When we lived in State College, PA, my husband and I were
friends with a lovely couple we'll call them Joe and Irene.
We used to go walking with them in the hills of central
PA. These walks could be quite strenuous, but always fun,
and, good exercise.
Don't even suggest to Joe and Irene they were going to be
going on a difficult hike, though-they might bite your head
off. They would tell you they absolutely hated hiking and
refused to consider going on one. Yet they would walk for
hours and hours (and never called it 'hiking").
Why was this terminology so important to them? They felt
that "hiking" implied fancy expensive waterproof mountain
boots, hydration packs, trekking poles and freeze dried
food. All they wanted to do was take some water and a few
snack and be off for the day.
I always think of this couple when I talk to clients about
exercise. For some reason, to many people the word
""exercise implies buying a membership to an expensive
club, going to a fancy store and buying the athletic garb
to wear on the machines. Don't forget the headband to catch
the sweat and, of course, the most expensive
vitamin/mineral flavored water.
For many people, the whole idea of exercise is quite
daunting. It implies hours each day and dollars most
people can't afford. It creates pictures of people
climbing up and down (in place) on machines in the club
windows-you know you've seen them as you walk down the
street.
If you are one of those club members I see as I walk past
the fitness center, and you truly enjoy what your are
doing, I applaud you. I may even be a bit jealous of your
drive. I certainly encourage folks with the resources to go
ahead and join. But only if this is what you really want
to do, not what you think you ought to do.
For the others, however, I try to find a happy medium. It
starts with using the words "increasing activity" instead
of "exercise." To me, a body in motion as opposed to a
body at rest is being active. Using those large muscle
groups, like the ones found in your legs, takes a lot of
energy, and that energy is what burns calories. The longer
you use those muscles, the more calories you burn.
Personally, my favorite activity is walking. While it may
eventually require a more expensive sneaker (or "walking
shoes" as they are called), a regular sturdy sneaker or
shoe is fine for beginning a walking program. I encourage
my clients to start walking 5 minutes, 3 times a week.
Usually they say "but that's nothing." Of course I then
ask "so what's stopping you?"
Once they do this for two weeks, I suggest increasing the
time to 10 minutes, 3 times a week. Then, every two weeks,
adding five minutes until they are walking 30-40 minutes
three times a week-and lastly, adding an additional day, so
they are walking a total of 40-45 minutes 4 times a week.
This doesn't have to be at one time, especially if you
don't have that large a block of free time. Studies
suggest that walking 10 minutes 3-4 times a day may be just
as beneficial as a single 45 minute walk. I recommend the
"talk don't whistle" method of measuring intensity. This
means if you can whistle while you are walking, your pace
is too slow. If you can't talk while you're walking, your
pace is too fast.
So, whether you are a hiker or a walker, a club member or a
solitary biker, remember, words don't matter-staying active
does.
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