17 September 2008

Get on track at the track

School has been in session for a couple of weeks and the routine is being solidified. I am making my daily treks to the gym religiously and I am seeing others struggling to get committed for themselves and making the gym a part of their routine. I hear the murmur, "I haven't been here in a month", or all summer...why? I hate to ask that question but I am puzzled why someone would not wish to help sustain their own health and well being by taking part in some form of daily fitness. We have all heard the experts tout the many, many benefits of fitness on a daily basis. Let's see, we have the stress busting approach, the healthy heart benefits, the circulation, weight control and social aspect. Weight bearing exercise is imperative for women as we age to guard against osteoporosis. Let's talk about a few things that we can do to slowly add fitness back into our day. It should be as routine as brushing our teeth. We wouldn't dare leave the house in the morning without accomplishing this! I know that people have long and stressful work days. A few extra minutes each day, whether it is at the beginning of your day, the end or someplace in between are all you need. Make this commitment to your health. Starting at the local high school track, take some light weights to be used later. Before getting started make sure you take a few moments to stretch and warm the muscles, especially as the temperatures are dropping into chillier mornings. Start with a buddy so you are accountable to someone other than yourself. We seem to have no problem letting ourselves down but you will surely be more fearful of doing so to a friend. Fear is good! Hit the track and get a brisk pace going. Don't use the weights during your walking routine as injury and elevated BP are at risk. You don't want to begin a routine that has to halt suddenly due to an injury. During this track walking routine you can stop and add "stations" and do some squats, lunges, jumping jacks, gentle jogging, anything that will give you a cardio burst. This is also a good time to add in the weights with bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, overhead shoulder presses and front raises. www.DicksSportingGoods.com Create your own personalized circuit training workout. There are usually tennis courts at your disposal also at a public high school. Take a racket and some tennis balls and hit a few against the wall for another cardio option at the end of your walk. If you are lucky enough to have a great gym or YMCA nearby, join and take advantage of all that they offer. Some hot gym trends lately are Kettle Bell workouts, awesome kettle shaped weights with handles created for interesting cardio and strength workouts. This is an amazing, quick results activity if you'd like to tone up while getting some cardio benefits. http://www.kettlebellx.com/ Zumba class, http://www.zumba.com/ a Latin inspired cardio dance workout, is becoming the rage for those who want to catch the dance fever of reality TV. Pilates has been a constant for the past few years and is showing great results for people looking for a gentle class with good toning and stretch results. http://www.pilates.com/ The cycle classes have evolved into an indoor Tour de France, complete with music and video for inspiration. Many classes are custom tailored to include cardio sprint intervals or 30/30 of cycle and yoga. What great ways to get off the couch! I have always had some form of dance in my adult life and nothing tones like a ballet class. Adult beginner classes are offered at most of your local studios these days. The benefits of dance have been well recognized on many levels for years and it is less threatening, too, because of the reality shows. Give it a try, you only live once! I hope that this inspires you to take action and be sure to do something good for your health and get moving. The benefits will have an enormous trickledown effect. Your family will see the results in your confidence, your energy, and your enthusiasm for your life. You can only be as good to someone else as you are to you. Show them that you value who you are and take care of yourself too. The results are immeasurable. Thanks for reading! Miriam

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