Exercise & Fitness

As with Diet & Exercise The SoberLady has found that in sobriety many of us have to learn all over again how to take care of our bodies. We have to learn how to be physically fit. And because many of us are substantially older than when we first started drinking we have a whole new set of fitness problems which have specifically to do with aging.

Most of what she will present in these pages will not be exercises, but suggestions for caring for our well-being while we are exercising. Some of them will be exercises for assisting us in helping to roll back the clock ~ maybe just a little.

Listen To Your Body

When exercising, listen to your body. If you feel exhausted, slow down or stop altogether. You won't gain many benefits if you injure yourself! Don't forget that while exercising you are less likely to feel pain. This means that you have to be especially sensitive to signals from your body. Talk to your doctor if you are having any problems and before starting any exercise regimen.

Keep Your Exercise Schedule Practical

When creating an exercise schedule, you have to be realistic. If you won't end up working out every day, then schedule exercise less often. It is more important to have a realistic schedule that you can stick to, rather than one that will just cause you to be discouraged when you can't adhere to it.

Fitness Facts

Make exercise fun and enjoy the benefits that you receive!

There is more to managing your weight than just your eating habits. On average, if you walk two miles every other day for one year, you will lose about 10 pounds of fat. Regular, moderate exercise raises your metabolism during the activity - and even after the activity is completed! This means that you burn more calories for several hours after you exercise. You don't need to buy expensive equipment or join a health club - all you need is a good pair of walking shoes. You should incorporate both aerobic activity and strength training into your lifestyle.

For aerobic exercise: Work hard enough to noticeably elevate your heart and breathing rates, but not so hard that you can't carry on a conversation. If you have not exercised in a long time, walking around the block twice may prove to be sufficient exercise for you to start off with, and this is okay!

For strength training: Select a weight that you can lift 8 times in good form - but no more than 8 times - before you have to stop to rest your muscles. Start with one set of 8 repetitions and gradually increase the number of sets as your strength increases.

Set Activity Goals for yourself. Make a list of the types of activities that you like to do. Separate the list into two columns: types of activities that you can do during the week/work days and types of activities that you can do during the weekend/off days. Then plot a schedule for yourself. Be sure to include alternate activity plans just in case of bad weather.

Knowing how much time you spend exercising or being active and how often you do it makes it harder to slack off. Without a record, it is easy to overestimate your activity level and to allow other things to interfere. Initially, you may want to be formal with your activity journal. Once you become confident that you are active for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, you may use a calendar to just note which days you are active. Aim for a minimum of 3 times per week and a goal of 5 to 7 times per week to lose weight, and 4 to 5 times per week to maintain weight loss.

Remember - whatever you do counts!

Recording your progress right after exercise is a form of instant gratification. Use a chart to track your activity. Post this progress record in a highly visible spot such as the refrigerator, near your desk at work or in your day planner. Set a goal for each week and see how you do!

ATTENTION, MEN:

FIVE WAYS TO LOSE THAT POTBELLY

"Spare tire" jokes notwithstanding, mid-body fat on men is actually no laughing matter. This fat raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other serious medical problems.

The good news is that abdominal fat on men tends to be relatively "mobile." By following these guidelines, you should lose an inch of fat in your waist measurement every two or three weeks:

1. Cut fat consumption dramatically. Eat no more than 40 g of fat per day. If you stop eating fatty foods for just two weeks, most of your addictive cravings should disappear.

2. Eat small, frequent meals, to boost your metabolic rate. Never go more than four hours without eating. And do NOT skip breakfast.

3. Focus simply on moving more - not necessarily getting more exercise. Your goal should be simply to increase the amount of time you spend in motion.

4. Use caffeine in moderation. A small amount of caffeine each day safely speeds up your metabolism, helping you lose weight.

5. Season your food with hot peppers, which serve to boost metabolism while at the same time curbing appetite.

Source: "Bottom Line Year Book 2001" (adapted)

SUCCEED WITH ANY PROGRAM, USING THE "SIX-MONTH RULE"

Research on more than 4,000 people by the Cooper Institute has revealed that people who exercise aerobically for six consecutive months will likely succeed in making aerobic exercise an enjoyable and fun part of their lives.

