If Not Now, When?

Fitness-After-50 - Thomas D. Manfredi, Publisher
tom@fitness-after-50.com
http://www.fitness-after-50.com
February 5, 2007; Vol. 3, Issue 2
Published the first Monday of every month

THIS ISSUE: 8 Common Mistakes In Exercising

Table of Contents:

1) Editor's Note
2) Food for Thought
3) Feature Article: 8 Common Mistakes In Exercising
4) Teleclasses
4) Question & Answer
5) Our Services

Editor's Note

Hi,

Well, I don't know about you, but for me, January was a very busy month. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I had knee surgery on Jan 4th. My recovery has changed my normal activity, but it really hasn't kept me from being busy. Our town hosted the traveling Vietnam Wall memorial for 4 days. I worked as a volunteer helping people find names on the wall through a computer data base. As a Vietnam vet myself, the whole experience was very intense.

Since my knee is recovering very nicely I was also able to do some work at the Japanese Friendship Garden down in Phoenix. I work as a volunteer docent conducting tours for visitors to the garden several times a month. I had to use a cane and walk pretty slowly (and ice my knee afterwards), but I was able to get the job done . I conducted several tours for large groups of young school children (ages 6-8). That was like herding cats, but the kids were very interested and asked a lot of good questions.

I mentioned earlier that my recovery from knee surgery has changed my normal activity. That got me to thinking about a few things. First of all, how important aerobic exercise is in helping with weight control. I'm not allowed to walk briskly, run, or bike during my initial recovery period. Actually, I can use an exercycle, but I can't work out intensely enough to get any real aerobic benefit. I have gained several pounds in the last month because of my lack of regular aerobic exercise. I didn't change my eating habits, and just the lack of my regular aerobic activity made a big difference. See, even the experts can mess up some times. I should have cut back on my calorie intake.

The other thing I started thinking about is the lack of proper guidance I got from my doctor about exercising for my recovery. He doesn't think I need formal physical therapy, but he gave me several exercises to do on my own to strengthen the knee. Unfortunately, he only gave me exercises to strengthen the front of the leg, none to create balance with the back of the leg. And he didn't mention doing the exercises for both legs. Since he doesn't know the extent of my training and educational background I have to assume this is the same advice he would give to anyone who has my kind of surgery. What's my point? Too many times I see exercise professionals reminding their clients to check with their doctors before starting a exercise program. Well, that's all fine and good in the case of someone who has a medical condition that may need to be taken into consideration for them to safely start an exercise program. My concern is that, because of this, too many people think that doctor's are actually experts on the development of proper exercise programs. Believe me, they aren't! If you have a medical condition that you think might preclude you from starting an exercise program, by all means check with your doctor. But, don't assume that they can help you set up a good exercise program. You really need an exercise professional to help you set up a good program and help you stay on track. That's the reason why I started my web site. And, to help you further, I am in the process of writing an e-book that I will publish later this spring that will give you all kinds of helpful guidance for developing a sensible exercise program specifically designed for baby boomers and other seniors.

In this issue I'm going to give you some pointers on some common mistakes people make when exercising. Good luck, and keep exercising.

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi


Send any comments you may have to tom@fitness-after-50.com

My site fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

Feature Article - 8 Common Mistakes In Exercising

Fitness trainers and coaches see people making the same mistakes over and over when they're starting an exercise program. Probably the biggest mistake people make is setting unrealistic goals. They expect dramatic results and they get disappointed. If you've spent the last 10, 15, or even 20 years being out of shape, don't expect to get back in shape overnight.

Here are some common mistakes that people make when they start a new exercise program:

1. Not drinking enough water – Water is the magic elixir of the body. For most of us it is the only fluid we need to drink. Everyone should drink at least eight - 8 ounce glasses of water every day. If you're over 200 pounds, you should drink at least 12.

2. Not warming up prior to any exercise activity – Our muscles need time to adjust to the new demands we will be putting on them with an exercise program. Start with a few minutes of light aerobic exercise or calesthetics before you go into your exercise routine, whether it's aerobics or strength training.

3. Not cooling down after any type of exercise - Don't just finish your workout and head for the showers. Take a few minutes to do some easy, slow exercises to lower your heart rate and stretch your muscles. Abruptly stopping strenuous exercise without lowering your heart rate can be very dangerous.

4. Not stretching enough – You should stretch before and after any exercise activity. Flexible muscles will be less likely to be strained than if they are tight. As mentioned above, take a few minutes to warm up first.

5. Exercising too intently or not intently enough – Don't try to fit an entire week's worth of exercise into one day on the weekend. Of course you want results, so you do have to push yourself some. You need to exercise intensely enough that you work up a little sweat if you're working with weights. Actually, to make progress with strength training you need to work each muscle to failure – where you feel you can't do any more of that particular exercise. If your doing aerobic exercise, get your heart beating within your training zone.

6. Lifting too much weight - This is a more common mistake with men. We think that the heavier the weight we lift, the more progress we will make. This is a great way to guarantee an injury. Start with a weight you can handle and gradually increase the amount as your muscles adapt.

7. Jerking while lifting weights - This often goes hand in hand with the previous mistake of lifting too much weight. You need to be able to control the weight you are lifting. If you are jerking the weight, you probably have too much weight and you are bound to pull some muscles or strain something.

8. Picking a program because it's "In" - Pick exercises that you can enjoy, not the ones that "everyone is doing". You need to plan on exercising for the rest of your life. If you don't pick something you like doing, you won't stick with it.

If you watch out for these pitfalls, you will have a much better chance of developing an exercise program that works for you and that you can stick to. Take it slow and easy, enjoy yourself, and be persistent. The results will help to improve your quality of life immensely.


(c)2005 - 2007 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

Teleclasses

I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in the future.

If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about in a teleclass, send an e-mail to teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

Eating a diet of low GI carbs can: