Don't like to exercise you say?  Maybe you just haven't found the right activity for your personality.  Picking a mode of physical activity that appeals to you can be likened to buying a pair of shoes - you have to keep trying different types and styles until you find the one that fits.  Taking into consideration factors such as your personality and fitness goals can help you to determine which mode of exercise is the best and most enjoyable for you.

In a report released last month from the American College of Sports Medicine's 14th Annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition, sport physiologist, Michael Bracko, Ed.D, FACSM is cited as saying "those seeking motivation to start an exercise program should first determine their 'fitness desire.'"  He outlines 5 categories of fitness that you should consider when finding a regimen that works best for you.  They include:

• Recreational Athlete Fitness: If your goal is to attain general fitness through cross-training, this category depicts you.  The recreational athlete tends to be interested in a particular sport (e.g., softball).  This focus provides you with the motivation to be active.
• Health-Related Fitness:  You fall into this category if your goal is to improve your well-being in general.  Walking, Pilates and Yoga are examples of this form of training.
• Functional Fitness:  Examples of this category include gardening and bowling. Functional fitness exercises are for you if your desire is to achieve and maintain independence with advancing age and/or to be able to complete activities of daily living without undue fatigue.
• Physical Fitness:  A traditional exercise program that incorporates aerobic, strength building, and flexibility activities is an example of this category.  Going to a health club to participate in group classes (e.g., Spinning, Zumba, etc.,) or using the facility's weight machines would suit you if you fall under this category.
• Elite Athlete Fitness:  The goal is to succeed in a specialized sport or event, such as a triathlon.  This category involves intense, sport-specific training to improve your performance rather than to enhance your fitness level and/or health.

In which category do you fall?  Not certain?  Keep trying different forms of activity until you find the one that is the most enjoyable and meets your needs.  Keep in mind that a cross-over between categories is possible.  For instance, you can be interested in general fitness, but need the motivation of a little competition to keep you going.  In this scenario, training for a 5K road race might be the right choice for you.

Note:  Before beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity level of a current routine, a physician's approval should be obtained, especially for older adults and those at risk for or who currently have chronic health conditions.

Resource:

ACSM News Release April 9, 2010, "The Art of Finding Motivation For Lifelong Fitness," Bracko, M.

The use of medicine balls (weighted balls) originated in Europe where they were used to improve muscular function in older rehabilitation patients. Their use in the United States became prevalent when Admiral Joel Boone, the White House physician for President Hoover, developed a game known as Hoover Ball to maintain the President's fitness. The medicine ball lost some of its popularity as interest in weight training with machine and free weights increased. In recent years, medicine ball training has made a come back in school, home, rehabilitation, and fitness center settings due to its versatility and adaptability. A countless number of exercises of varying degrees of difficulty can be performed by individuals of all ages and fitness/skill levels. Medicine balls come in different sizes (baseball to basketball) and weights (1-30 pounds). They can be "lifted" to improve strength and stability or thrown to improve power.

Benefits of Medicine Ball Training

• Develops functional fitness, muscle coordination, and core strength. To perform the exercises, your body must perform as a unit. Therefore, the effects of this type of training can be carried over to improve performance of activities of daily living.
• Increases muscular strength and endurance.
• Improves balance.
• Improves flexibility and range of motion.
• In the athletic setting, drills can be performed that mimic movements during a particular sport to help increase power and agility. For example, a drill that involves chest passes with a weighted ball can increase the force with which the athlete passes the basketball during a game.
• Exercises can be designed to be performed alone (e.g., walking lunge) or with a partner (e.g., chest pass).
• Exercises can be modified to account for functional capacity of the individual (e.g., performed seated in a chair rather than in an upright position).

For a change of pace in your workout, try these medicine ball exercises:

Walking Lunge - develops abdominal, thigh, hip, back, shoulder, and triceps muscles

Step One: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and the ball level with your navel.

