{"id":5410,"date":"2013-01-28T15:42:12","date_gmt":"2013-01-28T21:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/?p=5410"},"modified":"2021-09-06T12:01:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-06T17:01:34","slug":"how-i-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/28\/how-i-exercise","title":{"rendered":"How I Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With a title like that, I fully understand if you have an urge to hit the delete key. You endured a health tip a few weeks ago about my colonic, and I do applaud your strength for that. But now, having read in this week\u2019s American Medical News <\/i>that the US is the unhealthiest among 17 affluent countries<\/a> (a situation caused by obesity, lack of exercise, and lack of access to health care), I sense there\u2019s an opportunity for me to do some serious badgering while you\u2019re enjoying your coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the article was directed to physicians, there were some (pretty lame) suggestions about what the profession could do to \u201cadvocate for wellness.\u201d Leaving colorful brochures for patients to read and take home, one doctor\u2019s idea of supporting good health, is unlikely to affect longevity. After decades as a primary care physician, I can attest that when a doctor hands a patient instructions with suggestions for weight loss, the only thing that\u2019s usually lost are the instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not long ago I wrote a health tip on the supplements I take daily. As you may surmise, regular exercise is (a) definitely more challenging than swallowing supplements and (b) long proven to be truly beneficial in preventing chronic illness and promoting longevity. Supplements, useful as they are, simply can\u2019t hold a candle to exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading the grim statistics about our national health I said to myself, \u201cBy golly, I\u2019m going to encourage readers by example.\u201d Why not? If I, alter kocker that I am,<\/i> can exercise, then surely so can you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by understanding how much exercise is needed for good health. Obviously, a little more is better than less, but you don\u2019t want to get too obsessive. Life offers other pleasures, like reading and eating. The current recommendation is simple enough. Here\u2019s Mayo Clinic<\/a>: 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (brisk walking, swimming) or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (jogging, aerobics), preferably a combination, with some weight training (free weights, weight machines).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve now been exercising regularly for over half my life. I know this because my wife pointed out that I\u2019d started when I was 33. I was astonished she knew the exact number. I began exercising when I discovered I was getting seriously out of breath on the rare occasion I raced up some stairs or ran to catch a bus. (Chess was my sport, people.) I was also fat and my body image disorder issues were acting up. Time to change. So I joined a nearby health club and enrolled in an aerobics class, suddenly finding myself the only man in a class of women right-left step-kicking like the Radio City Rockettes. At best I lasted about ten minutes before nausea, lightheadedness, and breathlessness stopped me cold. My complexion matched the grey of my sweat suit. The instructor hand-signaled me to wait at the back of the class, showing me some simple stretches I could do until the session ended. Humiliation is an understatement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I swallowed the teaspoon of remaining pride I had and persevered. Within a couple of months (at three times a week), I could actually keep up with the women. Even more remarkable perhaps is that within a year, this same instructor and I actually owned two aerobic fitness studios together, and while they never made me a dime I\u2019ve never regretted the loss of my investment which, as they say, I took out in trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I can do it, so can you <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Move the calendar forward three decades or so, with a few changes in routine, and here\u2019s my current program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n