Exercise

What Makes Us Falter and How to Stick With It

Commit Yourself to Reasonable Goals

By Michael Smith, MD

http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/1756.53424

Sticking with an exercise program can be the downfall of our fitness plans. But now a new study explains why we continue to disappoint ourselves, and WebMD gives you some tips on how to get started and stay on the right track toward feeling better and building a healthier body.

Researchers from the University of Kansas found that women who start an exercise program are most likely to quit because their initial expectations are too high; they're looking for much more benefit than is reasonable to expect when they are just getting started. Plus, even when the women had experienced disappointment in the past from setting their sights too high, they continued to make the same mistakes. How do you make a fresh start and do it right this time?

Designing an exercise program isn't rocket science. Mixing it up a bit might be the key for you. While it's best to consult a fitness professional, you can certainly get moving -- and keep moving -- on your own.

Let's review the minimum requirements for a fitness program:

• Cardiovascular exercise: Three days of aerobic fitness training for a minimum of 20 minutes at a target heart rate of 60% to 80% (85% to 90% for highly fit people.)
  
• Resistance training: Two days a week, eight to 12 exercises covering major muscles of the upper and lower body.
• Flexibility: Stretch major muscle groups four times a week, hold each stretch 30 seconds.
  

Sample Workouts

Here are four sample fitness plans. Remember to check with your doctor before beginning this or any other exercise program. Begin each plan with a five- to 10-minute warm-up and end with a three- to five-minute cool-down, followed by stretches for calves; Achilles tendons; hamstrings; quadriceps; chest; shoulders; neck; and the middle, lower and upper back.

Beginners, keep your total workout times -- including warm-up, cool-down and stretches -- to about 35 minutes. Progressively increase time or intensity as you become stronger.

• Basic training. Total time: 45 to 60 minutes, three days a week (FC -Virginia Schoepe Wellness Center)
  
  • Twenty to 30 minutes of any aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging, swimming, aerobic dance, or cycling.
    
  • Two sets (eight to 12 repetitions) of resistance-training exercises. Choose one exercise for each muscle group.
    
• Circuit training. Try this variation on basic training: (FC - Fitness Training Lab / Circuit)
  
  • Spend two minutes performing any aerobic activity, such as walking. Immediately follow the aerobic exercise with a resistance exercise-- for example, one minute of squats.
  • Go back to another aerobic activity for two minutes, and continue the cycle.
    
• Interval training. Add power bursts to your aerobic activity.
  
  • Every three minutes or so during your aerobic workout, add a one-minute "power interval" to increase intensity.
  • For example, walk at 3.5 mph for three minutes, then try walking at 4 mph for one minute before returning to your 3.5 mph pace. Repeat.
    
• Cross training. Bored? Try something different. (FC - Physical Education Department classes)
  
  • Take a boxing or yoga class. If you always ride the stationary bike, try the treadmill.
  • You can also break up your workout time with a fitness buffet. That is, ride the bike for 10 minutes, jump rope for five minutes, walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes, then try five minutes of stair-stepping.

Still not inspired? Buy a new fitness video, or work out with a friend. "Be honest with yourself. Don't hide behind your excuses," says avid exerciser Linda Carvalho. She adds that if you don't exercise, it's because you don't want to, not because you don't have time or because you're not
getting enough attention at the gym.

It also helps if you make your exercise part of your social life. "Seek out relationships in the gym to ensure success -- don't isolate yourself," Carvalho advises. Carvalho, 49, is a mother of two who works full-time -- and has a commute Understandably, she thought she didn't have time to exercise. But after a series of injuries sent her to physical therapy, she learned to make the commitment. "I spent two hours three days a week in physical therapy and realized time was undisputedly not the problem," she says. "It's about coming to the acceptance of committing."

Carvalho told herself, "I am going to do this." And she did. Three years later, Carvalho now exercises a minimum of five days a week, mostly after work at a fitness center near her home.

"Crossing over to age 50 brings osteoporosis and menopause into the forefront," she says. "I don't want to be a rickety old woman. I want to age gracefully and preserve my independence."

Deborah Adams, a 42-year-old school district administrator in New Jersey, agrees. "You are only making yourself feel better when you say you don't have time to exercise." Adams is up at 5 o'clock most mornings for a two- to three-mile walk on her home treadmill. In addition, Adams has worked her fitness schedule around her daughter's activities. She found a YMCA where her daughter could take dance and other classes while she works out.

Like Carvalho, Adams aims for five workouts a week. Besides going to the Y, she keeps step equipment and weights at home, along with an extensive fitness video library. "I keep fitness fun, fresh, and available," she says. "If I can't get to the gym, I can work out at home."

The results? "I never look back to my 20s as a time when I looked and felt my best," says
Adams. "I feel like I'm 20 now. That motivates me to keep it up." "The key is getting over the hurdle," says Carvalho. "Take responsibility for yourself emotionally and physically. Entitle yourself to time. Demand it for yourself. When I first started exercising, my family would say, 'You're leaving again?' Now they say, 'When are you exercising? Oh, that's good!' "

Whether you are just starting out or returning to exercise, start with the minimum requirements. Make your fitness goals attainable. And most importantly, make the commitment to yourself to get out there and do it.

With reporting by Grace DeSimone