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some Bay Area
Variety
Exercise
demands Commitment
submitted by FriendswoodPilates
Let's tell the truth about exercise: most of us are not doing it, we know we
should, we may even want to and regret the fact that we're not, and we
simply don't know how to begin. Here's how to begin: pick the form of
aerobic activity and resistance training that you think you might enjoy and
start doing it. Start today, do some, not too much, and do some more
tomorrow. Then wait a day and do some the next day. Like that. Keep going
and soon it will become a routine.
Now it's not quite that straightforward. You will want to quit. Other things
to do will look like they're more important or more urgent than your planned
exercise. But if you do what you said you'd do you'll experience a great
sense of accomplishment. Doing your planned exercise lays a brick in the
foundation of your fitness program. It's interesting. The more you do the
more you want to do. Your body begins to crave exercise, even after just
doing some for a few days. Our bodies were designed for hard physical work,
but we don't do too much of this any more. Most of us don't hunt; neither do
we gather.
Exercise awakens these dormant systems and initiates a cascade of responses.
You begin drinking more water. You fall asleep much more easily and sleep
more deeply and well. Instinctively you begin to eat better: food low in
nutritive content becomes less appealing; you become drawn to things like
fresh fruit and multigrain breads. Your eyes gain sparkle and your skin
acquires sheen. You actually stand taller. Your step is more lively, because
you are that much more
alive. You are using your body in a manner that is familiar to it, even
though the activity may be rather unfamiliar to you.
We could say that exercise is a discipline. This is not to say anything
rigid, fixed, or boring about exercise. The key is the commitment, the
intention, the choosing to exercise. Your actions will flow from your
choice, your choice to be committed to exercising. Having chosen, exercise
regularly and consistently. Three times a week is a great place to begin.
Half an hour, three times a week. Boom. You're now a person who exercises.
You will begin to want to exercise, to be missing it when you're not, and to
be ensuring that your schedule specifically includes exercise time. Skill
and mastery follow.
Dr. David Lemberg
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