Physical Fitness: Getting It & Keeping It

Physical fitness is an important part of life that too many people neglect. That is a shame because our body is our "interface" with the world. To keep our body healthy on the inside, we need to use it vigorously on a regular basis.

Like they say, if you don't use it -- you lose it! If we let our physical fitness decline through non-use or abuse, we may not have the strength to resist disease or even a physical threat.

Those who are physically fit project confidence, which is attractive to the outside world. So the effort to remain fit and healthy is rewarded by success in life, business, finding our ideal mate, etc.

The bottom line answer for the question of "Why exercise?" is this: It is fun! It feels good. If it doesn't feel good, maybe you are not doing something right...or maybe you are simply out of shape.

Before you start any major increase in your physical activity level, it may be wise to get a physical check-up from a trusted physician. Some knowledge of the techniques of whichever sport or activity you choose is important insurance against injury.

There is a big difference between having the physical fitness to be able to experience this beautiful place by riding a bicycle around the 31 mile circumference rim of the lake and simply driving it. I have biked it a few times and it would be very sad if I lost my physical ability to do so. So, that's one of my goals in staying fit. (I suppose I am into the "senior fitness" stage now that I'm sixty-one.)

Bicycling, by the way, is a great way to stay physically fit. It is gentle on the joints, unlike jogging, which I used to love. And bicycling, especially on low traffic roads such as this one, allows you to enjoy the scenery while you get your cardio exercise.

Another great way to get or maintain physical fitness is a daily program of walking. I watch so many people riding around, imprisoned by their air-conditioned cars, when it's beautiful day and they could be enjoying the fresh air. They could be walking, getting their exercise, meeting friends on the street, but no...they're struggling to find a parking space, and then another when they drive to their next destination a few blocks away!

The Europeans and many Latin American countries understand the pleasures of strolling around a city that is designed to be friendly to foot-traffic. We, here in the USA, seem to think we have no time for physical fitness because we're so attached to dragging our vehicles everywhere with us. Driving less would be a great contribution to our health, to cleaning up the environment, and saving money.

Whether you like to walk, climb mountains, bicycle, play tennis, or swim, regular cardio exercise is the foundation to maintaining a healthy weight and feeling good about yourself. You choose the sport, although I favor the low-impact ones for the long run, and be sure you put in 40-60 minutes a day, almost every day. You will sleep better and it will generally iron out many tensions and mental cares.

For losing weight, ironically it is more effective to walk or bike further at a low intensity. This burns fat more effectively I have read many times -- and my experience confirms it.

I have found that, while a gym membership is nice for the variety of equipment they offer and the social aspect, you can maintain basic fitness with a few free weights at home. This will prevent the excuse that "It's too much trouble...I don't have time to go to the gym." Keep the weights moderate if you have no one there to "spot" you. You don't want to hurt yourself.

When you have a spare twenty minutes, while preparing dinner or listening to music or watching the TV news, you can get in a sufficient strength exercise workout to maintain your physical fitness. Do this two or three times a week and concentrate on good form rather than maximum poundage.

Another favorite of mine is to do pull-ups and chin-ups any time I see a set of bars on a playground. Below is a little routine I do occasionally. It's a flashy trick that many people can't do because they don't have the abdominal strength and low fat-to-muscle ratio. I don't claim to be the successor to Jack LaLanne, I don't have the time to put into it. My point here was to have some fun and show that just because you get old, you don't have to get fat and incapable of doing the things you did when you were younger.

A side benefit of doing pull-ups is that it seems to straighten out kinks in my backbone, while working a number of important muscle groups. Have fun with it -- do what you can and work up to more reps. You can hang there and do leg lifts, to build your abs, too.

Physical fitness and a healthy planet diet go well together.