53A - Fit and Well Column for Jan. 4^th, 2004

TITLE: "Making Exercise Meaningful and FUN!"

Dear David, Trish and Angelica,

I have what I think is an unusual problem. I have difficulty in maintaining my commitment to a regular exercise program. I have made numerous resolutions to get fit, and have joined a gyms and health clubs. I show up regularly, and use the equipment (effectively I think) for about three or four months. Then, it’s becomes just plain BORING! I start dreading my workouts. And, naturally, end up quitting for a period until I’m “re-inspired”. Do you have any suggestions on how I can stay sufficiently interested to get out of this “yo-yo” cycle I’m in? By the way, I was inspired by both of your stories.

-“Short Attention Span” in Severna Park

Dear “Short Attention Span”,

It amazes us how people can go into the gym, day after day, and do the same exercises over and over again. We see people literally struggling through their workouts…. not enjoying any part of it. It seems they are performing the movements, but getting no joy from the experience. Kind of like acts of contrition… time spent to compensate for other life excesses. Penitence for the cheeseburgers and ice cream of life. What a waste!

Approaching exercise as meditation allows us to become still and quiet inside. To feel our body, to know ourselves. To focus on movement, internal feeling, and get in touch with the joy of our physical self.

“Oh Gee”, you say, “David and Trish are literally becoming exercise Gurus!” Hold your judgment, and consider the following.

We have worked out in gyms and fitness centers throughout the world. Most people we’ve seen can’t find a way to truly enjoy the experience of exercising. The continence, mood and attitude of most of my fitness playmates (see, bet you never heard that expression!) is one of morbid duty, overbearing obligation, and just plain drudgery.

It is no wonder that the rate of "sedentary relapse" (another one of our cute phrases) is so high, and member retention is so low. The failure to continue a program of health and fitness is not limited to those who are engaging in it just for improved physical appearance or sport efficiency. Many of those "failing" in their journey are persons whose very health and survival depends on continuing on with this commitment. What goes wrong? And how can it be corrected?

How many times have we been told that it is good results that keep people coming back to the gym? We say “nonsense!". Being "goal oriented" sounds good, and might be a placating concept for the new Trainer or beginning Fitness Devote… but it carries with it the certainty that sooner or later, one of two things will occur. Either the goal will be reached, and we become complacent and restless, or the goal is NOT reached, and we become discouraged and depressed. A double-edged sword!

Forget about the future, and enjoy your body now. Big or small, whatever condition you’re in, celebrate it. Don’t allow yourself to think that life starts or changes when you reach a certain goal… the most important day of your life is TODAY!

Learn to PLAY in the gym.

PLAY is a state of mind, an attitude, an awareness of one of the truths of life itself. Play is being "in the here and now", and enjoying the experience, without focusing on the outcome. Have you forgotten how? You’re NOT alone! Most adults have. But you can get it back!

Think about it… who are the masters of play? Children, and dogs, of course! I’m sure there are one or two of either around for you to observe, and learn from! If not, just visit any park, dog run, backyard, or even the child-care center in your club. It’s there… and available for anyone to view, and absorb! We need to learn from the children!

Watch children play. Watch them discover! From feeling their bodies, experimenting with gravity, falling and getting up again. Absorb their excitement in simple acts like throwing a ball, pushing a wagon, or drawing a picture. Young people can truly appreciate the mystery of movement, of muscles, of form and flexibility. Capture all this, store it away, and bring it to the gym with you. Let it change you, and the way you workout, completely!

How do you do this? Upon entering the gym, see the equipment as toys of delight, NOT machines of pain and torture! Imagine you are a child again, and have been brought to a huge playground. Oh, your heart skips a beat, your spirit soars as you feel the adrenaline pump in expectation of your personal time of play and enjoyment!

The third rule is to SLOW DOWN, and BE IN THE PRESENT.

More can be gained from the journey than in reaching the destination. And how one approaches any element of life is crucial to the outcome. So it becomes imperative that we learn not only the physical mechanics of exercise (good form and execution, muscle overload, and recovery), but the mental and emotional components also.

Throw away the pads and pencils. Stop converting your exercise experience into numbers and equations. Don’t worry about the amount of weight, or resistance, or even repetitions. Begin focusing on what is happening inside of you. Turn off CNN and put the paper or magazine away while exercising. FEEL your limbs move, your heart pumping, your muscles working. Begin to truly know your own body.

This IS your time… so leave the cell-phones and problems OUTSIDE the club. They will be waiting there for you patiently until you are finished, right where you left them. Guaranteed!

Come on… you’ve seen it… those high-speed reps… going through the motions… counting, watching the clock, pacing faster and faster so the arduous tasks can be completed. Like running a race.

SLOW DOWN… and enjoy the process! The benefit of an exercise is NOT in it’s completion, it’s in the correct execution.

You should feel the muscle “pump”, be mindful of the angles of movement, the contraction, the release. You must actually FEEL the strain on your joints and tendons, and fully experience not only the primary mover, but the supportive muscles and balance that your body so effectively creates.

The challenge is to bring these concepts into the gym with you, and incorporate them into YOUR fitness program. Make these changes, and we guarantee that you will soon take the ""work"" OUT of workout. And begin to truly enjoy exercise. Then the benefits just come… secondary to the experience. And you will look forward to your gym playtimes, just as we do.

Try it… it works!