The Importance Of Exercise

We are told that exercise is good for us, but many of us still don’t exercise.  What do you think hold’s some of us back?  

Could it be fear of how difficult it might be, too much effort to do all the time, you might be lazy and set in your ways, lack of energy and the list goes on. What if you did try to exercise in short spurts and the fears would not exist. Would you try to exercise then?  As a fitness trainer, I have come across many clients who want to exercise and feel they “have to” and they go all out, burning themselves out, then give up and stop altogether.  Or, there are others who try for a day or two, or a few months, especially after the holidays to lose weight, by joining a gym, and after a few months, they don’t go anymore to the gym.  Maybe they feel they did their exercise for the year and reached their quota and went back to simpler methods of exercise, like walking or gave up on exercise in general.  Some might go for more intense exercise like running, outdoor sports, etc in spring/summer, but the majority of those starting out, don’t continue long term.

I started exercising for a reason. I have scoliosis and my doctor said to either swim or lift weights.  I chose the latter.  I was 12 1/2 when I joined a gym.  A bit young, but adventurous. I didn’t know much at first.  I got some help from a few trainers and I made it a point to go to the gym weekly. At first, my muscles were sore for a few days. It was a good sore though.  I was building muscle, shaping my body and gaining strength in my back and overall. I was busy with school and at times I didn’t go to the gym.  I noticed if I missed a week or more, my body felt weaker and when getting back to the gym, it was almost like starting over again. So, I knew I had to be consistent.  I had a pair of dumbbell weights at home, just in case I couldn’t get to the gym, which helped a bit.  Overtime, the gym was my social outlet not just my physical one.  However, I took lifting weights seriously, so I mainly kept to myself until I was finished with my routine for the day.  Some gym rats, just go to socialize and don’t really exercise much.  Remember what your goals are.  My goal was to keep my back and surrounding muscles strong so that I didn’t have to have surgery or grow crooked when I got older.  This goals still remains with me many decades later!

As we age, our bones get weaker and weaker.  The best way to keep your bones strong is to lift weights!  It doesn’t have to be heavy weights either.  The main thing is that you are keeping your bones strong to avoid osteoporosis.  Many women get this after menopause.  The good thing is you can start lifting weights at any age!  I suggest if you are new at it, to hire a trainer to show you the correct way to lift ,have good form and avoid injury.  This is especially important when you are at home with free weights.

Since Covid, many people stopped going to the gym.  This is quite understandable.  However, it does not mean to stop exercising altogether!! Start by taking walks starting at 10 mins up to 1 hr, 2-3 times per week.  Try to have a bit faster pace than just a stroll.  You should be slightly out of breath.  Next you can purchase 3-5 lbs weights, or if know how to lift, 7-15 lb weights are good to have.  It’s important to strengthen all major muscle groups. These include, check, back, shoulders, glutes, quads and hamstrings. There are more, but these are most important. After any exercise routine, it is very important to stretch your muscles.  This way, you are elongating your spine and other muscles, as they tend to shorten and tighten over time, causing pain and injury. Also, you can use your own body as your weights, especially if traveling. An example would be doing pushups, sit-ups, yoga and more! So no excuses!  Your body will feel so much better, stronger and will look better too!  So get going and make small consistent goals for yourself today!