How to Make YOU a Priority!

Life With Lisa

We all know the why of exercise but the real struggle is the “How” to exercise. How to exercise pain free and how to “fit” exercise into our lives is the biggest struggle for some.

First let’s address the changes in ours lives over the last 30 years. Women now have careers of their own and no longer exclusively work inside the home. Often times we are the primary breadwinners of the family but at the end of the day it is the Mom who feels responsible for running the house and raising the children. More now than ever, husbands are helping with chores, carpooling and even dinner, but we still have a way to go before the work load is evenly distributed. Therefore, men and women alike have less time than before.

Another huge lifestyle change is the effects of technology. We are so smart and have learned to be incredibly efficient to our detriment. While we have been enjoying the convenience of automation and computerization we have removed much of the daily activity out of our lives.

We don’t walk over to give someone a message, we text or email them. We use remote controls for everything, fans, televisions, and even our garage doors. We have machines to open cans, grind our coffee, even to brush our teeth. No one walks to church or to the store any more. This unfortunately has happened at a time when food is most abundant in this country, and we consume more of it than ever before. So, we are moving less and eating more. This is not the best combination for our health.

The reality is that we have to find a way to fit it all in. If we look at the average day of 24 hours: 8-10 hours are filled with work, another 8 hours for rest and the last 6-8 hours is where we fit in everything else.

We can do all of it with careful planning. First we must set our priorities. We don’t wake up and wonder if we are going to go into work, we must go and we do. So why do we wonder if we will make it to the gym? Our bodies and our overall health should be a priority to us.

Next, our programming should be realistic. If we set our expectations too high we can set ourselves up for failure. Don’t decide to start running at 5am if you are not a morning person, hate to run and have flat feet. Your program will not work. It is important to consider what we enjoy and when we are most likely to practice it.

Accountability is important also. We all perform better if someone is checking in on us. Start a food and exercise journal. Think about meeting friends for exercise. It is easy to not go for yourself sometimes but you are less likely to disappoint a friend. Schedule weekly weigh in’s with a nutritionist or trainer. But, definitely hold yourself accountable for the best results.

Finally, I am always amazed when I find people who exercise through real pain. Let me say this: Exercise should not hurt. I am not referring to the little aches and pains we all have sometimes.  I am talking about joint pain or an exercise “just not feeling right or good”. Many times people will come into our gym or studio and complain of pain when they walk or run. After a fitness screen we discover they have weak hips or a weak core. Without this kind of strength even a modest exercise program can hurt. We can work with them on safe and specific strengthening exercises to get them strong enough for practicing a more progressive exercise program. Many people return to a sport or activity they enjoyed in the past.

I invite and encourage you to come by our studio. Call ahead and one of us will be available to offer you a ”test glide” on one of our reformers.

Lisa Klein, Program Director, Co-Owner Intergrated Fitness.