Tips to build physical wellness
With this area's famous heat gone for a few months, experts on exercise say there's no better time to start a healthy wellness regiment.
According to TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), physical wellness involves a healthy lifestyle that allows people to experience daily activities without undue fatigue or physical stress.
TOPS emphasizes that, regardless of weight, everyone can benefit from movement and balanced nutrition. Rather than dictating one single approach to becoming physically active, TOPS encourages members to seek sound advice and provide support to each other to establish their own exercise program.
Many TOPS members from across the country rely on walking to become active. Because walking even a short distance is attainable for most, members can gain a feeling of accomplishment.
John Gillespie, a TOPS member, says: “I used to walk four to five blocks a day. Now I can do four to five miles a day.” John has lost 95 pounds.
Garnette Brunett, another TOPS member, says: “I started to really get into walking my dog. It was easy, and I saw results immediately.” She has lost 38 pounds.
Amy Goldwater, physical fitness expert for TOPS, points out another benefit of physical activity: Exercise puts necessary stress on your body, triggering endorphins.
“These are extremely important and can make you feel wonderful,” Goldwater says. “It’s the body’s natural exercise high that might also be referred to as ‘being in the zone’ or ‘having a second wind.’ The timing is individual. Endorphins will kick in sooner during a workout for some people and later for others.”
Goldwater offers these tips to increase physical wellness:
Start an activity slowly to increase the odds of sticking to it. Easy choices - such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator - can burn a few extra calories. To begin, Goldwater advises, take the elevator up and walk down.
Make activity a daily routine. Set a time and keep a regular rhythm. Goldwater recommends exercising when personal energy is the highest. For instance, morning people should schedule their activity early in the day.
Goldwater encourages people to vary their workouts, especially when lifting weights. She says it’s very important to let muscles recover by cross-training, which uses different muscle groups.
She advises extending the length of time spent walking rather than increasing the speed of walking. Movement gets the heart pumping and oxygen flowing to the brain, which is the desirable body state to sustain. So remember: Longer is better than faster.
Enjoy spring fever. Go outside to walk, jog, bike, roller-blade, garden, walk the dog or play tennis.
Breathe in fresh air by simply being outdoors. Goldwater points out that fresh air adds oxygen to the body and improves anyone’s energy level.
Get enough sleep on a regular schedule. Goldwater says 7.5 hours is often recommended, with a standard sleeping and waking cycle.
When walking, Goldwater advises, aim for an activity level between 6 and 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. If walkers can chat easily, they need to pick up some speed, but if they can’t talk at all because they’re out of breath, they need to slow down.
Keep an achievement log of physical activity, listing miles, pace and progress. Goldwater says meticulous record-keeping might be overwhelming for some, but even a simple chart is useful.
Reward accomplishments. Incentives along the way can add motivation to stick to a goal. Goldwater notes that any activity you do will get you on the road to becoming physically fit. You can even do chair aerobics. Also, she emphasizes, it’s never too late to start.
