How much should you really exercise?

I found this article from healthywomen.org to be informative:

Q: I work a lot of hours and just can't seem to find time to work out more than one day a week. If my exercise routine is limited to one day a week, what are the best exercises for me to explore? What exercise will give me the greatest return?

 

A:  It's helpful to think in terms of physical activity, not exercise. Many people think they don't have time for exercise but are surprised to realize how much they can increase their daily physical activity outside of an official "exercise routine." That boost, even in small amounts of time, pays off for your body.

To maintain health, the national guidelines for physical activity set forth by the American College of Sports Medicine and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend adding 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (brisk walking), five or more days per week, or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity activity (running), three or more days per week. If you want to lose weight, you will need to burn an additional 500 to 700 calories per day.
Think this would take up a lot of time? Relax! You don't need to find a free half-hour. Research shows that you will gain the same benefit if you complete the daily activity in three 10-minute bouts. Here are great moderate and vigorous activities that take only 10 minutes and can be incorporated into your day:

• Jumping rope
• Gardening or raking
• Dancing
• Brisk walking or jogging
• Vacuuming
• Stair climbing or marching in place
• Push-ups and sit-ups
• Jumping jacks
• Bike riding for errands or short commutes
• Incorporating activity into your workday—use the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to talk with co-workers instead of e-mailing, stand (it burns more calories) when you would usually sit

Push-ups may remind you of the terrors of high school gym class, but they're a terrific strength training activity for women that can be done at home (or almost anywhere else) easily, at your own speed. Try them for a 10-minute session:

• Lie on the floor, facing chest down. Put your hands flat on the ground, at shoulder level. Place your feet together and parallel. Throughout the push-up, always look forward and not down at the floor.
• Straighten your arms as you push your body up off the floor and exhale. Keep your body straight. Do not bend or arch your upper or lower back as you push up.
• For a classic push-up, balance in a straight line from your toes. If you have trouble with that, try a modified version: pivot up from your knees instead of your toes.
• Slowly lower your body until your chest touches the floor. If you are pivoting from your toes, keep your knees off the floor. For either position, keep your body straight and your feet together. Repeat.

Tie Tie

I have been neglecting writing.  I started a new job and I simply am too tired at night to do anything, but sit next to the bub while we take turns playing Guitar Hero, watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, a murder/detective themed show, or pretending to watch something while I'm secretly falling asleep.  My commute is far less than it was at my previous job, but one must still factor in the 2 hour commute and 7 hours of standing on my feet while wearing fitness shoes.  The benefit of the physically grueling job is that I get a 1 hour lunch break.  That is simply, unheard of in my profession.  To further elicit the effects of walking and standing all day I wear my Reebok EasyTone fitness shoes while at work and then always try to get some form of exercise after my shift, whether it be personal training or cardio on my own.  All these factors together contribute to my fatigue. 

Personal training is still awesome.  I have a hard time always motivating myself, especially when it comes to doing something other than cardio.  And weights?  What is this concept?  So to be positively pushed and see and feel results is further motivation to make me want to work stronger and harder.  After my sessions are over, I feel like I can take away a lot of what I learned and continue pushing myself on my own.  If I get in a rut, so be it.  I know who to call...P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L T-O-R-T-U-R-E-S.  

Those shoes.  Those ridiculous shoes.  I know Reebok EasyTone's look bizarre, but if you go to Reebok.com you can costume color and design your very own EasyTone's.  I constantly get compliments from both my patient's, but mostly their husbands telling me how much they like my kicks, asking me what they are, and where to get them.  Justine is always ahead of the trend, old lady trend.  Respect.  On a serious note, I swear my these shoes.  They don't look as ridiculous as other fitness shoes and you really do feel a difference in your legs (and I imagine your abs, but I have strong abs already), especially when you where them for an 8 hour shift.  I don't think my legs have ever looked better, but this could also be a combination of the EasyTone's and Personal Training.  Regardless, if you do a lot of walking, I highly recommend this awesome invention. 

It's been years since I have lifted weights regularly.  Further, more time has elapsed since I have had an actually 1 on 1 training session with a personal trainer.  When my new gym offered to give me a free personal training session, I reluctantly accepted.  I don't want someone telling me, run faster chubster.  (That's not what happened in the least.)  I worked muscles I never knew existed and those that I thought I had lost the ability to utilize years ago.  After my session I felt so refreshed and strong.  While I was slightly sore that day, I was definitely sore one day after and really sore two days post training session.  I'm talking soreness to the point of having a difficult time walking.

What I found doing some online research is that many people new to lifting will be sore two days after working out.  This is a sign that you worked hard enough for your body to grow stronger.  So sometimes, pain is a good thing.  Your body is strong and your body is working!  (What the pain is is the build up of lactic acid which is the fuel your muscles use when they need energy.)

The best advice I found to deal with this pain is to workout the next day, even if it is using a different muscle group.  Also, within one hour of your workout eat a potassium rich fuel low in sugar such as a banana.  And drink lots of H20.  


Here's to a happy and healthy life!