When it Comes to Exercise, What Counts?

When you decide "Today's the Day! " You select your workout, maybe get your stationary bike adjusted to the proper height, your outfit and sneakers are all laid out and set to complete DAY 1 of "Biking for Beginners" a 15 minute video workout program.

It's the perfect start, return, or change to your current workout program, intention, or current physical or medical situation.

You're all dressed with the words "MOTIVATED and READY" written all over you!

You pressed "Begin" on your Apple Watch for Indoor Biking so you can start tracking your progress and stats and you COMPLETED YOUR WORKOUT!

CHECK!!

And. you feel like...

A smile and a confident walk leads you to your water bottle for a well deserved sip and you are full to the brim with accomplishment. Whoohoo!!

A quick reminder hits you to "END" your workout on your watch, so you can check and log the numbers for your "DAY 1"

But then a sinking discouraging message is displayed on your screen.

"Is your workout completed?  Ignore or Dismiss?

What?

But you just finished. You still felt a hint of moisture on your forehead, you felt warm, comfortable with your breathing and your legs just a bit tired, so you had all the physical signs of some good effort.

You realize "your watch" did not register your workout.  Apparently you did not push hard enough, heart rate did not get high enough, you did not do it long enough

It instantly deflates you.  That feeling of accomplishment is now replaced with a touch of failure.

A flood of headlines, conversations, and peer pressure infect your brain as you think to yourself..."A 15 MINUTE WORKOUT does not count."

Or at least that is what is felt like to me.

Have you felt like this too?

YOU HAVE TO PUSH, FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, STRAIN and maybe even partially tortured to really get somewhere to improve your health or fitness level?

This is what today's blog is all about. 

What constitutes "exercise?"

Does a workout have set parameters to be effective? 

Are you wasting your time if you don't reach those expectations or parameters?

Does it require torture, massive amounts of sweat, and huffin' and puffin' to count?

All good questions and I feel this needs some attention.

I am a practicing physical therapist and  have worked in just about every setting across the life span from infant to the advanced age of 94.

I have had the unique privilege to witness life.  It's physical changes, challenges and patterns of behavior that either encourage success or failure when it comes to exercise and fitness programs.

In addition to being a physical therapist for 25 years, I would consider myself to be "athletic" for the majority of my life.  Sports through high school and an active runner as an adult.  Historically I looked to the above stated parameters in order to feel that I "worked out."

However, my definition of exercise is something different than I see it today and has only strengthened my mission to encourage others to be open to a "new definition" that would actually serve you.

My perspective has changed as I am recovering from a colon resection of a large benign polyp in my large intestine positioned in a difficult spot as well as an abdominal hernia repair.

This has shed new life on my approach to exercise as a clinician as well as with my personal health.

Three days in the hospital and six weeks out of work will force anyone into a place of serious reflection when you have moments of absolute dependence, pain, fear, self doubt, sadness, and isolation.

It is easy to let those powerful emotions dictate what you do.  Believe me. I know.

And on post op day one, I did.  I managed to get to the bathroom, sit on the edge of my bed to puke, and do a few glut sets and heel slides (common PT bed exercises), but that's about it.

Did that count as "exercise"...for me, on that day.  I moved and survived, so in this case I would say yes.

Now that I have been home approaching four weeks, if I was still doing that, would that qualify as "exercise?"

Well, and I think you would agree, NO.

So what's the difference.

The most important word as a physical therapist is FUNCTION.

You have to function to live.  In order to function, you need to MOVE.

Movement is exercise, but we all have a different life story, so there is no clear SET guidelines for what constitutes EXERCISE FOR YOU.

And I think that is why many people give up.  Not doing enough, forcing too much and then GIVE UP.

This gets you nowhere

So I want you to start to change your definition to something that may work for you to build on. 

I think what I have learned the most from this experience, is the best person to judge what you should or should not be doing is YOU.

Yes, be informed.  Be inquisitive. Be responsible so you understand what your objective and any parameters to be safe may be and I feel we underestimate ourselves or even have old beliefs or even "excuses" as to why we "can or can't do something."

The fact remains, we all MUST do SOME FORM OF EXERCISE, so we need to figure this out.

The worst cases that I have treated in PT are not the patients that have had sports related injuries or did too much.  Sadly they are the ones that did not do anything at all for a long period of time.

Ask yourself the following questions

-Am I happy about the way I feel?  Physically or Mentally?

-Can I do what I want do do?  If no, why not?  Pain, motivation, time, fatigue?

-Am I comfortable in my own skin?  If not why?  Your body type, size, weight, confidence, depressed?

-What is my medical status?  Injuries, Pathologies such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, arthritis, etc.

-How old am I?  Do I feel my biological age or my chronological age?

These are some of the basics that transition you from MOVING as a form of exercise to something tailored specifically to an outcome such as a "formal" strength or cardiovascular program.

In my case, I was told from the very beginning, you need to move.

And even though I felt the crappiest of crappy...I did what I could and just tried to build from there.

Doing something is NOT JUST better than doing nothing.

That statement already leads you to believe you are not doing enough.

DOING SOMETHING IS DOING SOMETHING!

Deciding, making the effort and DOING COUNTS

High FIVE!!

Yes,  you can always have goals, and be inspired to progress and improve.  That is important too, but not the main point of this message.

But NOTHING happens when you do nothing.

Actually this what happens when you do nothing

• Stiffness
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Disease
• Depression
• Dependence
• Introducing many diseases or pathologies that go hand in hand with an inactive life.

Those are all things I do not want any part of and I am sure you do not want to invite any of those enemies to your life's party.

How about this?

When you MOVE for as little as 5 minutes daily this is what you have to gain

• Energy
• Improved circulation
• Weight management
• Independence
• Improved joint mobility
• Strength
• Stress Management
• Better Sleep
• Optimism
  

To what degree..that depends on you.  Certainly answer those questions I listed above and be honest.  Can you do more?  Should you do more?

Your results will only compound, which is why you always have to REASSESS!

When you reassess, you can decide how you may want to progress. 

Add weights, increase time, walk a litle faster.  Those variables will all add benefits, plus keep you interested.  You don't want to get bored with your program because you will lose interest and most likely stop.

For me, I have run marathons and I can push.  Currently, my 15 Minute BIKE FOR BEGINNERS was JUST RIGHT! AND SMART!

It was a milestone for me and called attention to recognize how far I had come from just sitting up on the edge of my bed, struggling to get to the bathroom.

I want you to know whatever you do, be proud that you just "do" sometimes and it will serve you in that moment and become a building block for your long, happy and hopefully independent future.

And I know there are not a lot of STATS that I put in today's message, but they are all true statements and I hope I made a case, for you to take action.

Make movement EASY. 

Make it intentional.

Make it a habit

There is always room to grow and there is always progress to be made and that makes it the perfect opportunity for me to share much more information for you when the time comes!

April is MOVE MORE month and to celebrate that, I invite you to join me as I MOVE MORE this month and support you as you make this a goal as well!

If you would like a helpful and easy way to join me as I MOVE MORE, please scroll to the end of this blog post and join my email list, where you have access to my MOVE MORE 30 Day Challenge worksheet and allows me to guide, encourage, and assist you through encouragement, accountability, and positivity as you learn more about yourself and reap all the benefits that movement has to offer you.

I think you will love this and always reach out for extra support or questions at marciew@fitnessbaker.com. I will love to support, encourage and hear all about your wins, or even struggles so that you never feel stuck where you are, but that you always have hope and you feel success with your health.

So just start and see.  "OH THE PLACES YOU'LL GO" and I'll be right there with you!

Can't wait to share my progress and hear all about yours!

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