EXERCISE
Revise 1-1--20
In my opinion, too many health advisors, stress too much exercise. Many claim that we need a Jillian trainer, 30 to 60 minutes of complex exercise routines, 5 times a week. Those instructions may be effective. But I believe that those instructions scare many people away from a heathier lifestyle. Many people, especially mothers, do not have 30 to 60 minutes to spare ONCE a week, let alone 5 times a week. Many of those big exercise programs appear out of reach and overwhelming to an adult who has not exercised since High School. When I first started losing weight, I WALKED on a treadmill for about 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week. After a while I read and now believe that strength or resistance exercises are more effective for losing weight than running or aerobic exercises. I also learned that strength exercises do a better job raising metabolism. As I understand it, aerobic exercises only burn calories while we exercise. Strength exercises that increase muscle and raise metabolism are a double edge sword against calories. When we raise our metabolism we not only burn calories while we exercise we burn extra calories while we sleep. Gotta like that. At the time I was using the treadmill, we had young kids at home and I struggled to find 20 minutes to spare. Then I realized that I could do a few sit ups and push ups in about 10 minutes. I also read about the increased risk of visceral (mid section) fat and hoped that doing sit ups, might do a better job flattening my spare tire. To say that I did not have 10 minutes to spare out of a 24 hour day would be a poor excuse for not exercising. Many of our American soldiers are in great shape. They do not have gyms, weights or exercise machines. They do old fashioned chin ups, pull ups, sit ups and push ups using their own body weight to build their strength. If I could not do sit ups or push ups, I might try to do squats or lunges. A few trips up and down household steps would be equivalent to doing a stair climber. I wear ankle weights when I do the stairs, that way I use extra leg muscles each time I lift a foot to take a step. Experts claim that old fashioned Squat Thrusts or Burpees may be one of the best total body home exercises. Studies show that busting out as many Burpees as we can in 30 seconds (8 to 10), rest for a minute, repeated 4 times for a total of 5 cycles will give us the same cardiovascular benefits as the same time invested in a stationary bike. Burpees have the added benefit of being a good strength exercise, working the muscles of our upper and lower body and our core. I also like doing leg lifts, 2 minutes, rest a minute then 2 minute plank for a total of 5 minutes. I place my hands together in a diamond formation between my lower back and the floor during my leg lifts to avoid making my lower back sore. Doing ANY amount of exercise the body is not used to doing is likely to raise metabolism and help lose weight. After doing the same exercise for a few months I sometimes notice a plateau in my weight loss progress as my muscles became used to what they were doing, so I change to a different exercise or change the angle, form or count of the sit ups and push ups I do, and then see new progress. By doing my exercises at home, I do not need the time or money to go to a gym. And I can exercise according to my schedule not a trainers. Recently my lovely wife found a very convenient exercise opportunity. She uses our TV and goes to Comcast Xfinity, On Demand Sports and Fitness, Exercise TV, 10 Minute Work Outs. There are a couple of handfuls of 10 minute exercise routines to choose from 24 hours a day. Any parent should be able fit one of those 10 minute work outs into their 24 hour day. Kids, toddler on up can join in and develope healthy habits of their own.
Whether you are interested in a physically healthy lifestyle or not, I encourage you to get you and your family, especially your kids plugged in to a good Church for the sake of Spiritual fitness. The Bible tells us in 1TIMOTHY 4 that physical exercise has some value, but Spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.
For more on how and why I was inspired to convert to a healthier lifestyle, I invite you to check out the LOSING WEIGHT page of this Web Site.