Welcome to Week 2, Challengers? Week TWO! Can you believe it? We are 11 days in and by the time you read this many of you may have 11 consecutive exercises under your belt.
Did you see my Facebook post from a couple days ago? I had a busy week and almost missed a day. But your sorry Coach got her slacking butt back out of bed at 11:40 PM to get some stretching in before mid-night. The best part was deciding to do some stretching and then I ending up doing ab work and other floor exercises. Our bodies are made to move! My advice is to just start. When I was a running, I read a tip that said to indulge your mind when it doesn’t want to get out there. While you are physically putting on your workout clothes, let your mind say its not going to work out. Tie up your laces while allowing your brain to think you’re going to sit down and watch tv. Sometimes fighting it takes up all the energy. I recommend giving it a try next time yo
u are struggling to get motivated. I never finish a workout and regret it!
What happens to our bodies when we work out?
Exercise causes the lining of our blood vessels (the endothelium) to release a chemical messenger called nitric oxide. (Nitrous oxide is what you get at the dentist-not the same thing.) Nitric oxide prompts the body to make the natural drugs it needs to treat illnesses that are often treated by prescription medications. Nitric oxide delivers the right dose of “medicine” at the right time our body needs it. Dr. Sears refers to this as, “lowering the High’s and raising the Low’s.” Meaning, exercising regularly can lower high blood pressure and high blood fats (cholesterol) while simultaneously increasing mood, relieving pain, improving blood flow, providing natural anti-inflammatories and increasing virility. Fun fact: Nitric oxide is used to make a little blue pill most men have heard of to increase blood flow in a certain area. Exercise really is good for your total body- inside & out!
So Coach, tell us! What is the best exercise? THE ONE YOU WILL DO.
Not a sexy answer, but it is the truth for long-term and sustainable lifestyle change. I see clients at local fitness studio and the owners are so knowledgable in talking about the best combination of exercise with their members. We do need to focus cardiovascular health, strength, balance and flexibility. But my job as a behavior coach is to get you moving. If I told you cross country skiing was the best exercise, that wouldn’t do most of you any good in July. What if you didn’t have a legs? There wouldn’t be much hope, would there?
The best exercise is the one you will do and do consistently. We are going through the challenge this month to establish exercise as a habit. The idea is that you will be able to build on the strengths you have discovered during the challenge and use them to apply to future challenges. For instance, I now know that once I get started, I keep going. You might have discovered that packing your bag the night before is the key piece to keep you on track. Another client says having an accountability partner is helpful, so she has several.
I help my clients think long-term and use their strengths to prepare for slips and set-backs that attempt to throw you off course.
Why do you exercise? How do you stay on track? Tell us using the comment section below.
Next week: the role of exercise in weight-loss. Until, don’t forget to check me out on Instagram & Facebook.