The Health Blog by Ryan Healy

Exercise Anyway

I have a few friends who've expressed that they'd rather not go to a gym or recreation center to exercise because they're embarrassed.

They're overweight... and they don't want other people watching them.

Although I'm not overweight, I can understand the hesitation.

When I first started lifting weights... and grabbed the 20-pound dumbbells to do bicep curls... I was embarrassed.

Here were all these ripped guys curling 40- and 50-pounders!

I felt like a weakling.

Here's the thing. No matter where you start, there's going to be someone firmer, slimmer, sexier, stronger.

There's just no way you're going to avoid that.

My advice: get over your embarrassment and start exercising.

Your emotions will diminish... your gym will start to feel like home... and you'll start making visible improvements.

And that's the real goal anyway: results. Not a warm fuzzy feeling inside. You can get that when you take a hot shower after your workout. :-)

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Hot Weather Discourages Exercise

If you want to improve your chances of sticking with a regular exercise routine, then choose a state with dry, moderate weather. At least that's what a new study indicates.

The Week Magazine reports:

"A new study found that people in cool, dry climates are far more likely to exercise regularly than those who live where it's usually hot and humid. [...] People in Montana, Vermont, Utah, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire—where there's a high percentage of dry, moderate days—exercised the most, while those in often hot and humid Hawaii, North Carolina, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and Mississippi exercised the least."

I live in Colorado, in a southern suburb of Denver. Our weather is similar to Montana and Utah, and I know the residents here are some of the most active in the nation. Some "food for thought" anyway...

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Health Benefits of Hiking

Friday morning my brother and I headed up to Buena Vista to go backpacking. In case you're not from Colorado, Buena Vista is due west of Colorado Springs, nestled right at the foot of the Sawatch Range in the Rocky Mountains.

We packed in about eight or nine miles and set up camp in a valley between Harvard and Columbia on the south and Missouri, Oxford, and Belford on the north. (All five of these mountains' peaks are over 14,000 feet.)

While I was hiking, I was thinking of you. Because hiking is healthy. And I thought it would be appropriate to share with you some of the health benefits I've observed from hiking and backpacking in the mountains near my home.

1. Hiking is good exercise. It's not as rigorous as an intense 30-minute workout on a machine, but it's still a great workout. Ultimately, you'll probaby hike for at least one hour on a trip... more like three to four hours. Just one hiking trip can give you more cardiovascular exercise than you typically get in a whole week. That's a lot of calories burned!

2. Hiking clears your mind. Because you'll be distanced you from the noise pollution that's so common in suburbs and cities, hiking is a great way to clear your mind. Instead of the dull throb of traffic, you'll hear birds chirping, squirrels scrambling up pine trees, water rushing over rocks. There's a lot of silence, too.

3. Hiking refreshes your lungs. When you're out in the wilderness, you'll enjoy clean smog-free air. It's quite invigorating to breathe deeply of the oxygen-rich stuff.

4. Hiking revives your spiritual connection. From Emerson to Thoreau, many wise men have extolled the spiritual virtues of time spent in nature. No matter what your personal beliefs, you'll likely find that your spiritual life is revived during your time of hiking in the wilderness.

These are the four health benefits of hiking that came immediately to mind. Maybe there are more. But these should be enough to inspire you to get out there and hike. Happy trails.

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Recreation vs. Exercise

Some people have a hard time getting excited about exercise. "I don't want to go run on a treadmill for 30 minutes every day," they say. "How boring..."

If you don't like the idea of exercise purely for the health benefits it will bring you, then consider some kind of recreation or sport where the exercise is a byproduct of an activity that you consider fun.

So, for instance, join a local volleyball team or soccer club. Or maybe get involved with outdoor "frisbee golf" or league basketball down at the recreation center. Or sign up to study martial arts a couple times a week.

If you're bored by exercise that involves using a machine, then recreation and sports can be just the trick to get you active and on the road to better health.

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Combat Depression with Exercise

Patrick Nolan, a marathon runner, has summarized a great article about fighting depression with exercise.

