Lexington, KY - Is this your year? Is the year that you begin and maintain a regular workout routine? Is this the year that regular exercise becomes a permanent part of your value system? Are these the questions you ask yourself every year, but never do anything about it? If so, then I want to change that.
I often write articles geared toward those who already workout regularly. But today I want to address the non-workout person. I want to give my attention to those who detest exercise and think they will never be "one of those workout people" or think that "working out is just not for me."
The reality is you need more from me than the regular exercisers do. Those who have integrated working out into their value system do not need me to convince them to continue to workout, they will do it with or without my motivational words. But you, the non-exerciser, you are my challenge, you are who I want to hear and heed my words - you are the person that can make the biggest positive change in your life. What better time than 2009 to start?
It is fact: your body is designed to perform best when it is exercised regularly. You can defend yourself against almost every major disease, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc., with regular exercise. I would bet that you know this already, but it still hasn't prompted you to put regular exercise into your life's routine. So, I'll try a different, more vain, approach: exercise can keep you looking young.
Simply put, every bout of exercise destroys all sorts of cells. Sounds awful, doesn't it? Actually, it's great. Every time your body breaks down or destroys cells, it makes brand new ones - a veritable fountain of youth. Exercise is one of the best ways to stay looking and feeling young, because you increase the rate and amount of cell regeneration. However, this wonderful regeneration of cells does not take place if your cells just "rot" away.
Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass (or rotting away of muscle) that occurs naturally with aging, cannot be slowed without the intervention of exercise. Without you putting forth the effort, your body will, starting at about age 25, lose muscle fibers/mass. Slowly, at first, maybe a fifth of a pound a year, but by age 50 it can ramp up to 1-3 lbs. a year. Besides making you weaker and contributing to poor posture, the muscle you lose is replaced with fat. It's a bad combination, but one that can be controlled and even reversed with regular exercise.
I realize, even with powerful information like this, most non-exercisers don't just turn into exercise lovers. The fact is, if you have reached adulthood and don't like working out, chances are you never will.
Don't worry, you are not alone, the overwhelming majority of people do not "like" exercise; only about 10 percent of the U.S. population identifies itself as "liking" exercise. What a lot of people come to realize is that they really like the feeling they get when their workout is over (and the results that come from regularly working out). That's the little-known secret that's being kept from you, the non-exerciser.
If you are going to join the world of the regular exerciser, then you have to get over the fact that you don't like exercise. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not, you just have to do it. If you continue to wait until you "feel" like working out, you will continue to sit on the couch and your body will continue to rot. Face the facts that working out is "unpleasant" for most people, but they do it anyway because they know it will make them feel and look good.
My challenge for you in 2009 is to make a plan to workout regularly and stick to it for at least six weeks. Use a trainer, get a friend, make a promise to yourself - whatever it takes, but make a commitment to yourself. Stop convincing yourself that exercise is not for you - it's for everybody. There is not an excuse or a reason you can think of not to do this. Please, take care of yourself and do what you can to maximize the gift of health and wellness.