Exercise, Rest and Reaching Your Goals With a Game

Did you know weight-bearing exercise doesn't just mean exercising with weights? Weight-bearing includes any form of exercise that resists gravity or involves bearing your own weight. Examples are walking, jogging, lifting, hiking, dancing, yoga, etc. Non-weight bearing would include exercises such as swimming, rowing, biking, or other exercises done while sitting. 

To get the most out of your exercise regime, you should try to do 3 weight-bearing and 3 non-weight bearing exercise sessions per week. 

Avoid repetitive workout regimes, such as running 6 days a week. If you don’t mix-and-match your exercises, you are more likely to become injured. (If you’re a runner, check out the book Run Less, Run Faster for excellent advice on healthy running habits.)

Rest is also very important for our bodies. 

Try resting a day between intense exercise in order for your muscles to grow stronger and avoid injury. 

It’s also critical to get a consistent night’s rest. The best way to do this is to go to bed and rise the same time each day. If we stay up late at night, the adrenal glands kick in, making it more difficult to fall asleep or to sleep through the night. Winding down at night, dimming lights, and going to bed early all help to achieve a good night’s sleep. Eating a healthy breakfast and getting 20 minutes of sunshine each day also help with sleep.

Now for the fun part!

If you’re looking for a fun, effective way to stick to your health goals, try the following:

1) Create SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) goals regarding your health. An example of a SMART goal: Instead of, “lose 20 pounds” try “I will lose one pound each week for the next 20 weeks.”

2) Create daily goals that will help you reach your SMART goals. Assign points to each goal to compete with yourself. Example: Drink 8 cups of water each day, exercise 20-30 minutes, eat 2 salads, and get 7 or more hours of sleep would each get one point. If something is particularly challenging for you, consider giving yourself two points for completing it, for extra encouragement. Tally your points each week, and watch your score grow. 

3) Reward yourself. This is tough. If you’re reaching your goals, you definitely deserve something extraordinary. Figure out what your reward (something other than a food item, please) will be at the beginning, set a finish line for when you’ll earn it, and get to work. If you're struggling, don't be hard on yourself, it will only make it more difficult. Remind yourself why you want to reach these goals and seek help from friends, family, or me (I'm always here for support and accountability). Pinpoint what's not working and take advantage of what is. 

If you need a little more encouragement, check out these resources: healthmonth.com (free), dietbet.com, stickk.com, and beeminder.com.

Have any other suggestions for maintaining a healthy exercise regime? I'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment below.

Remember, if you live a healthier lifestyle, you will influence your family to do the same. Good luck!