There’s an 87-year-old woman at my fitness club who takes the same cardio classes and weight classes that I take. She uses her own three and five pounds weights, she’s no taller than five feet and I’ve never met a human being more enthusiastic and energetic than she. One morning, I went up to her and asked, “How do you do it?” I wanted to know how she found the motivation and energy to come to such a strenuous fitness class every week when I was having such a hard time getting out of bed some mornings. Her answer still gives me chills and has greatly changed my perspective. She looked me right in the eyes, smiled at me and said, “Two reasons: I’m lucky and I’m grateful.” 

When it comes to fitness, or rather physical exercise, not many of us feel lucky or grateful. If anything, some of us may even resent the fact that we have to workout to the point of muscle aches and maximum exertion just to look and feel good. But when you suddenly consider the alternative of old age, it’s a heck of a lot easier to feel lucky and be grateful that you are still healthy and strong enough to be working out at all. That’s my first bit of advice for starting an exercise plan for getting in shape:

• Be grateful. Even if you are limited by a disability or feel as though you are presently too unhealthy to start more strenuous exercising, be grateful for what you can do. Start small and be sure to consult your doctor first before you begin a plan.  
• Design a workout plan. There are all sorts of exercise plans on the internet from beginner to advanced, including plans for men, women, weight-loss, pregnancy and so on. But for starters, make sure you find one that addresses all aspects of fitness: cardiovascular (running, biking, getting your heart rate up), strength training (lifting weights), and flexibility (stretching, yoga and pilates). Variety is the key! So try not to stick to one plan longer than three months. Change it up a bit. This forces your body to readapt to new movements and thus, keeps the body from falling into a comfort zone.
• Know the benefits. Exercise is a virtual panacea. And I’m not just talking about weight loss or increasing your energy for the sport of it. Michael R. Bracko, EdD, FACSM, chairman of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Consumer Information Committee, writes, “Exercise can literally cure diseases like some forms of heart disease. Exercise has been implicated in helping people prevent or recover from some forms of cancer. Exercise helps people with arthritis. Exercise helps people prevent and reverse depression.” See the value in exercise and appreciate its many benefits!
• Increase your stamina and endurance. Workout can be tough on anybody. When I first started working out I did so with a towel and a bottle of water. But as I became more aware of all the healthy products on the market for workout improvement, I found certain things essential. For one, I recognized that my heart could perform better when taking supplements that encouraged oxygen to the cells. Unlike stimulants, certain all-natural supplements work to create energy in your body in a safer, healthier way. I also “recovered” after a strenuous workout with a whey protein drink, with a bit of glutamine added for muscle repair. Know what’s on the market and what can safely and naturally aid your workout. And try to stay away from stimulants or sugar-high type supplements that tend to cause more damage than good.
• Be safe. As with anything, know your limits. If it’s been awhile since you’ve exercised, start with a low-impact exercise plan and build to a higher-impact. Expect your body to build endurance daily, but be patient with yourself. It takes up to three months to see serious results. Also, I strongly suggest that everyone get a heart rate monitor. A heart rate monitor can help you exercise within your “safety zone.” So many people knock themselves out, or go what’s called “anaerobic,” which means that oxygen is used up more quickly than the body is able to replenish, inside the working muscle. And while this is important for certain exercises like weigh lifting, individuals who are inexperienced tend to believe the anaerobic state is necessary for every cardio workout. This is untrue. Cardio workouts need to be aerobic. A heart rate monitor can definitely signal where you are in your zone and whether you are working out efficiently or inefficiently. For more information on heart rate monitor, try Polar.  Whatever precautions you take, remember the most important: listen to your body. Your body is a finely tuned instrument that knows exactly what it needs and what it doesn’t. Moreover, knowing your limits and what your body can and cannot handle, makes exercising a million times more proficient.  

Coming up next week: How changing your lifestyle can change your life. Res-Q Consultants offer tips on how to make the best choices when it comes to prevention and health.

So then, why and how do we change from “comfortable” to uncomfortable? How do we get off the proverbial sofa? The general equation on motivation is this:           

            When the pain and suffering of doing nothing outweighs the perceived pain and suffering of change,
we motivate  ourselves and thus, change our behavior.

 For example, we hit rock bottom.  Our behavior doesn’t make us feel “comfortable” anymore. We reach a weight we always swore we’d never reach. We start to look and feel badly about the way we wear our clothes, or our favorite jeans no longer fit. This dissonance and anxiety, if we’re lucky, causes us to suddenly become motivated to change.
 

But for many us, there is no “rock bottom,” or worse, we choose instead to rationalize our situation. We end up convincing ourselves that, “I didn’t want to fit into those jeans anyway,” or “I’m not the exercising type.” When that’s the case, motivation and the determination to change becomes obscure. As a last resort, we end up needing motivation to get motivated! I was this way for a very long time, until I realized a few tricks, tools and bits of wisdom that helped me kick start my life as an active, healthy woman who takes nutrition and exercise seriously. Motivation is key. But remember, it’s only part of the equation. As Helen Keller once wrote: “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

