STRENGTHEN! SWEAT! STRETCH!

It is mentally and physically difficult to get conditioned after a prolonged break from exercise.  Your body feels foreign in that it is more weak, tired and slow than you remember it being.  Your mind is baffled by how weak, tired and slow your body is. 

You kind of just want to sit on a couch and eat ice cream instead of actually working out. 

The good news is since you have been fit before you have some sense that it is possible.  Less exciting is the reality of actually getting back to that level of fitness. 

When I came back to exercise after abdominal surgery, I made up my own regimen of strengthen, sweat and stretch.  This got my mind and body back into the routine of exercising three times per week while incorporating the essential components of fitness. 

Strengthen.  One day I did resistance exercise.  I did two sets of each exercise working the major muscle groups.  I performed a combination of free weight and bodyweight exercises.  Since I bore easily, I also used the TRX suspension trainer for more variety in my bodyweight exercises.  It was nice to feel my muscles get stronger.

Sweat.  Another day I did some form of cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes.  Many people know I am a fan of a Beyonce Dance Party workout.  I’d just put on some Queen Bey and shake it like someone forgot to put a ring on it. 

More traditional cardio like walking, running, or the elliptical machine got mixed in also.  Running was humbling for me because I was slow and easily winded.  I had to remind myself the important thing was to get my body accustomed to moving for an extended period of time. 

Stretch.  The third day, I just focused on stretching each major muscle group for at least 30 seconds.  I am a fan of yoga, particularly Bikram, for the stretch day because it incorporates a bit of movement with the stretch.  This was a nice active recovery from the resistance and cardio.

This schedule was intentionally low-key and low intensity.  It was geared toward getting back into a workout routine more than getting into great shape quickly.  I had an incident with overexertion in my first postoperative week that scared me straight on not pushing it too early. 

Once the foundation was laid over a few weeks, I increased the time and frequency of exercise.  The key to getting fit is actually increasing the intensity of the workouts. 

Lift heavier.  Run longer.  Keep stretching. 

My main objective with exercise is to be healthy.  I had been fit in the past.  I trusted my body to get there again, but it was frustrating.  I know it must be that much worse for those starting to exercise for the first time.

Now when I am active in any way I appreciate the impact of my workouts on my body.  The squats strengthen my legs.  The runs improve my lung capacity.  The yoga helps me recover from both.

Listening to my body instead of freaking out about my measurements worked for me.  In exchange, God blessed me with the longest winter ever to get myself back into summer clothing shape.  Doing the right thing for yourself pays off sometimes.

I hope this encourages those who are working back from injury, surgery, or any extended break from fitness.  It is possible to come back.  As with everything under the sun though, it has to be the right way for you.

MOVE IT OR LOSE IT

I watch people move all the time.  As a personal trainer, I instruct clients on how to perform specific movements for improved fitness and function.  In general, I find it fascinating to observe how individuals get from one place to another.  It troubles me that many people seem to have difficulty moving while performing their normal activities of daily living.  Sometimes it is obviously due some injury or chronic impairment.  However, many times it looks like the body is just not used to moving.  This gives me some insight into why exercise can be such a daunting prospect.  If walking from the car into the grocery store is a challenge, getting on a treadmill would be completely unappealing.  Even those who regularly go to the gym are often culprits of being too sedentary for the rest of the day.  That is still a problem.  The human body is designed to move.  Here are some easy ways to add more motion to your day.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.  You can ease into it by walking down the stairs for a week.  Many stairwells are located at inconvenient places in buildings which gives the plus of added steps to actually arrive to the head of the stairs.  Once you have gotten accustomed to walking to and down the stairwell you can add the anti-gravity portion of the movement.  If your destination floor is higher than you have the stamina to traverse, just get off the elevator a few floors early and walk the remainder.  This is a great way to move your body and strengthen your heart.

Park your car at the end of the aisle.  Those few extra steps must be of some value since everyone is always seeking out the closest spot.  It actually saves time looking for parking to just aim to be far from the front door.  This tip also makes it easier to find your car sitting by itself at the end of the aisle.  The fact that you now will have to carry your purchases a few more feet is just an added strength-building bonus on the back end.

Get up from your desk every hour.  Prolonged sitting in one position, especially hunched over a computer, is terrible for the body.  Backs get sore.  Hips get tight.  Bums spread out while the muscles get weak.  I’ll speak another time about the travesty that is the increasing size of the buttocks in the face of decreasing strength of the gluteus muscles with sitting.  Even if you just stand up for a few seconds and sit back down that is an improvement on the standard.  It is difficult to ask bodies to move effectively on demand when we keep them still all day.

Walk to your co-worker’s office/cubicle.  I must confess to have never worked in a typical office environment.  As I understand it, many people call/e-mail/text/instant message their officemates to communicate during the day.  That was not an option when I worked in a medical office.  You had to walk to where the person was with whom you wanted to speak.  There were a lot of steps accumulated over the course of a day.  I grant you it is not the most time-efficient way to communicate.  However, a walk to the other side of the office is probably a reasonable use of a few minutes for the sake of overall well-being.

None of these suggestions is groundbreaking.  The general principle is to try to incorporate more movement into your normal routine.  Even paralyzed individuals get physical therapy to keep their bodies from developing the complications associated with being still at all times.  Those of us with the power to put ourselves in motion ought to take advantage of the ability.  Your body will feel better for it.