New year's resolutions around fitness and exercise are
incredibly popular. The excitement and hope generated by the start of the year
makes starting an exercise program easy.
Now that it's February, staying with it gets hard. Life gets
busy, motivation drops, and suddenly you're back on the couch, wondering how
you're 6 episodes into The Golden Bachelor instead of at the gym.
You know the benefits of exercise - they're probably what
motivated you to start exercising in the first place. If you need a reminder
here are just a few that Rob Pruden, director at Bluegrass Orthopaedics Rehab
suggests:
- 3 hours of exercise a week reduced pain and disability by 47% in people with knee arthritis
- Exercise reduced the progression of dementia by 50%
- Exercise reduced the risk of hip fracture in post-menopausal women by 47%
- A meta-analysis showed exercise decreased anxiety by 48%
- A low dose of exercise relieves depression in 30% of people, a higher dose woks for 47% of people
- A 12-year study of 10,000 Harvard alumni showed that people who exercised were 23% less likely to die
- Exercise is the #1 treatment for fatigue.
Knowing that you should exercise or why you should exercise
isn't the problem. Actually getting up and doing it is. Here are our Bluegrass
Orthopaedics top tips for making sure you stick to your exercise plan:
Set realistic goals. Don't try to go from zero to
hero overnight. Start with small, achievable goals and increase them gradually.
Make it easy to win - that helps you build motivation and exercise habits. For
some people that might mean starting with a daily 10-minute walk. For some
people, that bar is too high.
When we say make it easy to win, we mean easy. Your goal
could be to scan your card at the gym 3 times a week. It might be putting on
your walking shoes and going out the door. It might be one pushup. Start tiny.
Do activities you enjoy. Exercise isn't punishment.
Choose activities that are fun. It could be running, walking the dog, dancing,
swimming, kickboxing, or playing a sport.
Schedule it. Schedule your workouts like you would
any other important appointment. When people ask you to do something else
during that time, say "sorry, I've got an appointment." The more you
make exercise a routine, the less likely you are to skip it.
Don't go alone. Having someone waiting for you at the
gym really motivates you to get there. Having support helps push you to work
harder and motivates you when you're feeling down. Your support could be a
friend, the other people in a group fitness class, or a trainer.
Mix it up. Try a new class. If you usually run at the
same pace, try intervals. Walk a different route. Doing the same thing
repeatedly gets boring and leads to burnout. Keep things interesting to stay
interested.
Track your progress. Bonus points if you find a way
to make it visual somehow. Our brains love to see tasks checked off, a chart or
numbers going up, and rings closing. Seeing how far you've come is a great
motivator. Keep track of your workouts in a journal, make a spreadsheet, use an
app or fitness tracker.
Bribes work. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small.
Set a goal to work out 3 times this week and treat yourself to your favorite
coffee when you do. Buy yourself a new workout outfit, get a massage, or
anything else that will help you stay motivated when you reach milestones.
Adjust. Don't push yourself too hard, especially when you're
starting out. If you're feeling tired and sore, take the intensity down. Plan
rest days into your routine and feel free to call any of our locations for an
evaluation if the pain persists.
Forgive yourself! Everyone has setbacks. You're going to get
sick. You're going to miss a workout. That's ok. Pick yourself up and get back
on track. With the right mindset and a little perseverance, you can reach your
fitness goals.
References:
- Updating
ACSM's Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening. Medicine
& Science in Sports & Exercise 47(11):p 2473-2479, November 2015.
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2015/11000/updating_acsm_s_recommendations_for_exercise.28.aspx
- Benefits
of exercise for older adults: a review of existing evidence and current
recommendations for the general population. Clinics in geriatric medicine 8.1
(1992): 35-50.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749069018304968
- Exercise
Acts as a Drug
https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01970.x
- Perceived
Exercise Barriers
https://doi.org/10.1002/art.22098
- The
Benefits of Exercise on Brain Health
https://www.choosept.com/podcast/benefits-of-exercise-on-brain-health
- 23
and ½ hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo
- Time
Magazine: How To Keep New Year's Resolutions:
https://time.com/6243642/how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-2/