Working In the Workout
We just started the third month of the New Year and it is time to see how your commitment to starting a regular workout in 2010 is actually working out. Now, if just reading the word “exercise” made you cringe – even just a little – I think it’s safe to say that you have not yet honored your commitment to yourself. I think it is also safe to say that you are not one of those people I saw jogging down the street while I was trudging through two feet of snow and ankle-deep slush. (Talk about commitment!) Nevertheless, if you’re a Hill staffer and you are still just thinking (or, possibly, trying to forget) about starting an exercise routine, I suggest that you might want to hold off on starting one right now, but I also urge you to please read on.
First, let me be clear about something, I am not advocating becoming a slug. On the contrary, I encourage my clients (staffers and non-staffers) to engage in regular exercise. My concern here is that, given how crazy the next few weeks will be on the Hill, trying to establish a new routine right now is risky business. An exercise routine requires a time commitment, and the amount of time you will have to devote to anything besides work is going to be in short supply. If you try to start a new routine now, there’s a good chance that you won’t make it far out of the gate. An unsuccessful attempt won’t help you now and, since the experience could reinforce an underlying mindset against exercise you might be harboring, it will sabotage a future attempt to start a full exercise program.
However, what you can do right now is to start priming yourself so that you are more likely to engage in regular exercise once recess rolls around. You can begin right now by tweaking some of your daily and usual behaviors so that you incorporate at least some exercise into your workday. I’m talking about simple things that you already know you can do. For instance, walking instead of riding; taking the stairs instead of the elevator; or doing something totally radical like stop working for a few minutes to take a brisk walk around the halls or around the block (it’s okay – you earned a few minutes).
Personal Trainer Doug Murphy recommends using a small, lightweight and inexpensive pedometer and setting a goal of taking 10,000 or more steps per day. “It’s a simple and effective way to track your activity level, and enables you to set progressively more challenging goals and attain them. The more steps you take, the more calories you burn. Not only will you be preparing yourself for an exercise program (goal-setting, tracking, and accountability), you will actually have started one!”
Obviously, these are not physically demanding tweaks. Still, any exercise is better than no exercise, and what these tweaks can do is help reverse the physiological and psychological effects of stress (and you certainly will have plenty of that). They make you stop and focus on yourself for a few minutes, which is something that seems to happen less and less when work gets crazy. They also help bring your awareness to your behavior and chip away at any possible underlying mindset you might have against exercising. If anything, the challenging part about tweaking is being aware, of and taking advantage of, all the tweaking opportunities your workday presents. But, before you pooh-pooh this, why not check it out and challenge yourself and see how many times and how many different ways you can integrate some kind of exercise into this workday.
Once you start engaging in these small behavioral changes, don’t be surprised if you suddenly find the inspiration to take things to the next level and incorporate even more exercise into your daily life. Maybe you will go from taking the stairs to taking 5-10 minutes here and there to lift some weights, dance around the living room, or do push-ups and crunches while watching television. Be sure to mix it up and alternate doing cardio, strength-building and stretching exercises in your short workouts. Whatever you do, try to do it a minute longer each day and ratchet up the intensity each time. If you reach a point where you’re doing three 10-minute workouts a day, give yourself a break every 4th day. Rest is important, too.
Short workouts might not seem like a lot of exercise, but they can be just as effective as long workouts, and their schedule-friendly feature makes it easier for you to keep with the program even when you get crazy busy. Even better, your short workouts don’ t have to be elaborate in order for you to experience results. Just have fun with them and be creative. By the time recess rolls around, you will have developed new behaviors and a mind-set whereby exercise is no longer something you’re still thinking about doing, it’s something you’re actually doing.
Happy Tweaking, Tricia
Tags: accountability, awareness, behaviors, challenges, exercise, exercise program, goals, inspiration, mind-set, personal trainer, stress, training, walking, workday, workout
VERY interesting…and timely! My husband and I used to go Monday thru Wednesday at 5:15 in the morning for a spin class at our gym. We felt great doing it and I dropped a pant size but we were just exhausted all of the time. We figured that with our schedules we couldn’t consistently go at night so finally, after 2 years of being tired all the time, we decided to get a treadmill. We figure we’ll still work out but we’ll be able to get an extra hour of sleep and that is a helpful to our health as the workout will be. I’m hoping it will be hard to walk by the machine and not feel compelled to at least go for a brisk walk a few times a week. The article was very timely and very relevant to a lot of people.
VERY WELL WRITTEN ! We try to mix it up at home (muscle confusion) We will do Z-Health R phase one day, then Yoga meltdown and then treadmill/bike while watching Ally McBeal. And of course there is skiing. Result?? I’m scheduled for a new hip in April !!
Great article Tricia!
Bruce, you can increase the longevity of a hip replacement by avoiding high impact activities, such as running and jumping. Sounds like you have a good exercise routine in place-keep it up!