According to the vast majority of wellness organizations, diet and exercise are clearly the most important and meaningful behaviors one can engage in to improve health. Heart disease is the number one killer in all of Western societies. This disease, along with obesity and diabetes (Type 2) are called lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle diseases are diseases that are in large part attributed to lifestyle behaviors. Physical activity is the greatest single action you can take to correct lifestyle diseases.
By definition, sedentary lifestyles are lived by people who do not engage in regular physical activity. Progressive workout programs are great for sedentary individuals, as they are designed to start slowly and build to more demanding levels of exercise as the individual gains strength and endurance. The level of activity or exercise you perform does not have to be exhaustive or be so hard that it decreases the quality of life you have outside of the gym. It is the regularity that counts.
The more consistent you are about your workouts in terms of frequency and duration the more you can improve weight (fat) loss, and reduce heart disease or diabetic/pre-diabetic symptoms. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the aerobic phase should start with 3 days per week for 30 minutes. This can even be designed into 3 ten-minute sessions with the same physiological results. I’ll bet that you may be more willing to exercise for 10 short minutes at a time, especially if you are currently living a sedentary lifestyle.
There is an easy way to monitor the intensity of your workouts to ensure you are exercising at a level that improves physiological function without over-extending yourself. Make sure you warm up your muscles for 5 to 10 minutes, gradually increasing intensity. When you get to the point of only being able to complete a short sentence before needing to take another breath your intensity is perfect.
We’ve all heard that parking your car further from the store or taking the stairs instead of the elevator is good for us, but will those small actions really help you lose weight? The answer is clear: absolutely! Each small action you take goes a long way to helping you get more fit. Movement is the key - be as active as possible even if you aren’t participating in formal exercise. Here are additional suggestions to build more movement into your daily life. Additional information can be found at www.smallstep.gov.
- Walk as fast as you can “running errands” or shopping in the grocery store.
- Walk to your co-worker’s desk to relay a message instead of emailing.
- Walk your dog daily.
- Get a bike and discover the joys of cycling (see the feature article in this issue of CoSozo Living).
- Walk on your lunch hour.
Your exercise (aerobic) program should also be progressive in nature. Building progressively is key. There is overwhelming evidence that long-term behavioral changes are most effectively made with small step adaptations made over time. Because sedentary individuals don’t engage in regular exercise, obviously they are not fit and are unable to expend much energy over long periods of time. Beginning to lead an active lifestyle takes time. While the initial workouts may not be extremely challenging, it may be what is needed to build to more strenuous demands. Once there is a good foundation, the progressive program should be adapted to increase caloric expenditure and fitness.
My grandparents provide an excellent example of sedentary individuals who initiated a progressively more challenging exercise program. They started walking the mall five years ago, which is a 1.6 mile route. Within three months, their bodies adapted physiologically to the new work. Since then they have not increased their volume of work or pace. Therefore, they have not since gained an increase in fitness even though they walk the mall four days per week. This routine may be quite appropriate for them, but it is not progressive by definition and is not the most effective “program” to gain a significant amount of fitness.
In a progressive program, gradually build to 4 to 6 days per week (or more) with a duration of up to an hour. What is the best aerobic exercise? The best is one that you enjoy, have regular access to, and does not aggravate any pre-existing orthopedic or muscular problems. Remember, treadmills and steppers do not burn calories, only YOU do! You only burn as many calories as you are capable of expending. This depends on your health, fitness, nutrition status, and motivation. Varying your workouts can help to avoid boredom, aggravate injuries, and condition different muscles on a cellular level.
Weights are also an important part of workout regimens. According to the National Strength and Conditions Association (NSCA) and the ACSM, each muscle group should be trained 2-3 days per week for beginners, which is an appropriate level for those people wishing to “tone” their muscles. To build more muscle, additional weights must be used at high volumes for extended periods of time.
Previously sedentary individuals should focus on full body workouts, at least at first. Again, just like aerobic work, build your anaerobic workout (weight training) progressively. You also don’t want to overextend yourself to the point of causing injury to your body. Furthermore, exercises should focus on movements that mimic daily activities, are occupationally related, or designed for a particular activity or sport.
Remember, the body does not burn fat while you weight train and we have little control of where we gain or lose fat. Therefore, you cannot expect fat to be lost on your “problem areas.” Weight training programs should incorporate exercises with this in mind. For example, many women want to use the inner and outer thigh machine with greater emphasis than other exercises. However, one can work all of the major muscles from the waist down with a body weight squat or a lunge. These exercises also better mimic what we normally need to do on a daily basis. Your muscles can be worked in a resistive fashion with exercises using your own body weight, rubber bands, or lifting anything that taxes your muscles so that at the end of the set, you feel like you cannot do more. Bear in mind that you will need to tailor your workouts if you have any pre-existing conditions such as orthopedic problems or uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Weight training is perhaps more important for females than males due to a higher prevalence of osteoporosis and generalized muscular weakness in women. Here are some important guidelines for beginning a resistance-training program. In total, the exercises and guidelines below describe a full body workout that should not take more than 10 or 15 minutes. The rest period between each exercise should be approximately one minute.
Guidelines:
Start slow and warm up your muscles with a light weight. For most people this should be a weight you can lift about 30 times with good form. Stop briefly at 10 or 15 repetitions. By doing so, you are accessing any unknown or hidden aches and pains in your muscles or joints, affirming your level of strength (performance and strength varies from workout to workout), and increasing the blood flow to the active muscles.
Breathe continuously throughout the exercise and work in a full range of motion.
Perform one set, which is comprised of the repetitions (reps) described below, and then move on to the next muscle group. Work up to 3 sets as dictated by your level of soreness.
As your endurance and strength increases, you can add more weight to your routine and increase the number of reps. You can also increase the number of exercises you perform.
Remember that muscles that are worked anaerobically (resistance training) need to rest a day in between workouts so that each muscle does not get trained on consecutive days.
Exercises:
Perform a warm up set, and then adjust the weight or resistance until you come close to full fatigue after 10 to 12 repetitions.
Do one chest press or push up, one row (Bend over with a full milk jug or weight and pretend to “start the lawn mower.”)
Perform one body weight squat or a lunge, again perhaps 10-12 times at first for 1 set. After that you need to protect your spine and strengthen your lower back.
Do one abdominal exercise such as sit ups for 15 to 25 reps. Perform 3 sets.
Work the lower back. One example is to bend over with your knees slightly bent and bend at the hips with your back straight for 15 to 25 reps.
Nutrition is also very important. If you are 30 pounds overweight and it took you 10 years to get that way, then you have had a caloric excess per day that averages only 150 calories. According to the America Dietetic Association (ADA), a good diet should be low in fat (30% or less), high in fiber (20-35g), rich in complex carbohydrates (45-55%), and have an adequate amount of protein (20%). Many individuals eat too much protein and a diet that is low in complex carbohydrates will not give you the necessary energy to propel you effectively through your workouts. In addition, this type of diet will not be conducive to getting you “fit”. Limit simple sugars and alcohol. Eating several small meals per day is very important and largely overlooked. Eating this way should help you to choose better quality foods, limit your total calories, and increase your energy by stabilizing your blood sugar.
If sedentary people start slow, use enjoyable exercises or activities, and realize this process should not be a race, they will have very positive responses that will be conducive to a lifelong journey of good health practices. Remember, we all fail at times, but those who get back on the horse without thinking they’re a failure or that they lack will power will have the greatest success. Exercise your right to good health!
