Today on Let’s Talk Live (www.letstalklivetv.com) I was asked “what is the most important thing to remember when it comes to exercise?” While I mentioned the ACSM guidelines – 30 minutes of moderate intensity per day for at least 5 days a week or 20 minutes of very intense exercise 3 days a week, the anchor, Natasha Barrett, brought up the best point of all. And what point is that? Make exercise a habit. Something you do every day or most every day and if you skip a day you go right back to working out (and a workout could be tai chi at the senior center, a 10 mile run or a few laps around the block).
Why is the “habit” part of exercise so important? The people who fit exercise into their lifestyle continue exercising. It is those people who don’t enjoy their exercise regimen (they torture themselves doing stuff they hate to do) that fall off the wagon time and time again.
So, the first important step is finding something you love to do. Or at least like to do. If you love malls, get out there and walk around one, for a half hour. If you enjoy playing with your grandkids or nieces and nephews, take them to the park and actually get out there and play with them (take it from someone who played tag with a 4 yr old yesterday while the neighborhood parents stood there, unengaged with their kids and chuckling at the me and my nephew). If ice skating is your passion, take lessons. The point is to find something you enjoy and do it. By making exercise a habit in your life you’ll live a longer, healthier more functional life.