Realistic Fitness Goals are a good place to start...

by Ger O’Sullivan

Now is a good time to start thinking of those New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s changing job, moving house or trying to improve one’s health and fitness, we all have things in our lives we would like to change for the better. When it comes to our physical and mental health we need to put in place a fitness plan and routine that fits into our daily lives and busy work schedules. Many well-intentioned fitness programmes and routines often fail because they are simply too unrealistic and time consuming. Like most things in life a little bit of forward planning and time spent preparing will pay dividends in the long run. The first thing to ask yourself is how much time do I realistically have each day/week to develop and retain a fitness routine that fits in with my lifestyle and benefits my health? I’m not a great believer in New Year’s resolutions especially when it comes to health and fitness. Our health and fitness is something that we shouldn’t just think about occasionally- we should make a conscious decision to exercise regularly as part of our every day life. By starting an exercise routine now you are increasing your chances of actually sticking to your new resolutions. How often do you hear of someone making all these great plans about what they’re going to do in the New Year only to be left feeling disillusioned and dejected when their great plans don’t come to fruition.

Fitness plans for the New Year
I always advise clients to get a medical check up before beginning or increasing their exercise routine. Organise a visit to you doctor as soon as possible! A good ‘once over’ every six months or so is important; especially for anyone who has had any previous medical condition or recent surgery. Most people’s New Year resolutions tend to be based around getting fit, losing weight and toning and sculpting certain areas of the body. Most if not all of this can be achieved when we put in place a fitness routine that is sustainable and realistic.
Walking
A good exercise to start out with for most people is walking. Walking for as little as half an hour three times a week improves your overall cardiovascular fitness. When starting out the important thing to remember is to keep a steady pace and try to vary the route. There are many ways to keep motivated: try walking with your dog or find someone who is roughly at your level of fitness. If at all possible try to exercise during the brightest part of the day as this encourages the body to produce higher levels of serotonin, which in turn release endorphins throughout the body and that’s what gives us the feel good factor we get during and especially after physical exercise. Research has shown that exercise not only benefits us physically but also mentally and this is important as the dark evenings take hold. On a scale of 1 to 10, you should be about 7, 10 being the most difficult. Depending on your fitness levels your body will by Ger O’Sullivan respond more positively to exercise done aerobically (using oxygen efficiently). At this level your body is more efficient at burning calories and fat cells. As you get fitter you can increase the time you spend walking (1 hour x 3 or 4 times per week). This will very much depend on your fitness levels and the amount of time you have available. Try introduce a walking route with some undulating terrain as this is great for sculpting and toning upper/lower legs and of course the buttocks. You can also add some light dumb bells (2.5 kg) to give yourself that extra upper body work out. As you get fitter you may want to incorporate a bit of running into your fitness routine- this is fine and I would recommend doing a 10 minute brisk walk with 5 x 1 minute jogs with a gentle 2 minute walk in between each set. This all depends on your fitness levels and weight. I do not recommend running for anybody starting out or who is overweight: it can cause injury and is physically very demanding on the body. Remember to increase the routine slowly and over a six week period so as not to run the risk of ‘burn out’ or muscle fatigue. Walking can be done on any surface, but if there is a park or green space nearby I would suggest using this because walking on softer surfaces helps reduce the prospect of sore and tired muscles and the possibility of injury.

