|
2006/06/20, 10:03 PM
An Interesting Read for those interested, I know a lot of Women like this...
------------------------------
Exercising at Home May Solve Women's Workout Woes
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News
Article Date: 18 Jul 2005 - 17:00pm (PDT)
We all know them - the perfectly toned women who frequent the gym every day and who rollerblade in the hottest of weather with smiles on their faces and nary a bead of sweat. While they're great role models for an increasingly obese America, they can be intimidating to many women.
“Women compare themselves with each other,” says Amy Eyler, Ph.D., associate professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health and author of a book about why some women don't exercise. “When they really don't feel good about themselves, the last thing they want to see are fit women who look good in exercise clothes at the gym. Add men to the mix and it gets worse. And let's face it - fitness has gone high-tech. I have friends with master's degrees who are intimidated by the complexity of the exercise machines and are too embarrassed to ask for help.”
So how can these women get the exercise they need without it cutting into their time or self-esteem? A carefully planned home workout can be the solution - as long as they know how to exercise effectively.
“There are tons of advantages to working out at home,” says Eyler. “It's convenient - you don't have to drive anywhere. You can exercise in your baggiest, ugliest clothes and no one will care. You can plan your exercise schedule for the week and you don't have to worry about treadmills not being available or broken machines at the gym.”
Eyler offers some tips for women who dread the gym but want to start a lasting workout regimen.
Figure out how much money you want to invest. Calisthenics (crunches and push-ups, for example) don't cost anything and can work wonders, as long as you use the correct form when you do them. Videos on aerobics or yoga are inexpensive and offer a lot of variety. An exercise ball, free weights and resistance bands are an easy and medium-cost way to build muscle strength and add variety to your workout. And treadmills or other large cardiovascular pieces of equipment, which can be pricey, are a terrific way to work out when you can't go anywhere. "Buying expensive equipment without proper research is like buying a pair of shoes you didn't try on,” Eyler says. “Chances are it won't be a good fit, and they'll both just lie around gathering dust."
Determine how much time you're willing to spend to get results. It seems new studies come out all the time demanding how long and how much women need to exercise. “Recommendations are very confusing,” Eyler says. “The ‘gold standard' for improving cardiovascular health is still 20 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three days a week. If you want health improvements, you can benefit from 30 minutes of moderate activity, like a brisk walk, five days a week. But to lose weight, experts recommend at least one hour of moderate activity a day, which may be accumulated over the course of the day.”
Create realistic workouts and stick to them. Women who thrust themselves into intense workout regimens may become so discouraged with their lack of success - not to mention soreness or injury - that they simply give up on exercise entirely. “For someone just starting out, I say shoot for three 30-minute sessions of moderate activity a week and try to work up to five days,” Eyler says. “Even though we say we don't have time, very few of us do not have a spare 30 minutes a few days a week.” Writing down those 30-minute blocks of time will make it harder to stray from a routine.
Don't make excuses for yourself. “I had a woman tell me that she couldn't concentrate on her exercising while staring at a pile of clothes to be washed,” Eyler says. “You have to realize that exercising will give you the energy and stamina to complete all the tasks you might have to do.”
Don't expect miracles. Most home workouts will not turn sedentary women into triathletes. “It's important to set specific goals when planning your home exercise program. You won't be ready for a marathon if you do exercise videos three times a week, but you can tone up and improve your cardio system,” she says.
Look past the scale for signs of success. Most women want to lose weight and tone up. Though taking measurements is a way of gauging your success, just feeling a difference in the way your clothes fit is another, Eyler says. “Also measure the intangibles: Do you have more energy? Are you starting to look forward to your workouts? Do you sleep better? Are you better able to deal with stressful situations? Personally, I run for my sanity's sake. It is the only time I am truly alone - I have two small kids and a husband who mostly works out of the home. I like the physical benefits, but I appreciate the mental ones more!”
Eyler is the author of “Environmental Policy and Cultural Factors Related to Physical Activity in a Diverse Sample of Women,” published by Haworth Press, Inc.
Saint Louis University School of Public Health is one of only 36 fully accredited schools of public health in the United States and the nation's only School of Public Health sponsored by a Jesuit university. It offers master's degrees (MPH, MHA) and doctoral programs (Ph.D.) in six public health disciplines and joint degrees with the Schools of Business, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, and Social Service. It is home to seven nationally recognized research centers and laboratories with funding sources that include the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the American Cancer Society, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the World Health Organization.
Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center
St. Louis, MO 63103
United States
--------------
Bettia.... You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
-Mark Twain
ravenbeauty@freetrainers.com
|
