Dr. Peter Gott offers sound medical answers to reader questions in the new Lifestyles section...
By TED SANTANIELLO, Fit Bits
On New Year's Day, people all over the United States make a resolution to achieve better fitness in the coming year.
Those pledges, though admirable, can also be a double-edged sword. On the positive side, people promise themselves that they will make some part of their lives better, whether it's quitting smoking, cutting out ice cream, spending more time with family or finally getting that gym membership.
At the same time, if that New Year's resolution fails, it can be considered a good excuse to wait until next year to take another stab at it. We are now a quarter of the way into 2010, but this is NOT the time to give up if you have taken a wrong turn. I'm here to tell you that there is still hope for staying true to your resolution.
MAKE GOALS
The first thing you need to realize is that if your goal is to get healthier, this is not something to be taken lightly. In 2010, we are, thankfully, becoming more and more aware of the health dilemma going on in the United States. More and more people are becoming overweight, leading to an explosion in preventable conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Your resolution to become more active could literally mean the difference between life and death down the road. I know this is a scary thought, but then again, it should be.
Keeping the importance of exercise in mind, a good way to get back on track is to be goal-oriented. Take the time to sit down and think about exactly what you want. Make both short-term and long-term goals. Not all goals have to be about losing weight; they can be even simpler than that. Spending five more minutes on the dreaded elliptical is a good example of a short-term goal. Once accomplished, you can take aim at a new one and keep on going from there. Seeing the road in front of you can help you get where you want to go. Though the long-term goal might seem far off at first, your short-term goals can be your ladder to success, with each step bringing you closer to the top.
BE CONSISTENT
Becoming more goal-oriented goes beyond just exercise; it can help make your entire life easier by giving you a path to tread.
Reaching goals with a friend or a group of friends can also be a very powerful motivator. It is so powerful, in fact, that this "support system" strategy is often used for situations involving addictive rehab. Knowing that someone will be meeting you at the gym gives you a feeling of accountability. Sharing the same goal does not have to be mandatory either. It is more about knowing that someone is there in your corner fighting the a similar fight. Whether you are both doing the same exercises together and helping each other out or completely separated while at the gym, the least it will do is get you there.
Working out consistently can help make scheduling your workout easier. Try to find a time during the day that will work for all or most days. Doing this will better merge this activity into your schedule. Your body will also be better prepared for the exercise, too. This will also allow you to better coordinate your eating habits around your exercise schedule. When workouts are spontaneous, it is common to either miss or eat a meal just before exercising.
If possible, put your exercise time directly into your schedule to further ensure that nothing else will interfere.
To me, sticking with a regular exercise program is so much more important than a New Year's resolution. It's about living long and living well, or at least increasing your chances of doing so. So you missed a few trips to the gym — it happens. The important thing is that you realize that continuing to do so can mean a huge difference in how you feel 5-to-10 years from now. So before you throw in the towel this year, give it another go; once you get the ball rolling again, you will be glad you did.
Ted Santaniello, CSCS, AFAA, is a certified personal trainer working at the Wellness Center at PARC, located at 295 New York road (next to ARC) in Plattsburgh. For more information, call him at 324-2024.
