You Can't be Healthy if you don't Exercise

This morning, one of my colleagues admitted: "Charlie, you know I don't work out".  Even though she seems healthy, I immediately replied: "You know, you can't be healthy, if you aren't involved in a regular exercise program!" 

Do you agree with me that this is true?  Most of my patients and friends do, but many of them claim a variety of reasons for not doing it. 

Perhaps the most common reason I hear for a lack of regular exercise is not having sufficient time.  But my answer to you is that no one has time, they just have to make it.  How can you do this?  By just scheduling your exercise session and dropping everything else to do it.  After all, what is more important than improving and safeguarding your health?  I believe those that do not have enough time to exercise simply aren't putting this high enough on their priority list.  As for me, I found that if I don't get up early and get my workout in before I leave for work, I have a lot of trouble juggling personal and family needs when I get home in the afternoon.  If becoming and staying healthy is truly important to you, it is worth adjusting your daily schedule to ensure 30 min or more of aerobic exercise on at least 5 days of the week.

One of the other very common reasons I hear for not exercising is people telling me that they are too tired.  However, exercise is actually a good treatment for fatigue!  Researchers at the University of Georgia found that persons who exercised for at least 20 minutes at least three times a week for 6 weeks were much less likely to report fatigue than those who didn't exercise.

It's never too late to get started with this program.  If you are currently sedentary, you should start slow and work up to 150 or more minutes per week of aerobic exercise.  Increase your duration and intensity by about 10% per week until you reach your goals.

So, get on board and get healthy!