Gettin' Off the Sofa

I hate to exercise now. I hate the “must-do” of it. I hate the sweat that’s necessary for a really good workout. And I hate most not being able to do with my body what was once effortless.

I remember leading exercise classes during college, hiking through the woods for hours, and dancing non-stop for an entire weekend, and I never thought once that any of it was a drag. Now, exercise is just one more chore, and I hate that most of all.

I love the end results though, and I’m not even talking about maintaining weight, which is the obvious benefit. I definitely have more energy, tighter and more defined muscles, and NO aches and pains. Whenever I stop exercising, I almost immediately feel worse physically. YUK! You’d think all those reasons would be more than enough to motivate one to exercise every waking moment, but no.

Well, I found a few more reasons to do so, and these are even more compelling.

1. According to a study done with adults over 55, exercising at least three times a week at moderate or high intensity can reduce the odds of mental decline like dementia by 46%.
2. Lifting weights twice a week can boost bone density and decrease falls by 40% reports a study of women age 65 and older.
3. Women who walk at a brisk rate at age 60 and up are 200% more likely to be disease free at age 70.

If all these reasons aren’t enough, I don’t know what else we need to hear. My dilemma is that I have been able to do 45 minutes in my own pool every day. I love that—no travel, no competition for machines, no sweat and a tan to boot, but it’s too cold now, so I don’t have any choice but to do weight bearing exercises.

Here are some tips to for getting motivated and for making it fun:

1. Get a friend to go with you to the local high school track to walk. It’s close by; you don’t have to dress for or pay for the gym. The flat surface is easier on the joints. You can walk faster than through the neighborhood, and the time will fly if you’re doing it with someone else.
2. Exercise in front of a mirror. Besides seeing clearly what needs improvement, you can also see your muscles in action as you work them.
3. Work hard on the “show-off” muscles. Your biceps and shoulders will tone in just two weeks and there is nothing more exciting than seeing growing muscle definition.
4. Studies show that people exercise longer if they are doing it to music. Choose songs with strong beats and empowering words.
5. Cut your work in half by exercising several muscle groups at once. For example, lunge as you do triceps curls and squat between head presses.

They say that the key to being motivated is to focus on “how” to exercise rather than the “why” to exercise,, but these why’s are really compelling, so everyone, let’s get up off the sofa, once and for all.