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Workriver Monthly Fitness Column
This months column is about stress. It may not sound much like a fitness related topic to you, but in all reality, fitness is about getting healthy and stress can prevent good health as well as preventing you from doing what you like to do. When people get really stressed they actually lose time because they spend time panicing and hovering in that state of undecision actually making things worse. Excercise alone often releaves stress, but not always. On your next fitness routine you should consider breaking the mundane, scheduled fitness and try to find a workout buddy. Create a challenging competition between the two of you that you concentrate on each time you work out together. What will happen, is that when you get out and begin your new routine each week, you will concentrate so hard on the competition and the events happening right at that moment, that you will forget the stress of work or your personal life, and leave it all behind. This of course, only works if have a competetive spirit within you. Most of us do, but some just aren't very competetive.
Individual fitness depends on the individual. I know, this sounds like a dumb, obvious, silly statement but its not. For example some things I have stated in previous columns claim that this is the best thing you can do, but its all based on the individual. If your lifestyle only gives you enough time to eat at restaurants close to your work because you have a 20 minute lunch break then the subway diet is not for you. You should consider bringing lunch to work. If you are a smoker then running 5 miles a day is not going to make you live longer. As for myself, I have struggled with cigarette smoking and realized that it is the number one thing I can do to improve my health. If there is something huge like that in your life holding back your health sometimes the best thing to do is just focus on that. Now that being said, remember that you can always exercise, take vitamines, and do many other healthy activities which may inadvertantly motivate you to quit smoking or stop whatever health problem you have. I am not trying to say, of course, that, all health problems are fixable because they are not...
For whatever reason you are interested in fitness, there are a few things that don't involve exercise that could drasticly improve your health and fitness results. One of the most important of these is water. Thats right, just plain old h2o. The more water you drink, the more you will sweat and the more you will urinate. This is the most natural way of eliminating toxins from your body. It will help clean and lubricate every organ in your body, and hydrate you. If you are sufficiently hydrated before exercising, it will allow you to exercise much longer. Often times exercise cramps are caused by dehydration, and the person working out simply stops because of the pain (often times they should!). If you have drank enough water the night before, and in the morning if you exercise later in the day, then you will find yourself cramping much less or at the least much later.
I doubt that any of you readers have found this page without already knowing that your diet (daily food and liquid intake) affects exercise. If you don't beleive that water is an equally necesary resource for exercise, then try it out. I myself drank a soda a couple hours before working out just for the purpose of this article. Not only did I almost immediately cramp up, my energy levels were low, sugar levels high, and stomach acid totally unsettled. Try to ween yourself off of the high sugar drinks and carbonated beverages slowly if your not used to drinking water throughout the day. Once you no longer have a drastic urge to down a soda every meal you will find it much easier to drink the water you need in your body.
The most essential part of fitness is consistancy. Your fitness routine matters of course, but the frequency of your routine is what matters the most. I cannot tell you how many times I have been told 'I am taking a break' or 'Im too busy today'. Instead of totally giving up on the daily exercise, you should just do what you can. If you are away on a business trip and cannot do your normal time marked track run or your regular gymn workout routine that is of course understandable. In this situation instead of taking the day off, take 15 minutes or whatever time you have to spare right before bed or during lunch ect, and run (there is always somewhere to run), or do pushups and crunches in the hotel room.
You will find that when you begin an exercise cycle, if you are not used to exercising on a regular basis, that you are more tired at the end of the day (as you would expect right?). Well, within just one to two weeks, this will begin to completely reverse itsself. Regular exercise makes your body begin to plan for this needed energy and soon you will find yourself with MORE energy during the entire day instead of less energy. In this sence, working out doesnt actually make you tired, but instead boosts your energy levels.
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