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Now that 2004 has
arrived, the vows of “I’m going to start exercising” will soon echo around
the globe. Sound familiar? Most will fail miserably, as they are unknowingly
behind the 8-ball. The result: empty wallets, excessive guilt, and expanding
waistlines.
Why do we decide
to get in shape during the holiday season anyway? Three reasons: Santa
brings us treadmills, the New Year gives us a fresh start, and everybody is
talking about health. The real problem is one of timing. This time of year,
we are all exhausted and distracted. With holiday travel, meddlesome
relatives, defective gifts, and bowl games, there is just too much to
going on. Throw in some gigantic holiday dinners, a surplus of desserts and
frequent alcohol consumption, and you’ve got the toughest time of the year
to attempt a lifestyle change.
Making exercise a habit is
tough work. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 75
percent of
the nation doesn’t get enough physical activity, and 20 percent get none at all.
However, the main problem is not laziness. The majority of us make serious
attempts to get in shape, but we keep failing time after time. These
failures result in guilt, self-doubt, and apathy towards exercise. Even
worse, we end up missing out on a wealth of health benefits because we
simply couldn’t stick to a routine.
Becoming a couch potato
goes far beyond laziness. Several complex factors combine to determine who
will get fit, and who will crash on the couch with a tube of Pringles. By
educating yourself about the nuts and bolts of exercise behavior, you can
avoid the following pitfalls that plague holiday fitness efforts.
Pitfall #1: Inadequate Preparation
Like building a house,
developing a new lifestyle requires a detailed blueprint. This step is
critical, yet is commonly skipped. A realistic exercise schedule must be
set, attainable goals should be developed, and an exercise partner may need
to be recruited. Additionally, back up plans need to be developed for
unexpected events. Weather issues, fatigue, work or family crises, and
injury can all disrupt our exercise routines. Without solid preparation for
dealing with the “what ifs”, your exercise efforts will be derailed, usually
permanently.
Instead of
preparing, most over-enthusiastically jump right into exercise itself.
Things are great for a week and then something pops up. You have to work
late, you get a cold, or your back is sore. What do you do? You say, “I’ll
take a day or two off, then I’ll start again.” At that point, you are
officially toast. You were not prepared to deal with these issues. Something
will come up every single week, no matter how well you plan. Therefore,
instead of hitting the gym immediately, go to your desk first. Start by
making a realistic and flexible exercise schedule that fits your life. Then
set goals that are habit-based, not performance based. How much you can run
or lift at this point is irrelevant. Instead, aim to exercise a few days a
week without skipping any sessions. Finally, develop a plan to deal with
illness, fatigue, injury, and work or family issues. Being able to adapt to
the unexpected is essential to long-term exercise success.
Pitfall #2: Too much, too fast
Even with excellent preparation and a solid
plan, you can still fail. When motivation is high during the holidays, we
tend to place unrealistic demands on ourselves. We get pumped up and
excited, we exercise hard for a few days, and then “ouch!” Ever take
15-minutes to get from your bed to the shower in the morning? We’ve all been
there. A profanity-laden limp to the shower, while repeatedly muttering
“what the *%^$!?* was I thinking.”
Injury is the
most cited reason for quitting an exercise program. You can’t be inactive
for months or years and then jump into an active lifestyle. It is a shock to
the system and your body will not respond kindly. Thankfully, we now know
that the “no pain, no gain” philosophy of exercise is nonsense. Soreness,
stiffness and fatigue are normal when people start exercising, but will go
away as your body adjusts. To achieve health benefits from exercise, one
needs to exercise regularly, but not at full throttle.
The key to your success rests on whether you
can develop exercise as a habit. Since the health benefits of exercise take
several months, avoiding injury is a top priority. If you haven’t exercised
in a long time, consult with your physician, start slow, and gradually ease
up to a level that is challenging, but not overwhelming. If you push it too
hard too early, your chances of quitting are very high.
Pitfall #3: Unrealistic Expectations
Another common reason for quitting exercise is disappointment. For many, the
benefits of exercise just don’t come fast enough. We immediately want the
chiseled abs and trim waist that was promised to us in the magazine and
infomercial. When the physical metamorphosis doesn’t happen right away,
frustration and disappointment set in hard. People end up quitting because
they feel that they are wasting their time. Unfortunately, most of these
people are actually on track to get the results they want, they just don’t
understand that changes take time.
Several mistakes during the holiday season lead to these unrealistic
expectations. First, commercials and advertisements fool us into thinking
that our physical appearance will change rapidly, which is false. A change
in one’s physique and body weight takes many months, not weeks. We forget
that the fitness industry’s top priority is making a profit, not trimming
your waistline. Second, we put too much emphasis on physical appearance.
Exercise provides many important benefits that are invisible, like lower
blood pressure, healthy cholesterol levels, increased energy and improved
mood. Most importantly, the very best health benefit of exercise are not
buns of steel, it is longevity. Dozens of scientific studies show that
people who exercise regularly live longer. Finally, we often make too many
health promises to ourselves during the holidays. Many want to get in shape,
eat better, and quit smoking this time of year. Taking on multiple
lifestyle changes simultaneously is a recipe for disaster, as it places too
much pressure on you.
What can be done to keep expectations realistic? First, ignore the beautiful
people in fitness commercials and disregard their promises of quick success.
Healthy living is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, educate yourself about the
health benefits of exercise and when you can expect results. Understand that
physical changes take time and consistency. Finally, generate realistic and
attainable goals that are consistent with your current fitness level. Aiming
for your ideal weight or fitness level too soon may set you up for huge
disappointments.
With the New Year right around the corner, it will be very tempting to
commit to a lifestyle change. However, New Year’s resolutions that involve
exercise consistently fail because they are untimely and unreasonable.
People don’t prepare, they don’t ease into their new lifestyle, and they
don’t have sensible expectations. Mix that in with the usual holiday
distractions, and the chances of success are remote. If you want to start
exercising this holiday season, remember the three P’s: preparation,
patience, and practicality. With this strategic approach, that Christmas
treadmill won’t be dusty in mid-February and you’ll be on the way to
improved health.
William F. Kanasky, Jr. is a
Chicago-based freelance author who specializes in diet, exercise, and
obesity issues. Dr. Kanasky earned his Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the
University of Florida and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his medical psychology residency at
Duke University Medical Center, which included training at Structure
House, a nationally renowned weight loss facility. Dr. Kanasky can be
reached at
billkanasky@yahoo.com. |
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