Don't let this happen to you!
As I was reading a terribly one-sided and somewhat mis-informed newspaper article about exercise the other day, a thought struck me: Why is it that you rarely hear people say “‘I exercise to help prevent future bone density loss”, rather than the ever popular, “I exercise to fit into my size 6″? I ask myself why more people don’t focus on the long term health reasons for exercise. Because, in my humble opinion, they really should.
Let’s discuss. Why else, other than weight loss, should you exercise? Sure, we all know that exercise is essential for a healthy body. Nobody really questions that. We also know that exercising helps to make us feel better, and is advocated by doctors because of the the positive health boost it gives us. But does anyone ask how they can benefit from staying committed to an exercise program over the long term?
If you are one of the population who manages to make exercise a positive habit in your life, and actually stick with this dedication over the years, you will indeed enjoy many positive health bonuses. For starters, a handy little bonus is being better able to maintain a healthy weight. It’s a fact that fitness enthusiasts that stay motivated for years are more likely to stay at a healthy weight than people who exercise sporadically, or those who never work out at all. Plus, we already know that strength and resistance training decreases fat, and the more muscle your body has than the more fat you burn. Hence, a muscular body is a fat burning machine! We all like that idea. But exercising only for your appearance isn’t always enough to keep people motivated. Is it?
The best part is yet to come! Regular exercise can actually add years to your life, and life to your years. In fact, the more you do, the greater the benefits! And now to list a few of these bonuses I keep teasing you with. Regular long term exercise has helps to:
-Decrease your risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Low fitness levels have been shown to be one of the biggest risks for cardiovascular disease (An even bigger risk than cholesterol and high blood pressure!)
- Decrease systolic blood pressure, which reduces strain on your heart. This is also great news because high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Inactive people are two times more likely to develop high blood pressure than active people.
- Improve mental health, sleep apnea and even arthritis. (Regular exercise helps keep joints flexible and helps build muscle to support the joint, making it much harder for those arthritis symptoms to set in!)
- Increase bone density, and help prevent osteoporosis. Regular exercise delays bone loss and promotes bone formation, which is extremely important for post menopausal women especially, as this is the time when Calcium is being stripped from your bones.
- Increase your strength, mobility and independence. As we age, we are fighting against muscle loss and decreased bone density.
- Increase energy. This will help you keep up with all those young whipper-snappers, even in your old age!
- Decrease your cholesterol level. A high blood cholesterol level increases your risk of heart disease. Regular exercise is what raises the level of “good” cholesterol and lowers the level of the “bad” cholesterol.
- Decrease the risk of Heart Disease. Bet you didn’t know that inactive people are two times more likely to develop coronary artery disease (CAD) then active people.
- Decrease the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by 80% (Just by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and not smoking!). Physical activity also increases glucose uptake for those who already have diabetes. Fit women have diabetes 66% less often than unfit women. (Umm… wow.)
- Improve posture. Musculoskeletal collapse is a major reason why people feel sore and unwell.
- Decrease the risk of cancer. I didn’t know this one before! But I was excited to learn that physical activity actually lowers your risk of colon and breast cancer.
- Decrease your number of sick days. Did you know that exercisers feel sick almost 30% less often than non-exercisers? People who stick to a long term exercise program enjoy stronger immune systems, catching less colds and flus over a long period of time. Good news, except that means less days off work… 
- Give you a longer life expectancy. For the most part, fit people live longer than unfit people!
My personal favourite part? Strength training increases muscular power, which helps with preventing “falls” in old age. After watching my own grandmother struggle with this very issue, I like the idea of being able to take some small control of that in my future.
“Shannon’s Final Word” is this: Don’t just exercise to fit into your favourite skinny jeans. Do it for your blood pressure, your bones, and your heart, too!
Today’s Workout:
* If you did the Wednesday WOD or are sore from Tuesday, do the buy - in then work on your goats - choose 3-4 skills and work technique with your coach with video if possible.*
Buy In - 3 rounds of: 10 front squats (bar), 10 kettlebell swings, 5 inchworms
WOD - “Scubey” (skyuuuuwbey)
Elite - 5 rounds for each exercise of 45 sec work, 15 sec rest for total repetitions of:
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Snatch (65/95)
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Situps
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Double Unders
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Perform 45 sec of snatches, switch to situps in the 15sec rest, 45 sec situps, switch to Double unders for 45 sec, rest 15 - that is one round, 5 rounds total
Zone 4: Scale snatch to 55/75
Zone 3: Scale snatch to 45/65
Zone 2: Scale snatch to 35/45, 3 to 5 rounds
Zone 1: Scale snatch as needed, 3 rounds
Cash Out - Record your times on the board and on myfrantime.com
Running WOD
25 to 35 min tempo or hill run
Please post in the comments when and where you are doing your run if you would like people to join you!
