Exercise Smart: Remember The Tortoise And The Hare! By: Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2011

Have you started that exercise program that you promised yourself? If not, you’re not alone. Only about 8% of Americans keep their New Year’s resolutions, and starting an exercise program is a particularly tough one. The very thought of knocking yourself out with exercise every day makes you cringe. Me too. It reminds me of the old story of the guy who beats his head against the wall. When his friend asks, “ Why on earth are you doing that ”, the guy replies “Cause it feels so good when I stop”. Crazy? Maybe. But that’s what’s going on with fitness today. We’re told we have to push our selves beyond all reason to get fit and then maintain with some austere, joyless regimen forever. Yea, can’t wait.
Well that’s just nonsense. Exercise should be something you look forward to instead of dread. You can get every bit as fit without the drudgery. I’m not saying that you should never do vigorous exercise. I’m saying don’t do it until your body is ready to enjoy and benefit from it. It’s not exercise Light; it’s exercise SMART.
So here’s the plan. The first step is get up and move. Start today and spend 5 minutes doing something really easy like putting some favorite music on and dancing around. Or take a 5-minute walk.
Try to do this at the same time every day, the earlier the better.
Pick something fun, something you can look forward to doing again tomorrow.
Do 5 minutes a day until it gets too easy. Then add another 5 minutes.
The idea is to ease up to 30 minutes of moderate movement a day.
This may take weeks or months. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.
Trying to go too fast is what makes people quit. Remember the tortoise and the hare!
If you have already started apply this gradual method to any program you’re on. It will help you stay on track.

Let me know how you’re doing. If you have any questions or comments my email is at the bottom of this article.
Of course always consult your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program.

You can contact Mirabai at: askmirabai@movingfree.com

The Skinny On Your Hidden Fat

A too-thick waistline, especially paired with high levels of a particular fat in the blood called triglycerides can greatly increase your risk of developing coronary artery disease. Triglycerides are both produced by the body and ingested through the food you eat.

High triglyceride levels can increase your risk for heart disease and are more common among inactive people with larger waistlines. Normal triglyceride levels are below 150 mg/dL. The risk of developing coronary artery disease doubles when triglyceride levels are above 200 mg/dL.

Triglycerides are called the hidden fat because they are too often overshadowed by the highly publicized LDL bad cholesterol.

However triglycerides are above 200 mg/dL and “good” (HDL) cholesterol is below 40 mg/dL, a person is at four times the risk.

The good news is that a study at Duke University Medical Center has produced some surprising and encouraging results. Moderate aerobic exercise like walking a half hour at least five days a week can signicantly reduce the triglyceride levels in the blood as well as boost your HDL (good cholesterol). Burning 200 calories or so on that half hour walk doesn’t hurt either.

The study also showed that more intense exercise did help with belly fat but produced only half the triglyceride lowering results.

So my recommendation is: consult your doctor, find your triglycerides level and get clearance to exercise.

If it is elevated and belly fat is not an issue do moderate aerobic exercise like brisk walking or cardio dance. If you also have extra belly fat, consider adding strength training exercise every other day to help your body burn more fat.

Don’t over do it. Ease-in. Start with a few minutes a day of something fun. Pleasure is the key to sustainability.

Couple this with a low fat diet and moderate alcohol consumption and you’ve got a recipe for better quality of life and maybe even a longer one.

Top 10 Tips For Sticking With Your Fitness Resolution This Year

Well it’s coming to that time again, and we’re all wondering if we can really stick with those New Year’s resolutions. If getting in shape, and staying there is one of yours, it’s probably not the first time you’ve tried it. I’ve spent a lot of my 30-year career studying why fitness programs succeed or fail and developing methods to help people succeed. So, Happy New Year, here are my Top 10 Tips to help you ward off decrepitude.

• Start slowly and go at your own pace. Staying in your comfort zone separates the pain from the gain. You’ll get the most benefit with the lowest risk of injury, especially if you’ve been inactive for some time.


• Find the right kind of exercise for you. Choose activities you like or at least don’t hate. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as taking a brisk walk.


• Pick a time of the day that is most convenient for you to exercise. Try to stick with that schedule. Studies show that people who exercise at the same time every day are more likely to stick with it.


• Before getting out of bed each day, take a moment to visualize yourself fit. Thinking of yourself as a fit person will help make it happen. Professional athletes do this daily.


• Keep an exercise log. You’ll get a feeling of accomplishment when you stick to your program and will be able to chart your progress.


• Wear comfortable clothing and shoes with good support. Cotton is a breathable classic. But check out the super lightweight fabrics like cool-max that wick the sweat from your skin. When buying shoes, don’t feel weird about actually exercising in them in the store before plunking down the big bucks. I can’t tell you how many pairs of sneakers I have thrown against the wall before I learned this.


• Exercise with a friend or family member. Supporting each other's efforts helps keep you on track. One of my students loves to go mall walking with her friend in the early morning at speed and then coming back later for some retail therapy.


• Music is a powerful motivator. Pick music you love that makes you want to move. There are fitness music companies that sell CDs with popular tunes played at specific beats per minute. They’ll tell you what speed works for particular types of exercise. You can listen, pick and buy online.
  
• Consider professional guidance, especially if you've been inactive. If you don't want to join a gym or can't afford a trainer, consider a beginner-level exercise video by a certified teacher so you'll see the exercises demonstrated properly.


• Set short-term, easily attainable goals, such as doing some form of exercise two or three days a week to start. Change your goal when it becomes too easy.

It’s rare when anyone succeeds at anything right out of the gate. That’s why "If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again" is a classic proverb. So if you fall off the wagon one day, just climb back on board the next. And remember you’re not a failure, you’re a success story in progress.

Send your Moving Free® with Mirabai questions to: exercise@movingfree.com