Finding Your Way to Exercise

With what do you associate the word “exercise”? Most people who don’t exercise associate it with pain or discomfort. For some the mere mention of the word sends shivers down the spine, conjuring up visions of cross-country runs and high school gym classes. I can remember several less than pleasant exercise experiences at school: playing hockey with sticks that left me with bruises up to my knees; defending a goal against an attacker who was so much taller than I that she almost stepped on me as she went past; spending an hour or more serving tennis balls into the net, driving my opponent into a rage.

Despite all this, however, I was very fortunate in that even though I hated all the outdoor sports, once I was in the warm and cozy gymnasium—with soft crash mats and lots of ropes and poles to swing around on—I loved it. The result of finding an activity I really enjoyed was that I started to do more of it and, before long, was training regularly and entering competitions. The moral of this story is quite obvious—you have to find some kind of activity that you enjoy, or you won’t stick to it. You need to choose a form of exercise that you can do without dread. If you find something you are good at, you will want to do it more—it’s human nature. Your motivation will also increase after a month or so as you start to see and feel the benefits.

You may find that you prefer to exercise with someone else or in a group setting. Look in your local paper for details of fitness classes in your area. It doesn’t have to be aerobics; there are lots of different types of classes. It will not necessarily matter which one you choose—all exercise has a very important part to play if you are serious about losing weight.

The fitness industry is constantly changing. We are learning more about the body all the time, and as we learn more about how the body adapts to exercise, we are able to design safer training programs. It is vital, therefore, that instructors are up-to-date on the latest information. Good instructors will regularly attend seminars and training courses to make sure that the information they are giving is correct.

Of course, you don’t have to go to an exercise class to have a good workout. There are lots of other alternatives, and what is offered in a class may not suit everyone. For example, some people would benefit from activity levels that are not strenuous or not particularly long in duration. It is certainly not compulsory to experience the “high” sensation that some people get from exercising to the point of near exhaustion. It’s important to remember that most people don’t actually like the feeling of being hot and sweaty with aching limbs. What they do like, however, is the feeling of satisfaction and well-being they experience after they have exercised, a feeling that can last for several hours. You’ll find a list of alternatives to classes in the following chapter—choose whatever’s right for you.