“I don’t want to exercise, I’m over 60 years old, I’m tired and I don’t have the energy or the time to exercise. Are you crazy?” Sound familiar? How about, “I know I need to exercise and eat better, but I just can’t get started.” Maybe that sounds more familiar.
I hear you. But I don’t feel your pain.
Simply put, if you don’t move your body the way nature intended, your muscles will get weak and pitifully small, your bones will get brittle and easy to break, your circulation will slow down and your blood will pool like a scum filled pond. You’ll run out of breath with just the slightest bit of exertion and your heart will beat wildly with each little bit of effort.
Here’s what else happens. Your metabolism slows and you run out of energy fast. You allow fat to build up in and on your body. Your immune system weakens and you become more susceptible to illness. You slow down, get depressed and have little or no energy.
But when you do move your body the way nature intended, you will build lean muscle mass and your metabolism will immediately start to increase. You will burn off fat from inside and on your body. Your blood will circulate better and you will eliminate or reduce circulation issues. You will breathe more deeply, absorb more oxygen into your blood and use that oxygen more efficiently.
You’ll start to feel better, look better and you’ll have more energy to get through your day with plenty left over. And you’ll sleep better, too.
Sounds good to me! When do I start? That answer is easy — start now! The better question is how do I start?
In the next several weeks, I’m going to suggest ways to get started with an exercise program that works, what the benefits are, where those benefits come from, and how to stay engaged — so that you will continue for the rest of your life. That’s right, I said the rest of your life!
Here are a few of the points I’ll be covering:
- The pain points that will finally get you to take action.
- The purpose and overall benefits of exercise and how to reach them all.
- How to get started: “The first ten minutes”. Overcoming inertia.
- What happens to your body when you start to exercise
- What are Mitochondria and why are they called “the furnace of your body”? Ever hear of ATP? You’ll discover the most powerful benefits of filling your system with oxygen.
- Preparing your infrastructure (I covered some of that the past three weeks).
- How much exercise should I start with? How intense?
- What should be the mix?
- How and when will I know it’s working?
- and much, much more.
Hmm. Sounds like a late night TV infomercial. It is . . . sort of . . . for the next several articles.
There are a lot of things to consider when you start an exercise program. The first should be, “What are your goals?” If you are looking to become a performance athlete or a body builder, then this series of articles is most likely not for you. Yes, you’ll increase lean muscle mass and increase performance, but you probably won’t plan to run a marathon or participate in a bodybuilding contest as a result of these articles. You will look better, feel better and have more energy for the rest of your life.
I have written about exercise many times, but I have never written about how to go from being a “default” older adult, looking desperately for more personal energy to make it through life, to the lean, mean, energy machine you can become when you actively move your body, eat good food, breathe deeply, and get more rest and sleep — the way you were meant to.
Watch for the next several articles over the coming weeks. Put the suggestions into action and you’ll feel better, look better, and have much more energy — starting right away.
So take this coming week to do some of the infrastructure exercises I wrote about the past three weeks. It may also be a good time to touch base with your doctor before you start any exercise program. We’ll get started next week.
Thanks for reading.