Gym
Many people look at joining a gym for the New Year and feel that this will help motivate and encourage them to get fit. Gyms are an excellent way of getting fit and having like minded people around you will encourage you and push you that bit more. Most gyms now are very well organised and run by professional people. This can be a great way to get advice and help regarding your fitness levels and training routine. Gym instructors can carry out simple test to determine your overall fitness levels and from this a training programme can be designed specifically for your needs. There are many different types of gym equipment and if used properly and under supervision can prove enormously beneficial. Gyms are a great way of losing weight and toning and strengthening muscles. Be careful to choose the right piece of equipment for you. If you suffer from any knee or back problems avoid things like treadmills or rower machines. The exercise bike/elliptical cross-trainer combined with some machine weights and floor exercises will help get you fit. Remember though, you sweat more easily in the gym and initially you might get tired and dehydrated. I always recommend an isotonic drink for people who train a lot in gyms; excess sweating can cause a loss in body minerals and fluids and this in turn causes premature fatigue and muscle cramp. I would recommend doing no more than half and hour to forty minutes of low intensity work and remember if you feel sore or too uncomfortable: STOP! The old adage of ‘no pain no gain’ is nonsense. Time and time again I hear of people giving up or quitting their exercise routine/programme and this is because they push themselves too hard in the beginning and don’t listen to their body.
Cycling
Cycling is a great exercise and one I would recommend to most if not all people. It is especially good for those who are overweight or suffer with arthritis. Whether it’s spinning in the gym or cycling out doors it’s a great way to get fit and lose some weight. Cycling in low gears is an excellent way of strengthening and sculpting leg muscles. Low gears are a great way of toning the gluteus maximus (bottom) more effectively. Unlike running it’s a low impact sport, and therefore carries a lower risk of injury. Cycling at a moderate pace is an excellent aerobic exercise and this is the best way to get fit and tone the lower parts of the body. I would recommend twenty minutes three times a week for someone starting out and this can be increased gradually over a period of weeks. As you get fitter you can change your rhythm and tempo to include a 5-minute warm up (cycling slowly), and then 5 x 1 minute of cycling at 70% intensity with thirty seconds active recovery (cycling slowly) between sets and finally a 5 minute cool down. This is a great exercise for people who are that bit fitter and want to push themselves that bit more.

Swimming
Swimming is another one of those great exercises and is especially good for those who may be over weight or suffer with back pain. Swimming is perhaps one of the best cardiovascular work- outs and is especially great for toning and strengthening the upper body. If you can’t swim I would suggest that this is something you learn to do as part of your New Year’s resolution. Most swimming pools have clubs and run regular swimming classes. Swimming is also a great exercise for relaxing the muscles and soothing aches and pains. It puts the body under very little physical stress and yet the benefits are incredible. Swimming is a great exercise for people who find it hard to control their weight because it’s something they can do all the time. It doesn’t really matter how heavy you are it’s your breathing and technique that’s important. Swimming can also be great fun and very sociable- one for the whole family really! All pools have lifeguards and areas where the children can swim under supervision and you can concentrate a bit on your own swimming. People fail to stick to their New Year’s fitness programme for various reasons. There are things you can do to try and overcome this. Whatever New Year’s resolutions you make regarding your health and fitness it’s important that you stick to them. Exercise done on a regular and consistent basis is far more beneficial than sporadic bouts of exercise. So remember the key to your new fitness programme is to be consistent, set realistic goals, incorporate the fitness routine into your everyday life and above all have fun!

Getting Started
Start out slowly and build your fitness routine gradually over a period of six to eight weeks
Try to find a training partner who is at the same level of fitness as you Match the fitness routine to your individual needs
Avoid doing too much high impact training like running especially if you are just starting out or overweight
Twenty minutes to half an hour three times a week is enough to begin with
Vary your fitness routine to include some of the above along with other sports and games
Remember your fitness programme needs to be flexible to fit into your work and home life
Give yourself some goals or targets to aim for, (for example, lose some weight or just simply look and feel better and have more energy): this will help keep you motivated along the way
Try to exercise during daylight if at all possible!
Keep a training diary: this will help identify time wasted and encourage you to be more consistent in your fitness programme
Treat yourself every so often and take time out from your fitness programme (remember you wont lose any fitness by taking some time off!)
Seek out some professional advice: this will help keep you motivated and on track
Try starting your fitness programme now -small steps will make it easier come the New Year
More sleep and eating regularly and healthily will improve your chances of sticking to your fitness routine
Remember most if not all of what you want to achieve can be done without pushing yourself to the limit

Contact Ger @ 086-3773173 or e-mail: gmosullivan@eircom.net
BA. (Hons) Dev. LMT. IMTA. NCTC. Certificate
Also available Sports Massage Therapy