Why is it so hard for me to start exercising? I know it’s good for me. It seems like I have some form of resistance to getting in better shape.

“Exercise Resistance” or ER means a conscious or unconscious block against participating in a regular active program. Studies show that some people have barriers built up from past experiences that give them a negative mindset toward exercise and food. In many cases, this prevents a person from starting or following through on an exercise program.

We all have barriers that come in different forms of emotions. Each barrier is usually due to an experience we’ve had, someone telling us a bold face lie about ourselves in a particular situation or we’ve just made up some delusional thought on our own.

Resentment

I thought the golden years were supposed to be filled with relaxing things to do, not more activities I usually put off before?

I hate the way I look. In my twenty’s I could get away with eating just about anything!

Not wanting to exercise is one thing, but resenting exercise can be paralyzing. Truly, there are only a small percentage of people who like to exercise. And the others do it for a sport or profession.  Most people hate the effort, but love the results.

Resentment toward exercise goes much deeper than just not liking the effort; it brings out rebellious attitudes. As we get older, we grow more frustrated and boundaries have to be set, we may even act like a little child at times. We stomp our feet, cross our arms and pout thinking:

“You can’t tell me what to do; I’ll show you.”

The sooner you accept the fact that exercise is going to be a part of your life, the more likely you’ll start — the more likely you will continue. Resentment is fueled by being in denial, or full of pride.

Failure

Why should I start exercising?  I will not follow through—never have. It will be just another failure.

The only failure is not starting. Success is not measured in numbers. It is measured in your growth through the process. Just because your track record may show some ups and downs has no bearing on your future efforts. Your self-worth is not based on how many times you started an exercise program.

I would rather try and feel good about it efforts even if I didn’t succeed rather than having the feeling of regret for never trying. Fear of failure is just an excuse to never try.

Perfection

“Why am I not doing this the way I know how? I might as well not do it at all.”

If you think for a second that you’re going to be perfect sticking to a plan, forget it. The truth is, it will never go the way you want it too. Life brings hurdles, road blocks and forks in the road. If you’re frightened about being perfect your intentions are not internal, but for pleasing someone else.

Let me tell you a little secret, no one else really cares if you get a hundred or fail they really only care about themselves. They will forget about you in a day no matter what the out come is.  Perfectionism is an illusion.

Comparisons

Why do people like Jane look like they do and I have to work so hard? It doesn’t seem fair!”

News flash, life isn’t fair! For some, it seems effortless to look thin and in good shape.

Some may do the exact workout plan and get totally different results. For you it is a constant trip to the dentist’s office, you totally dread it. You need to get beyond fairness.

It’s our nature to compare; envy is apart of our emotions. Once you hit a goal there will always be another one. You may even be the type that no matter what you do, it will never be good enough. Comparing yourself to others and your past is a losing battle, it only brings anger and resentment.

Expectations

Why is it so hard to balance my fitness goals and lifestyle?

Unless you have such paralyzing health problem there’s NO reason not to get some form of exercise. However, you have to be realistic and smart going about it. If your expectations are too high, you may set yourself up for failure. In some instances exercise resistance (ER) sets in before you even start.

There has to be a happy medium between goals and lifestyles. Set goals that can fit with the demands of your life. Manage time better. Expectations that are too high are self-defeating before you even start.

John gets a wake up call

After forty-five years drinking and eating, one or all three of them got to him. The next thing my buddy John knew was he was lying on his back strapped to a heart monitor with a permanent zipper from his belly button to his throat. With a tear in his eye and a cold hand, he said to me, “If only I had known?”

“No time to beat yourself up, John,” I told him. “You have been spared, learn a lesson and move forward.” Later on John told me it was his pride that got to him.

One out of three of you will break a bone. Half of you are on the verge of obesity and diabetes. A third of you will suffer a heart attack. Half of you will end up in a nursing home.

And most of you are not living a life filled with confidence, good sleeping patterns, high energy or happiness.  Do the math! Numbers do not lie. You either accept the road less traveled or you face the consequences. It’s just that simple. This may resemble a scare tactic, but the bottom line is this is reality.

If you think for one second you are exempt, above reproach, or just relying on luck or faith, think again. Your best defense is a good offense. Denial, Pride and Lazy will always creep in to make you miserable. They’re probably already in your life and you don’t see them, but you feel them.

Only 56! Pat Summit is in her mid fifties and recently diagnosed with a mild case of dementia; seems awfully young doesn’t it? So what will she do about it, what should she do about it? (Unfortunately you will start to hear more and more of such cases. It seems the average age continues to drop in those developing such a disease.)

Like Pat always does, she is dealing with it head on, acknowledge it, make a plan, create a support team and be grateful not resentful. And I’m sure she will take the following advice.

Exercise and Dementia

Moderate physical activity — even an unhurried 30-minute stroll a day — may diminish the risk for vascular dementia among the elderly, according to a new study published this week in the online journal Neurology.

Researchers from the University Hospital S. Orsola-Malpighi in Bologna analyzed the exercise habits of 749 rural Italians over age 65 during a period of four years. At the beginning of the study, none had memory problems; by the last check up, 85 participants had developed some form of dementia — including Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, which is associated with decreased blood flow to the brain.

