I am a member of the American Counsel on Exercise and
recently I have helped a few people get their personal
training certifications through this great organization.
I know daily aerobic activity is a must and I understand
that for a larger portion of the population getting off the
couch is something that takes effort.
Therefore, when I read a section in the manual on aerobic
activity that gardening for 20 minutes burns X amount of
calories it kind of got me revved up a little. My
grandmother gardens every day in the spring, summer and
fall. A little trimming here and watering there. She is
in her 80's and I understand that an hour of that may be
just what she needs to get the blood flowing.
BUT C'MON... if you are in your twenties, thirties,
forties, and even fifties and sixties gardening should not
be a form of exercise for the day.
Don't get me wrong. As I write this article, I can hear
crews of landscapers outside my window. They are climbing
trees, mowing grass, lifting, pulling, heaving and working
hard. That is exercise.
Getting out a flowered knee pad cushion and pruning the
azaleas is not exercise.
This brings me to the topic at hand. ADDING A LITTLE PLAY
TIME TO YOUR LIFE.
Occasionally, I am asked by my clients if they can
reschedule an appointment or choose a different time of day
for their group training because they need to be a sub for
their doubles tennis team or they have a golf outing.
My first questions are always:
If you are going to reschedule, 1) Will you still get in a
workout today? AND 2) If you can't fit in a workout, will
you make the activity worth your while?
Let me explain.
Regular aerobic activity should be included in everyone's
daily routine to strengthen the heart and lungs and make
them work more efficiently.
Activities like running, walking, stair climbing, swimming,
or any number of other activities can get the heart working
harder for a continuous period of time. We won't get into
intensity here as I have written about it before. But
remember I asked "Will you make the activity worth your
while?"
The benefits you get from aerobic activity are numerous,
and people of all ages should engage in regular exercise.
Even if there are health conditions present, regular
aerobic activity can be tailored to fit the individual's
needs as long as you are evaluated by your doctor or a
health care provider first.
It's good to start out slow and gradually increase aerobic
activity as tolerated because any amount of aerobic
activity is better than nothing. But you need to get
moving and make it worth your while.
Now back at the ranch I have to deal with the substitution.
If you are going to get in a training session with me or
by yourself, I don't care how you play tennis, when you go
golfing or make it to that business meeting.
However if you need to skip the workout entirely, then that
should be one heck of a doubles tennis match. You better
go for every serve, make every point count and run like the
wind for every ball. You see, I understand that tennis can
be social and I even admire everyone who uses it as an
activity to get together with friends. But all too often I
have seen 2-3 point volleys and then the point is done. I
even watched a match once that didn't have any points other
than the serve.
I don't want to pick on tennis only. So let's go at the
golf outing.
You skip your workout and then you go have a few drinks on
the front nine, then a huge and fattening lunch at the turn
with a few more drinks on the back nine all while riding in
a cart.
First of all, if you skipped your workout for this activity
and blow off exercise completely, why make it worse by
adding 3000 calories worth of food and liquor?
If you skip an exercise session for a golf outing, then you
need to at least walk the course. Let the cart guy drive
your clubs on the course, but walk as much as possible.
Finally let's try another group of people I deal with: The
basketball leagues. This tends to be a little more
aggressive. These guys sometimes get out of control with
fouls and stuff but all too often I watch half-hearted
efforts at fast breaks and rebounds.
If you are there to play... Why not really try hard?
I myself play in a lacrosse league and tend to run with
guys in their twenties. I am no longer in my twenties.
But I do try to keep up and usually do. I run hard for
every ground ball, I sprint up the field on transitions and
I sub out when it is my turn because I am convinced that if
I run hard for 2 - 4 minute shifts, I help the team more as
opposed to half running for 8 minute shifts.
So I want you to think about joining a program that has a
little level of competition. Some place that is
appropriate for your level of play in any sport and where
you can be pushed when you get involved.
It gets the juices flowing and lets you remember what it
was like to be a kid. You did play outside when you were
young. Why not do it again?
Tag, you're it.
----------------------------------------------------
For over 17 years Bobby Kelly has taken his passion for
coaching to a level not reached by many in the fitness
profession. Bobby has been interviewed and featured as an
expert adviser on CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, and CBS as well
as local affiliate stations in numerous markets. Bobby
knows the success of hard work and determination. He'll get
you where you want to be. Visit Bobby today at
http://www.resultsonly.com or email support@resultsonly.com
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