Americans are Missing Out

We know the importance of exercise, yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), less than 25% of American adults get the prescribed amount of exercise (150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity per week along with strength training 2 for more days per week). Getting adequate exercise is particularly challenging for women since personal health and fitness often take a backseat to work, family, and life. But as the saying goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup,” so to give others the best version of yourself you need to make time for fitness and have tools in place to ensure consistency.

Benefits of Exercise

Exercise is important for your fitness and overall well-being, and is a key to healthy aging.  Exercise is often viewed as one of the most important fountains of youth and is a modifiable risk factor for various chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease (our number one killer), diabetes, hypertension, obesity, insomnia, osteoporosis, and even depression.  It is often said that if exercise could be placed in a pill, it would be one of the most valuable medicines for health and longevity. In fact, studies have found that individuals who engage in regular exercise have the potential to improve their lifespan and reduce disability and death.  Along with the improvement in mobility, endurance, self-confidence, and overall quality of life, certain types of exercise can help to improve and maintain muscle mass (which tends to decrease with age).  A 2014 study that looked at how muscle mass predicts longevity in older adults found that maintaining good muscle mass can help those over the age of 55 live longer.

This article will help you identify 9 simple ways to start and stick with an exercise program so that you can improve your fitness, health, and longevity.

1. Be Intentional

To get the wonderful benefits of exercise, you will need sustainability, consistency, variability, and sufficient intensity. To achieve this, you must ensure that your physical activity is prioritized and added to your calendar in the same way your doctor’s appointment would be. The “exercise is medicine” adage is a good reminder of why you want to approach your exercise program with intentionality. Start by getting your favorite electronic or paper calendar and plan out the time, types, and amount of exercise in advance. In addition, get your workout gear ahead of time to reduce any chance of failure that can result from decision fatigue.

2. Create Tiny Habits

Have you ever had the experience of knowing you should do something but you are plagued by procrastination and resistance?  I have found that often it is related to my goal being too big to approach all at once. Progress inevitably occurs when I break up the goal into smaller achievable parts. It is as if my brain then recognizes that I stand a chance of achieving the smaller goals. This approach is the idea behind tiny habits. Tiny habits, as explained in this book, is based on the idea that starting with small achievable actions will help to create lasting behavior change.  Tiny habits can be an effective tool when it comes to incorporating consistent exercise into your life. When used with exercise, the idea is to start small by setting small exercise goals such as doing just one push-up or going for a 5-minute walk. These small goals can seem insignificant but are often effective because once started you are likely to do more, thus creating the needed momentum to build up to the bigger goal. In addition, your brain is rewarded for the small action, and this reward often begets even more action.

3. Break It Up

Exercise doesn’t need to be done all at once to be effective.  Research now shows that even short spurts of exercise can have a healthy impact. So, when it is not possible to schedule the typical 30-minute sessions, break up your exercise into 5–10-minute blocks several times per day.

4. Do What you Love

Exercise can feel less like a chore when you participate in activities you actually enjoy or do something you want to learn.  You can achieve multiple outcomes with one action if you choose an activity such as African dancing, fencing classes, or learning to swim. Not only will these types of activities give you the many benefits of exercise, but learning a new skill is also important for the health of your mind and brain, boost your overall well-being, and improve your biological age.

5. Become A Pro

When I wanted to learn to become more flexible, instead of just continuing sporadic yoga classes, I made the commitment to become a yoga teacher. This forced me to become more immersed in the practice, and since I had to achieve certain milestones for the program, it offered another layer of accountability.  Perhaps instead of just taking Zumba or African dance classes, you become an instructor of those art forms. If you are a medical professional, instead of just walking, you could start your own local ‘Walk with a Doc’ chapter. Once you find the activity you are passionate about, why not consider immersing yourself and taking the instructor training, or go a step further and create an experience from which others would derive benefit?

6. Be Flexible

Exercise, like life, won’t always go as planned.  Be open to being flexible with the time, place, and type of activity. Exercise can be done before work, during your lunch breaks, or after work. I once worked in a hospital with a long hallway and several of us would take a few minutes in between patients or meetings to walk the hallway several times per day. When I lived in Baltimore, one mall would open its doors around 7 am (stores opened at 9 am) so that seniors in the area could get their walks throughout the empty mall prior to stores opening. In addition, my last vacation saw me taking early morning walks along the beach.  Not only did I enjoy the morning sunrise, but I also got my steps done.

7. Be Creative

This is in the same vein as being flexible. Be creative by finding imaginative ways to sneak physical activities into your days. On days you can’t go outdoors, consider walking in place in your living room while watching TV or listening to an audiobook. There is a famous news broadcast of a woman who lost 120 pounds by changing her diet and walking in her tiny 1-bedroom apartment. Another option is to use a standing desk to prevent sitting for too many hours since prolonged sitting has been shown to be bad for your health.  Other ways to sneak steps in are to take the stairs, park further from the store or your office and walk the extra distance, and get off the bus or train one stop before your stop and walk.  In addition, one of my favorite exercise hacks is to take a walking meeting instead of meeting in a conference room or getting on the treadmill or a stationary bike during informal Zoom meetings or phone calls.

8. Make Technology Your Friend

Two of my favorite things are my Apple watch given to me by my hubby and an Oura ring I gifted myself.  These technologies remind me when to stand, stretch my legs, and go for a walk. They count my steps, let me know when my sleep is off, and congratulate me when I’ve met my fitness goals for the day. For an additional membership, you can also access fitness classes that can be done in the comfort of your home or a hotel room during travel. They help me assess where I am, guide me to where I am going, and keep me accountable on the journey. Apparently, I am not alone in this experience as several studies have confirmed that wearable technology increases adherence to physical activities. Find a device you like, will use, and can afford.

9. Make it a Family Affair

We have known for some time now that willpower is fleeting and is not the best strategy for consistent goal achievement.  One effective strategy is to create a supportive environment that is conducive to your success. Consider making exercise a friend or family affair and get the people you love in on the action. One study showed that exercising with a partner can improve performance in physical activity. Not only will your friends and family help keep you accountable, but you will help them gain the wonderful benefits that come from physical activities while also increasing bonding time.

Conclusion

Exercise has a host of benefits to our mind, body, and lifespan and is one of the most effective interventions for healthy aging, yet the majority of Americans don’t participate consistently. As is often quoted, the best exercise is the one you will actually do. The above 9 simple strategies can help ensure that this important health and life-changing practice becomes automated in your life.

Dr. Diane Thompson, MD is board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a subspecialty in Brain Injury Medicine. She is also board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Age Management Medicine and a certified health coach who helps women over 50 use Lifestyle Medicine and longevity science to reverse and help control chronic diseases and age healthfully. She is the author of this Amazon bestseller.

Disclosure:  The information presented is for educational purposes and is not meant for diagnosis or treatment. No physician-patient relationship is intended. Discuss with your physician prior to making any changes to your health. Some of the links in this blog may be affiliate links, which are of no additional cost to you and allow me to keep the content free. These are products I’ve personally used.

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