Study participants who burned the most calories per week while walking — as few as 209 extra calories per week — had a 27% lower risk of vascular dementia than people who did little to no exercise. Those who expended the most energy during moderate activities like biking or yard work had a 29% lower risk. “It means that even small amounts of inexpensive and easy-to-perform exercise — just walking — can be of help to protect you against brain vascular damage,” says Dr. Giovanni Ravaglia, the study’s lead author, “and this is a type of exercise that even older disabled people with chronic disease can do without too much trouble.”

The finding is in keeping with current research about the impacts of healthy lifestyle habits on the risk for developing cognitive impairment conditions later in life. “I’m not surprised by this study,” says Dr. Zaldy Tan, director of the Memory Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “I think more and more researchers like myself are realizing that prevention is the most effective way of curbing the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.”

The study’s authors suggest that exercise lowers the risk for cerebrovascular disease by increasing blood flow to the brain; exercise may also enhance the brain’s ability to build “functional reserves” against damage by building elasticity in synapses and decreasing the secretion of stress hormones that negatively impact brain tissue. Still, the authors note that like many observational studies, theirs has limitations. It’s possible, for example “that exercise, in our study, was a proxy for other, unaccounted for lifestyle habits or environmental influences,” says Ravaglia. People who are regularly active are “more likely to be more careful of their health, what they eat, smoking, alcohol, and so on, reducing their general risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis,” he says.

No matter what a study says, common sense also tells us that any form of exercise will increase blood flow, stamina and confidence. All of which no money can buy.

“Vigorous Exercise Linked to Lower Risk of Parkinson’s Disease”

People who exercise regularly may be less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease — but leisurely strolls may not be enough. This news comes from a study of more than 143,300 U.S. men and women who were followed from 1992-2001.

When the study started, participants were 63 years old, on average. They reported their weekly hours of light exercise (walking or dancing) and moderate to vigorous exercise (jogging, running, swimming, bicycling, playing tennis or racquetball, or doing aerobics or calisthenics). A total of 413 participants were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by the end of the study.
The most active participants were the least likely to develop Parkinson’s disease in the next decade, according to the researchers, who included Evan Thacker, SM, of Harvard School of Public Health.
Exercise and Parkinson’s

The most important thing we can learn from this study was that high levels of moderate to vigorous recreational physical activity (like biking, swimming, aerobics, etc.) were associated with lower Parkinson’s disease risk.

Those with the highest levels of recreational physical activity at the beginning of the study had a lower risk of getting Parkinson’s disease over the next 10 years, compared to the people with low levels of recreational physical activity or none at all.

Exercise and Parkinson’s Disease Video

How Much Exercise?

The drop in Parkinson’s disease risk was only seen in people who got a lot of moderate to vigorous exercise. People who reported the highest levels of recreational physical activity in the study were doing about the equivalent of 5-6 hours of aerobics or 3-4 hours of lap swimming each week. Their Parkinson’s disease risk was 40% lower than the people who reported zero physical activity, or only light activities like walking.

Exercise Intensity Mattered

Light physical activity such as walking or dancing was not related to Parkinson’s disease risk at all. On the other hand, higher participation in moderate to vigorous activities such as biking, lap swimming, jogging, etc., was associated with lower Parkinson’s disease risk. No particular form of moderate to vigorous exercise stands out as being best.

Ten Basic Exercises for the Parkinson Patient

1. Bring the toes up with every step you take. In Parkinson’s disease, “you never make a move”, without lifting the toes.

2. Spread the legs (10 inches) when walking or turning, to provide a wide base, a better stance, and to prevent falling. It may not look “beautiful,” but neither does falling.

3. For greater safety in turning, use small steps, with feet widely separated. Never cross one leg over the other when turning. Practice walking a few yards and turn. Walk in the opposite direction and turn. Do so fifteen minutes a day.

4. Practice walking into tight corners of a room, to overcome fear of close places.

5. To insure good body balance, practice rapid excursions of the body. Backward, forward and to the right and left, five minutes, several times a day. Don’t look for a wall when you think you are falling. It may not be there. Your body will always be there to protect you, if you will practice balance daily.

6. When the legs feel frozen or “glued” to the floor, a lift of the toes eliminates muscle spasm and the fear of falling. You are free to walk again.

7. Swing the arms freely when walking. It helps to take body weight off the legs, lessens fatigue, and loosens the arms and shoulders.

8. If getting out of a chair is difficult, rise with “lightning speed,” to overcome the “pull of gravity.” Sitting down should be done slow, with body bent sharply forward, until one touches the seat. Practice this at least a dozen times a day.

9. If the body lists to one side, carry a shopping bag loaded with books or other weights in the opposite hand to decrease the bend.

10. Any task that is difficult, such as buttoning a shirt. Or getting out of bed, if practiced 20 times it day, becomes easier the 21st time.

Read more in Greg’s Book, MOVERS AND SHAKERS- Managing Parkinson’s through Exercise!