Step Two: Lunge forward with your right leg while twisting your upper body to the right, bringing the ball to the right and slightly behind your right hip. Hold for a count of two. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions per side.

Lateral Flexion - targets obliques and works lower back and shoulder muscles

Step One: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Hold ball above your head.

Step Two: Slightly bend at your waist to the left while keeping the ball above your head. Hold for a count of two. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions per side.

Squats - works entire core, thigh and upper arm muscles

Step One: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly flexed. Your arms should be bent with the ball at chest level.

Step Two: While tightening your abdominal muscles and keeping your back straight, bend at the knees to assume a squatting position. At the same time, push the ball out in front of you. Hold for a count of two. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Russian Twist - works entire core

Step One: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Hold the ball at waist level, slightly behind your left hip.

Step Two: Swing the ball across your body to just behind your right hip. Then, swing back to the left side. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions (one full repetition includes swinging to the left and right). Your abdominal muscles should be tight throughout the exercise. Rotating your back foot will increase your range of motion.

Helpful Hints

• Lateral flexion and russian twists can be performed in a seated position.
• Do a 5 minute warm-up prior to training with a medicine ball.
• Start with a lightweight ball. As fitness improves heavier balls can be used.
• Perform medicine ball exercises on 2-3 nonconsecutive days of the week.
• Focus on technique while performing the movements in a slow controlled manner.

Note: Before beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity level of a current routine, a physician's approval should be obtained, especially for older adults and those at risk for or who currently have chronic health conditions.

Resources:

ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, Vol. 12, No. 3; pp.7-12. "Medicine Ball Training For Kids: Benefits, Concerns, and Program Design Considerations," Faigenbaum, A.D. and Mediate, P.

     Functional fitness has once again been named as one of the top trends in the fitness industry by an international survey published in the November/December 2008 issue of ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal.  Functional fitness workouts are designed to help you perform everyday movements and tasks such as lifting a laundry basket or carrying your luggage with greater ease and efficiency.  A key element of functional fitness training, and one that differentiates it from traditional machine-based muscle conditioning exercises, is that it concentrates on developing muscle integration throughout the body during an activity.  That is, it strengthens and trains various muscle groups of your body to work together to carry out a task.  

     Traditional machine-based muscle training isolates a muscle group through a fixed range of motion.  It doesn't "teach" the muscle to work with other muscles in the body.  Consider the tasks you perform throughout the day and the muscles involved in carrying them out.  How often do you use one muscle group or bend at one joint to perform a daily task?  Although traditional methods build muscular endurance and strength, the carryover into everyday activities, which require different muscle groups to work together, is not as great as it is with functional fitness training.  Think in terms of a seated biceps curl machine. Your torso and arms are stabilized against pads, your lower body is inactive and the only joint being used is that of the elbow.  Contrast this against lifting a bag of groceries in which you not only need to recruit your biceps muscles to lift the bag, but you need to activate your leg muscles by squatting and engage your abdomen and back muscles to stabilize your spine while performing the lift.  All of these movements need to be coordinated in order to prevent strain and injury.

     The goal of a functional fitness exercise program is to train your body for the routine and customary movements of daily life situations.  To serve this purpose, these types of exercises consist of multi-joint/multi-muscle activities that involve coordination of upper- and lower-body movements.  Disciplines such as Pilates and Yoga fall under the functional fitness category.  A variety of equipment can be used to develop functional fitness as well such as weighted balls (medicine/kettle balls); balance discs, boards, and balls; resistance bands and tubing; and step boards.  However, you do not need special equipment to improve your functional fitness. 

     Using one's own body weight, especially if you are starting a functional fitness program for the first time, can improve your ability to perform everyday tasks with ease.  Examples of exercises that teach your body to support its own weight include push-ups (can be done against the wall or countertop if unable to do "traditional" push-ups), squats, and lunges.  Activities such as balancing on one foot, performing one-legged squats, and standing leg abductions and adductions can promote balance and muscle coordination needed in everyday life.

