Welcome to ActiveLifestylesNW.com’s Health & Fitness Column. In keeping with our mission to serve as a guide to an active lifestyle, we will provide information and insights to help you along this path.
Of course, please send us your comments and ideas for columns. You may also be interested in contributing a guest column on your favorite topic.
So let’s get started. Let’s look at what it takes to initiate a more active lifestyle.
How to Start to Exercise
With nearly two-thirds of American adults falling into the obese category, it’s not surprising that some of us feel sluggish about getting active.
So, how do we get moving? I suggest you take baby steps or small bites. For some it may mean tapping into one of the many exercise apps available online that offer suggestions and incentives. For others, it may mean joining a walking group at the local “Y.” Still others may have a spouse, child or buddy who can join them at the local gym or in the neighborhood to walk or cycle.
Make Exercise Fun and Social
I host a hiking group in the Issaquah Alps area. Once a week from April through October we meet for local hikes. We call it “Mountain Therapy” because the hiking and talking feels so good.
Recently, Joe joined the gang for a hike up Tiger Mountain (2,000’ elevation gain). A heavyset man in his mid-40’s, he was reluctant to hike because he is out of shape and smokes. Still, he had heard how much fun we have and decided to give it a try.
To make a great story short, Joe hiked at his own pace and made the top in 2.5 hours, about twice as long as the rest of us. Still, he could not have been more thrilled. As he announced with some emotion, “I haven’t hiked Tiger for 14 years!”
Taking the Next Steps to Fitness
Sure, Joe admits he was exhausted and sore for days, but the encouraging nature of a group activity made the effort so attractive he put down his fears long enough to have a great time and feel successful.
Most of us don’t start exercising like Joe. Most of us need to “eat the elephant one bite at a time.” That is, start with attainable goals. Pick an activity that you enjoy such as walking or cycling the “hood” and invite a pal to join you. Develop a routine where you walk or cycle for 30-minutes at least three times a week. Gradually expand your walks to include a few hills. Eventually, you want to workout at a low-to-moderate level for 150 minutes each week.
Then, before you know it, you will be like Joe – increasingly confident, fit and eagerly incorporating exercise into an active lifestyle!
Fitness apps – http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/292474/the-25-best-fitness-apps
Tiger Mtn – http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/west-tiger-3
2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans – www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/