• Your mind is your most powerful tool. And one of its functions is to motivate your body to do certain things that you might otherwise not want to do. Everyone has the ability to motivate himself or herself. It’s just a matter of channeling the right thoughts into your thinking. Earl Nightingale said, “The strangest secret is that we become what we think about, most of the time.” If we think we are incapable of getting fit, we will be incapable. If we think we are strong and able to handle distress, then we are strong and able to handle distress. When you think something over and over again, you literally brainwash yourself into believing a new truth. Take 20 minutes every day and meditate. It doesn’t have to be in the traditional sense with legs crossed, chanting “Om.” Just find a comfortable, quiet spot, and start to talk to yourself. Exercise your inner voice. Tell yourself you are worth a beautiful body. Tell yourself you are deeply committed to your health and well-being. Give yourself encouragement. “I can do this,” “I am strong,” “I am alive and healthy and motivated.” OK, so you might tell yourself little white lies here and there. But, that’s OK! Positive self-talk is a powerful tool. Use it frequently. To read more on positive thinking and self-talk visit the Mayo Clinic for great tips and advice.
• Just do it. Nike™ had it right when they came up with their “just do it” ad campaign. Well, the ad executives had it right, at least. But here’s the deal: getting up to go to the bathroom or to go to bed takes about the same amount of energy as getting up to turn on an exercise video. Thing is, once you’re standing in front of your flat screen, half the work of “getting you there” is over. Now, it’s just a matter of putting in the effort to follow along. If this doesn’t sound like fun, don’t give up! Try a gym or a fitness club. You may be the type that needs people around to help motivate you.
• Persevere. The first time you exercise will probably be stressful. The first day of your new diet will most likely leave you feeling hungry.  If it’s been awhile since you’ve lifted weights or taken a cardio class, your body may feel awkward. You may fumble, make mistakes or feel clumsy. If your digestive system is more accustomed to taking in breads or meats rather than a plate of leafy greens, you will notice a difference.  Change, whether good or bad, ALWAYS feels awkward at first. But if you remain committed to whatever activity you set out to accomplish, you will adapt! And you will definitely find it easier  to motivate yourself to get to a “Spin” class or choose humus over a hotdog.
• Get involved. The more you make healthy living part of your lifestyle the healthier you become. Read books and magazines on healthy eating, join a gym and socialize, become part of a bicycling group or simply try to meet other like-minded individuals who also aspire to healthier living. And if you are really ambitious, set a goal for yourself. Sign up for a 5K, a triathlon, a swim team or a healthy foods cook-off. Lastly, if you can’t afford to change your whole life around, subscribe to online blogs or forums about health and fitness. There are millions! I recommend About’s Calorie Count page, which lets you count all your calories and keep track of your meals for free, or myfitnesspal, which does much of the same thing, including keeping track of your workouts. Both are online “communities” which serve to motivate and inspire.

Coming up next week: Fitness: how you can start a physical activity program and stay active and fit for life.

For starters, remember that getting in shape takes brainpower, motivation and a pretty sturdy determination to be healthier. If that sounds like a lot, don’t fret. Start small. Building endurance for a healthier you takes time and patience. The three areas you need to focus on are nutrition, fitness and mind. We’ll address all three—but first, nutrition. 

What to Eat? 

These are simple truths: burn an equal amount of calories as you take in to maintain your weight, or burn more calories than you eat to lose weight. Easy, right? And yet most people find this excruciatingly difficult. That’s why healthy food and great nutrition are so important. The value of healthy eating is not only in the nutrition it gives your body and mind, but healthy foods generally contain fewer calories.

So, what foods are the most nutritious? There are lots. But here are a few quick recommendations that not only help keep you strong and healthy, but also aid in energy, weight loss and endurance so that getting in shape isn’t such a struggle.  

• Eat your veggies!They are the healthiest low-calorie, high-volume foods on the planet. Not to mention they’re good for you. Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS, has written The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, one of my favorite books. If you want to know which is better for you, a tomato or a string bean, this book has it.
• Eat a diet rich in omega-3s. There’s no question anymore as to the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Women who added omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to their low-calorie diets lost more body-fat and inches off their hips.¹ The rewards your body, mind, skin, hair, nails, etc. reap are incalculable. Besides, I couldn’t work where I do without mentioning the awesome power of omega-3s. I am a believer.
• Eat less junk and stay away from bad fats. Plain and simple. Bad food slows you down, good food increases energy. Keep potato chips, sodas, cookies, crackers, etc. out of the house. Don’t bring them home. This way, if you need a candy-bar fix, you’ll have to run to the store. And hopefully, the thought of getting your shoes, coat, hat, gloves and scarf on, warming up the car and driving who knows where to buy a chocolate bar will deter you from leaving the comfort of your home where you can have a blueberry parfait instead. Junk food is poison. It has no nutritional value whatsoever. Try to limit it to three times a week.
• Add fiber to your diet. Fiber gets things moving. It works wonders for your digestive tract. And it’s a basic addition to any healthy diet. You need roughly 20 -30 grams of fiber every day to see benefits. And I strongly suggest “soluble” and “insoluble” fiber such as the kind found in psyllium seed husks, kelp, oats, wheat, barley, rye and fruit pectins, which are all excellent sources of soluble and insoluble fiber.
• Make better choices. You know what they are. If you’re out to lunch, choose something from the salad bar at the local grocery store instead of going to a fast-food drive-thru. If you want a late-night snack make it a bowl of cut-up apples mixed with dates and pistachios instead of a bag of cheese doodles. Have green tea instead of a soda. Better choices mean fewer calories and a healthier you.  

Coming up next week: Rethinking Motivation. One of the biggest impediments to getting in shape is loss of motivation and how to change the way we think about food and exercise.