Research on more than 2,000 women as part of the Women's Health Trial has revealed that many women no longer crave fat - and some women actually lose their taste for fat - after six months on a low-fat diet.

Next time you start a weight-control program of exercising more and consuming fewer calories and fat grams, don't make it your goal to lose x number of pounds. Focus instead on achieving and maintaining your exercise and eating goals for six months.

In other words, with the six-month rule, your overall goal now wouldn't be to lose 30 pounds. Your overall goal would be, for instance, to walk 30 minutes a day and not to exceed your daily calorie and fat-gram goals for six full months.

This shift in your overall goal from pounds lost to persevering for six months might be all it takes to keep you from becoming depressed and quitting during the first critical weeks of your program.

Exercise May Prevent Dementia

New evidence suggests that regular physical activity may help prevent mental decline and the development of Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the March 2001 issue of the Archives of Neurology reported that participants who exercised regularly were less likely to develop Alzheimer's dementia and other forms of mental decline over a five-year period. One possible reason for this finding is that exercise may protect the brain just as it keeps other organs healthy.

Shrug It Off

Shoulder shrug exercises are a great way to strengthen your shoulders and upper back. To do this properly, stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms at your sides with your palms facing your legs and your elbows slightly bent. Slowly shrug your shoulders upward. Hold for three seconds and slowly return. Repeat nine times to complete a set. Once you are comfortable doing shrugs without weights, gradually add weights to each hand.

Safe Crunches

When performing abdominal crunches, be careful not to lift your torso too far off the ground. You should slowly curl your body until no more than your middle back is lifted. Curling your body any further or doing a full "sit-up" may place undue strain on your back without much added gain for your belly.

"FACERCISE" : FOREHEAD LIFT

RESULTS: This multipurpose exercise helps to prevent or at least reduce the frown lines between the eyebrows and also raises the eyebrows. It also helps to prevent or diminish hooding of the upper eyelids.

METHOD: Try this in a sitting position or lying down. Place the index fingers of both hands high on the forehead so that one of them is parallel to the top of each brow. Now pull the fingers down so that they're approximately a half inch above the brows. While fingers are pressing down, concentrate on pushing the eyebrows up. Push eyebrows up and release ten times. Now hold eyebrows in up position, continuing to keep fingers pressed down - and do mini-eyebrow push-ups until you feel a tight band of pressure above the brows. Hold them up and count to 20. Release.

REMEMBER: Do the Forehead Lift twice daily. It helps to clear the head and make you feel more alert. To correct a heavy or scowling brow, do it three times daily.

ADVANCED METHOD: Do the exercise lying down. Raise your head off the bed or floor a half inch each time you push up eyebrows and release. Feel the band of pressure across your forehead. On the final push-up, raise head a half inch and count to 20.

LOWER EYELID STRENGTHENER

RESULTS: Like the "Eye Enhancer" (previous CyberTip), this exercise also strengthens the main muscle around the eye, firming the lower eyelid, diminishing the hollows under the eyes and reducing under-eye puffiness.

METHOD: This exercise may be done sitting or lying down. Place an index finger at the outer corner of each eye, with your middle fingers at the inner eye corners. Squint strongly with your lower eyelids, thinking UP. Feel your outer and inner eye muscles flex. Squint and release ten times, keeping your upper eyelids open wide. Now hold the squint and think UP, maintaining the strong squint with your lower eyelids as you count to 40, focusing on the outer and inner eye muscles flexing. Repeat the entire exercise.

REMEMBER: Perform the Lower Eyelid Strengthener twice a day. If you have excessive under-eye puffiness, repeat three times daily.

ADVANCED METHOD: Do this exercise lying down. Each time you squint and release, raise your head a half inch off the bed or floor. Hold squint count for 20, then raise your head a half inch off the floor again and count another 20.