B3Smart Feature Article
Every year, a new crop of exercise programs promise to help you revolutionize how you feel about exercise, or jump start your metabolism. But, unlike 18th century France, or the car you drove in high school, your body doesn't need a revolution or a jump. It needs personal things - like time, and attention - and these are often the hardest to find when you're busy and stressed. In this week's feature article, Personal trainer Beth Keating (BSc.Kin) reminds us that its easier to find time and enthusiasm for exercise when it is an activity you actually like doing.
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It's Your Body
(Do What You Wanna Do!)
It’s Monday morning, and you’re stuck in line behind the person ordering coffee for the whole office. After a glance at the front page of the paper, you shift your gaze to the window, where a runner is pounding along the pavement. Checking your watch, you think to yourself, "How does she find the time to do that?"
First things first – you can find the time; let’s nip that in the bud right now! As a trainer to active mothers who also work full time, and business executives who spend more time traveling than sleeping, I know that the time itself is not impossible to find. Sure, I could go on about how to organize a schedule effectively, but when it comes down to it, if you flipped through that Blackberry or iPhone, you could make some time slots available for activity purposes.
So what is the real issue plaguing busy people? It is one that is not necessarily related to time deprivation, but to enjoyment. Do you look forward to the activities that take up your time? Too many people feel that effective exercise means dusting off the old running shoes, and negotiating with their bodies to move up and down in jarring rhythm. It doesn’t matter if they dislike running – it is good exercise. Is it so surprising, then, that people seem to be crunched for time when trying to plan for this good activity?
The fundamental key to starting and staying with an exercise program is simple: choose what you like. In fact, the only way to incorporate physical activity effectively into your life is for you to enjoy the activity to which you commit. Chances are, if you get pleasure from the activity, than you’ll make sure that time permits your involvement! Far too often we compare how we exercise - or live, for that matter - to other people. Fitness, like most other things in life, is not one size fits all. We are unique individuals with different backgrounds, interests, and motivations. Make it personal, and discover what kind of exercise clears your schedule!
September, 2008, Beth Keating, BSc.Kin
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Female Olympic Lifter at Edmonton Personal Training Studio