No shortcuts to slimming the daily exercise routine

Not enough daily exercise
Last night, I watched on TV the breaking health Harvard study  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8586767.stm news about women and weight gain. As an older woman, in order to keep the weight off and maintain a healthy lifestyle and BMI, an hour of exercise daily is needed. Ironically, just this past week, I read an article that stated only 90 minutes of exercise a week was enough. This is not the case . Seems that with the shift in our diets and daily routines, newer research is suggesting that we need more, to not only stop the weight gain, but to also maintain health. And if one is overweight, add the term ‘diet’ to that regimen.

What I want to know is, how does one keep motivated enough to sustain this level of physical activity? I have noticed that, with always being on the move in our Airstream travels (although time has essentially opened up compared to our past life in Calgary), I have become somewhat ‘soft’ in our new lifestyle choice. My regular daily practice of yoga has made a U-turn and at times has stopped (limited space within the trailer leaves me craving for the convenience of our gym membership), and I wonder what motivational inspiration I can embrace throughout the changes of our nomadic lifestyle. Luckily, stationed here at Skydive Elsinore, I have plenty of space on the airfield to walk around. I am blessed with the freedom to traipse up and down the gravel runways before the Otter starts its ritual morning skydiver drop. This in turn inspires and propels me to walk, walk, walk it off. Having groovin’ music and satisfyingly educational podcasts on the iPod help a lot as well. I’m intrigued at the possibly of jumping rope daily when I don’t have the safety and depth of 1 hour treks. First and foremost, I however need to see the repercussions on my knees. Baby steps. The thought of a fit, tone hard body at my age inspires me to not get any softer. I want to be a part of my age group that excels beyond the average and moderate. I need to keep fit, for me and my families future. Here’s to keeping that motivation going!

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7 Comments

  1. You know, I do have a bone to pick with this study and how it's being reported. One important issue which isn't even being discussed is diet: The type and amount of food taken in, if healthier than previous choices, can and WILL counter, in a positive way, time not taken in exercise.And as someone just 2 years your junior who DOES have a hard body thank-you-very-​much, or at least one that can run 5 miles and knock out 10 chinups or pullups, your choice, I can tell you that results are not at all based on time. So please no worries; you can find that jump rope then you can find the time. Or less on your knees with sets of burpees/full pushups/jumps. Doing CrossFit; it's very challenging; have heard great things about the DVDs PX90 too.But, not hours or every day. Intensity. (Can't tell you when I've EVER worked out an hour every day of a week, nor do I ever plan to; like you, so many other things to do…!) Don't think any media source in good conscience should be publicizing "an hour per day, every day" without giving other options. Because some of what that's done is be the opposite of motivating for those who might have been thinking about becoming physically active. Now, it's a much bigger mountains to climb: 99.9% of us really don't have an extra hour every single day of the week. But the truth that's not mentioned is any amount of time is an improvement, and we don't need one hour every day, 6 days/week. We need to get in, push HARD, get out, just whenever we can make time, for however long. Intensity. 30 min, 3x per week, plus cleaning the house, gardening, running up and down the stairs, pushing the grocery cart, running around after our kids: That's been more than enough for me for years. I do wish the media would report better on this!

  2. You know, I do have a bone to pick with this study and how it's being reported. One important issue which isn't even being discussed is diet: The type and amount of food taken in, if healthier than previous choices, can and WILL counter, in a positive way, time not taken in exercise.And as someone just 2 years your junior who DOES have a hard body thank-you-very-much, or at least one that can run 5 miles and knock out 10 chinups or pullups, your choice, I can tell you that results are not at all based on time. So please no worries; you can find that jump rope then you can find the time. Or less on your knees with sets of burpees/full pushups/jumps. Doing CrossFit; it's very challenging; have heard great things about the DVDs PX90 too.But, not hours or every day. Intensity. (Can't tell you when I've EVER worked out an hour every day of a week, nor do I ever plan to; like you, so many other things to do…!) Don't think any media source in good conscience should be publicizing "an hour per day, every day" without giving other options. Because some of what that's done is be the opposite of motivating for those who might have been thinking about becoming physically active. Now, it's a much bigger mountains to climb: 99.9% of us really don't have an extra hour every single day of the week. But the truth that's not mentioned is any amount of time is an improvement, and we don't need one hour every day, 6 days/week. We need to get in, push HARD, get out, just whenever we can make time, for however long. Intensity. 30 min, 3x per week, plus cleaning the house, gardening, running up and down the stairs, pushing the grocery cart, running around after our kids: That's been more than enough for me for years. I do wish the media would report better on this!

  3. WOW, there are so many things that this artical does not address! According to this article I, as an obese, middle aged woman should just give up! I say obese because according to the BMI=body mass index, I am considered obese. That is my biggest issue. The BMI is NOT a good measure. If you were to use the BMI for almost all full time athletes they would be way off the charts and need to loose lots of weight to fit into the "proper weight for age and hight" and yet they are in very good health and condition. The BMI also does NOT take into consideration a persons bone density. I know for a fact that although I am 5'3' I have a very heavy bone structure. If I were to weight the proper BMI I would look starved. Can you tell I have an issue with BMI! And as for what Marlo said about this being a HUGE DEMOTIVATOR, he is right! WOW. Wish I had never read the article, as I already feel behind in my strugle with weight. It has been a life long issue. Those that don't strugle with it have NO idea how hard it is to motivate one self just to not gain too much weight as we age.

  4. I totally agree that BMI is NOT a good measure at all of health. Better maybe a combo of waist/hip ratio, cholesterol, blood pressure? Every person knows when he/she feels healthy, which is better than being thin. I wish everyone would not be so judgmental, as the book (how well a person is eating, how hard a person works out, how healthy a person, in fact, actually is) can't be judged by its cover (how thin a person is). Watch marathon finishers & MS 150 riders of all shapes and sizes healthier than thinner non-participant​s. The most important thing to me is to center yourself as Sky's trying to do: To be the best you know you can be, but balance it with being happy in life. Liking yourself how you are, while treating yourself well to minimize what you may like less. Articles like this one are demoralizing by presenting a black/white approach to health, when health's always in increments. I like Bryan Kest's "If you're doing the best you can, you're doing this class perfectly!" That applies to life … so … my constant battle is with sugar. It's a migraine trigger for me, and it puts me in a bad mood, but I love it. Had a protein-in-urin​e scare make me re-ask myself how much cake, cookies and ice cream were worth my health. Still working on cutting those things out. Health is more than being thin, and health is more important than being thin.

  5. I totally agree that BMI is NOT a good measure at all of health. Better maybe a combo of waist/hip ratio, cholesterol, blood pressure? Every person knows when he/she feels healthy, which is better than being thin. I wish everyone would not be so judgmental, as the book (how well a person is eating, how hard a person works out, how healthy a person, in fact, actually is) can't be judged by its cover (how thin a person is). Watch marathon finishers & MS 150 riders of all shapes and sizes healthier than thinner non-participants. The most important thing to me is to center yourself as Sky's trying to do: To be the best you know you can be, but balance it with being happy in life. Liking yourself how you are, while treating yourself well to minimize what you may like less. Articles like this one are demoralizing by presenting a black/white approach to health, when health's always in increments. I like Bryan Kest's "If you're doing the best you can, you're doing this class perfectly!" That applies to life … so … my constant battle is with sugar. It's a migraine trigger for me, and it puts me in a bad mood, but I love it. Had a protein-in-urine scare make me re-ask myself how much cake, cookies and ice cream were worth my health. Still working on cutting those things out. Health is more than being thin, and health is more important than being thin.

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