as far as before? These are all signs that you are, in fact, getting results.

  If you’re at an unhealthy weight, having the numbers on the scale drop is important, and, truth be told, you may have to step up your game a little bit if nothing is happening. But don’t drop exercise on the pretext that it’s not getting you to your main goal, because you probably won’t achieve that goal without it. Adjust your workouts and adjust your food intake to get your body into a calorie deficit and don’t take for granted all the other extensive benefits of exercise.

  YOUR EXCUSE: “I’M TOO TIRED”

  Fatigue can become a vicious cycle. You’re too tired to exercise, so you don’t move much—which makes you even more tired. Plus, when you don’t get physical activity, you miss out on its sleep-enhancing benefit, and that too can keep you in a state of low energy.

  Have you asked yourself why you are so tired? Most people don’t get enough sleep; maybe that’s the reason. But fatigue is also a classic symptom of depression, something that Ann explored in detail in chapter 2. Mental stress is fatiguing too and can cause insomnia. Could either of these be sapping your energy? Being too tired to exercise is a sign that something is not right, whether it’s an emotional issue you’re sweeping under the rug, a physical condition that you need to see your doctor about, or an inability to effectively manage your life. If you are overwhelmed, your day packed to the rafters with too many responsibilities, something has got to give.

  If you can nail down what is making you so tired and then take action to remedy it, you’ll be on the road to becoming a regular exerciser. It’s quite probable that the same thing that is keeping you from committing to healthy eating and exercise is also what’s causing your fatigue. When you remove that factor, it’s going to be easier for you to get into physical activity. But I wouldn’t wait until then. As you’re working out whatever issues you’re dealing with, exercise can help give you the energy boost you need to confront anything, from a boss who has you working too many hours, to a spouse who doesn’t pull his or her full weight, to the grief of losing someone meaningful to you. If you’re tired because you’re depressed, physical activity is also going to help lift your mood. If you’re drained because you actually have a condition that makes you tired, such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, exercise is still a necessity. In fact, it’s one of the best things you can do to improve your symptoms and overall well-being.

  It’s also critical to realize that you’re not always going to feel like exercising. Even the most psychologically and physically healthy people have days when they would just like to drop to the floor and take a nap! Yet many of them also push past the fatigue and get out there on their bikes or into the swimming pool because they know that within five minutes they’re going to feel energized. Because, technically, that’s what exercise does: It increases the production of hormones that put your body in a hyperalert state. One woman, a teacher, told me that she found herself practically nodding off in class after lunch. She decided to bring a pair of workout shoes to school and walk briskly three or four times around the school yard after she finished eating lunch. It worked just like a cup of coffee.

  ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

  Throughout this chapter, I’ve prompted you to look at how motivated you are to exercise, to zero in on your own personal motivating factor or factors, and to own up to some of the excuses for not exercising that you may have made in the past. That’s a lot to take in, but I hope that it has prepared you for what’s to come next: setting your goals. To help you, we’ve provided a goal-setting worksheet for you in appendix 4, which requires you to get very specific about your aims and how you hope to accomplish them. For instance, instead of writing, “I need to spend more time at the gym,” I want you to plot out exactly when you’ll go to the gym this week and how you’ll overcome barriers to getting there. Or, instead of writing, “I need to start walking,” you’re going to figure out exactly when, where, and how this will occur. After you complete the worksheet, you’re going to have a manageable, realistic plan in hand.

  A few years ago, researchers at Columbia University in New York City and the University of Konstanz in Germany conducted a joint study looking at what helps people stick to exercise. They found that women who filled out a goal-setting worksheet doubled their weekly workout time compared to a similar group of women who did not use the technique.

  The worksheet in the back of this book is based on the one used in that innovative study. To give you a sense of what your worksheet might look like, I filled out a sample one (also used to good effect in one of my previous books, The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes). In appendix 4, you’ll find a blank sheet that you can fill out yourself. As you’ll see in the chapters to come, this worksheet will also help you set goals in other areas of your life.

  When you fill out the worksheet, stay specific and realistic. Start by using it to set a goal for the next twenty-four hours. Then repeat the exercise tomorrow, but this time, give yourself a two-week goal. If your life were a business, a worksheet like this would comprise your mission statement and strategic plan all in one. That is, you’d be ready to put theory into action. So don’t wait. Fill out the one in the back of the book and make your plan a reality!

  WHAT YOUR GOAL-SETTING WORKSHEET MIGHT LOOK LIKE

  1. What is my exercise goal? Find a goal you know you can achieve; nothing overly ambitious. For instance: “getting thirty minutes of exercise in the morning.”

  2. What is the most positive outcome of achieving this goal? This is crucial. Think back to the earlier section when you thought about reasons to exercise and which one or ones resonated with you. If you can’t visualize a positive outcome, it’s going to be hard to keep up your motivation. Imagine and name a benefit. For instance: “Doing this regularly will get me in better shape an
d help me better manage my diabetes.”

  3. What is the main obstacle standing in my way? For example: “I don’t have enough time to work out in the morning.”

  4. How can I overcome the obstacle? Give details, noting the “when” and “where” of the changes you’re going to make to overcome the obstacle. For example: “In the morning, I can skip reading the newspaper at the kitchen table, which will give me twenty more minutes. Also, the night before, I can turn off the TV and get to bed an hour earlier—by ten—so I can wake up earlier and give myself another fifteen minutes in the morning.”