As he points out, the reason anti-depression drugs are so successful is because of their huge advertising budgets. Yet exercise has been found to combat depression even better than drugs. The reason nobody talks about it? Exercise has no advertising budget.

You can read Patrick's summary of exercise and depression here.

Here Come the One-Month Wonders

It was really busy at the gym yesterday. Normally, at lunch time, I basically have the run of the place. But when I pulled into the parking lot, I could see it was a lot busier than normal. As soon as I got inside, I could see I was right.

And that reminds me that I need to warn you: the One-Month Wonders are coming.

Every January for the past six years I've witnessed the same phenomenon: "resolute" people pour out of their homes to the gyms and rec centers, determined to get in shape, lose weight, lower their blood pressure, whatever.

But then February comes, and where have these One-Month Wonders gone? It's as if January were a mirage and that I had only imagined all those people were exercising with me.

Two pieces of advice here.

1. Avoid the gym on January 3.

Not only is it the first business day of the new year, it's also a Monday, which happens to be the busiest day of the week at just about every gym in the country. If you do decide to work out on the third, do so at your own risk... and don't blame me if you break a rib in the crush of people who are "getting in shape" and swarming around all the exercise equipment.

2. Don't become a One-Month Wonder.

First, it hurts your reputation. I had an ongoing bet with my mom for years. Every September she'd say she'd lose twenty pounds by the end of the year. I bet my mom $20 that she wouldn't. She paid that $20 for about five years until we just quit betting. Now when my mom says she's going to do something that requires some tenacity, I'm somewhat skeptical.

Second, it's bad for your self-esteem. If you resolve to get in shape, and only manage to exercise for 30 days or less, you'll become a One-Month Wonder. And then you won't feel very good about yourself because you'll have broken your commitment, and you'll still be out of shape. Spare your self-esteem and just follow through. Simple as that.

Third, it's bad for business. If you don't know this already, the One-Month Wonders put an enourmous strain on gyms during January. There's simply not enough exercise equipment to go around. But since all the One-Month wonders cancel their gym memberships in February, it's economically impossible for gyms to provide enough equipment for everyone just for the month of January. On the bright side, if you and your friends stick to your new exercise goals, you'll fuel the construction of more gyms to meet the new demand.

My Workout Schedule

Finding a good workout schedule is tough. I know. I'm married, have an almost-two-year-old daughter, and have a son due March 17. Plus I work full-time and have a number of side projects I try to stay up on.

My workout schedule has changed numerous times over the last two years. When my wife and I were childless, we'd go to the gym at 8:30 and workout until 10 PM. We loved that schedule, but my wife got pregnant and we had to be flexible.

I then shifted my workout schedule from late at night to extreme early morning. I'd be at the gym at 5:30 AM, doing the elliptical machine and lifting weights. That lasted for about six months, until my daughter was born.

I now have a third workout schedule. Three times a week I take my lunch break around 11:30 and come back about 12:45. During that time I fit in my cardio workout, weights, and a shower. I eat lunch when I get back to the office.

I guess I hear a lot of people talk about how they just can't fit a time to workout into their schedule. But I don't buy it.

If you want to workout, you will. You'll make the time. You'll find a way to fit it into your schedule.

I relate my experience so you can possibly see how to make exercise a regular part of your schedule.

So, what do you do? How do you fit in time to exercise? Please post a comment for the benefit of the other readers. Thanks.

[Note: I recently wrote about an often unrecognized benefit of regular exercise. If you're interested, please jump to The Diet and Exercise Link.]

The Diet and Exercise Link

I've noticed an interesting link between diet and exercise. When is it hardest for me to keep a healthy diet? When I'm not exercising regularly.

When I don't exercise, I tend to eat unhealthy foods and break the rules of my diet. But when I do exercise, I actually find it difficult to eat those same unhealthy foods. Exercise makes me crave food that is healthy!

If you find yourself struggling with your diet, take a look at your exercise habits. You may find it's time for you to hit the gym.