     Does this mean you should eliminate all forms of traditional exercise in your quest to achieve functional fitness?  No.  Traditional means of gaining and maintaining fitness have their place, and a very important one at that.  Aerobic activities such as walking and biking help to build cardiovascular endurance and weight lifting with machines can lay a solid foundation of strength upon which to build.  

     As stated by Shelley Rubinstein, Co-coordinator of the Optimal Aging Program - a medically-based program promoting fitness in healthy adults 60 years of age and older - at William Beaumont Hospital's Beaumont Health Center in Royal Oak, "Exercise in general improves function".  What do we need to function independently?  The ability to "reach, bend, carry and lift" according to Rubinstein.  "Simulating those moves [in your exercise routine] helps to strengthen muscle memory" explains Rubinstein.  Muscle memory, also known as motor memory, involves performing a particular activity repeatedly over time so that your muscles "learn" the movement and it becomes automatic.  Performing the above movements in your exercise routine will carry over into your day-to-day activities improving your ability to function in real-life situations.  An ideal exercise program is one that incorporates a variety of modes and methods to develop a body that is capable of meeting the demands placed on it throughout life.

Resources:

ACSM Fit Society Page Summer 2006 pp. 3-4, "Exercising for Functional Fitness". Yoke, M.

ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal VOL .12/NO. 6, pp. 7-14. "Worldwide Survey Reveals Fitness Trends for 2009". Thompson, W.R.

www.webmd.com WebMD Feature Article "Working out for Real Life Functions". Shaw, G.

William Beaumont Hospital's Optimal Aging Program; Beaumont Health Center, 4949 Coolidge Highway, Royal Oak, MI 48073; (248) 655-5034.

Note:  Before beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity level of a current routine, a physician's approval should be obtained, especially for older adults and those at risk for or who currently have chronic health conditions.

    

     I love to eat.  I especially love to eat at restaurants that offer meals buffet style.  I enjoy the freedom to sample all of the different possibilities available and the opportunity to go back for more of what I like.

     A few weeks ago I asked you to vote for your biggest barrier to exercise.  Twenty percent of you said that you were not motivated to exercise and that you felt it was boring.  Another 4% of you stated that lack of athletic ability prevented you from exercising.  My solution, try exercise "buffet" style.  In other words, find a physical activity that you enjoy by "sampling" a variety of activities.  

     You are more likely to be motivated and make exercise a habit if you choose a mode that is both enjoyable and manageable.  Attempt a variety of activities.  Don't limit yourself to traditional forms of exercise.  Furthermore, don't assume you need athletic skills to be physically active.  A great mode for the novice exerciser is walking.  Become a "tourist" in your own city.  Walk into an adjoining neighborhood to yours or down streets you haven't ventured before to break the monotony. 

     Make and keep a list of activities that you like.  Alternating modes of exercise will help keep motivation up and the boredom factor down.  Refer to the list when boredom ensues.  Below is a list of some suggestions to start your "sampling".

1.  Stability ball exercises to develop balance, stability and strength

2.  Functional fitness exercises that prepare your body for activities of 

      daily life (such as lifting boxes in a stock room)

3.  Core training to strengthen abdomen and back muscles to 

      stabilize the spine

4.  Hiking

5.  Backpacking

6.  Ballroom or square dancing

     In addition to choosing a mode of exercise that is enjoyable, how you exercise can impact motivation and boredom.  Try breaking the monotony by listening to music or watching the television while you exercise.  Or, make it a social event by meeting a friend and/or enrolling in a group exercise class.  Change your exercise environment such as going outdoors if you typically engage in activity indoors.  The possibilities are endless.  Be creative and you will be able to find a form of exercise that motivates you to get and stay active. 

Note:  Before beginning an exercise program or increasing the intensity level of a current routine, a physician's approval should be obtained, especially for older adults and those at risk for or who currently have chronic health conditions.