SECRETS TO SUCCESSFUL FITNESS

It is really hard to start an exercise program. It doesn't seem to matter what your background is, your health, age or experience nor your choice of which activities to take up. Sticking to a routine consistently is extremely difficult for everyone. The strongest of us fail at this all the time, professionals and hobbyists alike. We particularly have trouble restarting our routine when we've paused because of illness, travel or other circumstances. And the COVID-19 pandemic has been a particularly long pause in normality. Restarting our physical activities as the pandemic risk fades will probably be especially challenging. 

Some may rebel against a "formal" program and may prefer to choose when to do things based on how they feel each day. However, being consistent in your activities is the single most important factor. The body responds very positively to consistency. Also we should not be deciding whether to exercise based upon how we feel. Our feelings in this regard are not trustworthy. See Do Not Believe Everything You Think to understand why. In addition, many chronic conditions produce feelings that we would prefer to avoid or ignore. That is a recipe for making things worse, not better.

Why is a fitness program important? Our doctors and health care providers have prescribed exercise for many of us. Current research overwhelmingly recommends regular physical exercise for improving health and avoiding falls. From Kaiser Permanente in 2008: 30 minutes of exercise a day does the following things: reduces Alzheimer's risk by 33%, heart disease by 40%, diabetes, high blood pressure and recurrent breast cancer by 50%, colon cancer by 60%. It is as good at reducing depression as taking an anti-depressant. Every exercise class you add to your schedule each week reduces depression risk by 50%. In other words, exercise is excellent for mental health. Another study concluded that consistent exercise reduces the risk of falls exponentially.

It is obvious that exercise is an elixir especially in regard to aging, yet many of us refuse to take advantage. Having an intelligent, sensible plan helps. But there are some ideas about starting to exercise that will help even more. 

Some activities you could include in your fitness program:

Tai Chi:
​Chi Gong:
​Yoga:
​Breath Exercise:
Meditation:
Balance Training:
​Weight Training:
Swimming:
​Walking, Hiking:
​Dancing:
​Phys Therapy:
Balance, mental well being.
Balance, mental well being.
​Flexibility, strength, balance, mental well being.
Stress reduction, pain/anxiety reduction.
​Mental well being, pain/anxiety reduction.
​​Fall prevention, balance, self confidence.
​Strength.
Upper body strength, improved breathing.
Leg strength, mental well being.
Co-ordination, strength, nervous system health.
​Strength, flexibility, injury prevention.

Structuring your fitness program: These recommendations are based upon my own opinions and experiences. See Basic Fitness Program for details on exercises to include.

Physical therapy exercises:
Morning foot and knee warmup:
Breathing exercise:
​Stretching:
​Walking:
Balance training:
Strength training:
Movement systems (Yoga, etc.):
Daily and when needed.
Daily.
Daily.
​Daily.
​Often.
​2-3 days/week.
2-3 days/week.
Daily, 2-3 days/wk, once/wk.
I would not suggest doing anything less than once a week. And once a week is not sufficient to bring significant improvement. Twice a week is much better.
Many have experienced physical therapy to assist in healing from injury or chronic condition. Each course of physical therapy offers a home fitness routine to practice on days you don't have therapy appointments. Some of the exercises in those programs should become part of your normal workout. The entire PT program can as well be practiced at home whenever the chronic condition rears it's head.

HOW TO GET STARTED: The steps to take to ensure success:

  • Timing is everything: Be consistent in your attendance/practice. Choose a time of day and days of the week that fit in your schedule. One way many find helpful is to exercise the same time of day each day. Mornings are often best. You can do the same activity every day or vary what you do from day to day. Keeping everything at the same time is good for the body. It also makes it much easier to stick to your schedule. The body loves consistency in timing. 
  • Make it simple and small: 10 minutes each day is far, far better than 1 hour every other week. Stick to the basics. Take on more as you want to but get the basics down first. Concentrate on developing your own pace and sticking to your schedule. Start small.
  • Change your program as needed based on what your body needs now. For example, if you have had a recent fall, add balance training to your schedule. If you are injured or ill, replace standing fitness training with seated exercising. Stay as active, just change the composition of what you do.
  • Make your fitness your highest priority: Stick to your schedule. Make your attendance your highest priority. Of course there are exceptions but the exceptions should be few and far between. When someone comes to visit take them with you, especially family. It's a wonderful thing to share with those you care about.
  • Expect that you won't want to: Fitness is not necessarily fun. It is based on getting healthier not on being entertaining. Don't expect to want to exercise. You won't. It takes some time before it feels good. In the mean time the brain finds all kinds of excuses not to follow the program. But once you understand how much better exercise makes you feel the rest of the time, watch out! Before long you will find yourself looking forward to it more than anything else. 
  • Sometimes exercise is especially hard to do: If you have arthritis you may feel really achy and not want to stick to your schedule. Do it anyway because the movement will make you feel better. If you are anxious about something you may think you can't concentrate but do it anyway because you will feel less anxious after. In other words, with exceptions, ignore the reasons not to exercise and do it anyway.  
  • Caregivers and family members, participate along with your client or relative: When your loved one or client begins a fitness regimen, do the exercises along with them. There is a huge increase in response if you do. People need other input. Sometimes they need assistance and it is important to give them feedback about whether they are doing the movements correctly. But in essence, it is really good for your senior to have a personal role model to help them see what to do.

It is especially important to understand that you should expect that you will not want to keep to your schedule. You won't want to go to that class, or watch that DVD, or do your doctor's recommended routine. That is a natural reaction. Just don't pay any attention to it. Keeping to your routine is more important by far.

Ignore the reasons not to exercise and do it anyway.

If falls concern you, balance training is the clear best activity to include in your routine, especially Building Better Balance because of its focus on how to prevent falls while improving balance and overall health.

Published May 31, 2021.