Body Talk Author: Arlene Unger Article:
Body Talk
Our body
"talks" to us through negative signals such as aches and pains,
as well as through positive signals such as higher energy
levels, feelings of exhilaration and well being. These signals
are a lifeline to healthy eating and exercise choices.
For instance, when you have
the flu, your body says, "let's shut down and chill". Letting
your body fight the flu virus can help you get back to your
active life more quickly. When you "rest" you allow your
body to devote its attention to fighting the flu.
When you’re very tired, your body is saying,
“Stay put.” If we push ourselves drowsiness can set in and
accidents can happen while we work out. You don't have the
"energy" to focus; you become dangerous to yourself and
others.
When your body says, “I am soooo sore!”
your body is saying it needs a break. Personal trainers
will tell you that recovery from exercise is just as important
as the exercise regime itself. Overtraining can be as bad
as under training. Your body needs time to metabolize the
byproducts of exercise, and to rebuild damaged tissue.
There are other signals that don’t come
from our bodies but, rather our fickle moods, feelings and
impulses. They get us confused and off-track. For instance
when you notice it is cold and damp outside, you tell yourself
it is “okay” to miss a workout. Even on these days you can
still beef up your cardio by vacuuming, mopping, running
up and down the stairs or just jumping rope in your patio.
“Oops,
ran out of time,” is another classic excuse. If we learn
to combine things we want or need to do with exercise it
becomes much more fun. Going on date to play tennis, taking
a family hike or conducting a business meeting during a
long walk with your client are just of few of the ways to
get exercise while accomplishing another task.
“My
program is on TV now,” is another poor excuse for not exercising.
It would not be the worse thing in the world to tape your
show and watch later, especially without those commercials.
When you make a deal with yourself to do a part of your
workout, you typically end up completing your whole routine.
The reward is that you have exceeded your expectations and
now you can watch your show without feeling guilty.
Another
common non-excuse is “a spa or gym membership just costs
too much.” You can actually spend much less on a monthly
membership than you do on blended coffee drinks in a month.
The gym is better for you and you will feel a true sense
of accomplishment each day.
“I
never lose weight when I exercise” is another bad excuse
that can lead us to lethargy. The key is not to focus only
at the scale but also your heart rate, muscle mass and how
your clothes are fitting. In resistance training, as you
exercise, fat cells can be replaced by lean muscle mass.
Taking
time out to exercise may upset our flow and daily comforts,
but taking 3 days off may cause us to backslide. After 72
hours our resting heart rate begins to return to where it
was when we first began exercising months ago.
Regardless
of whether your mood is saying, “I am bored, I don’t want
to work out alone", or "I drove too much this week", your
body is still sending you signals to move rest and challenge
yourself. The key is to learn to pay attention to those
signals and not be swayed by your excuses. If you went to
the gym straight from work twice a week, Then worked out
at home the other nights, you will slowly experience how
much more your body feels exhilarated and how much more
you are listening to what it really needs.
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Publisher's Box #####
©
Arlene Unger, Your guide to positive Stress, Relationship,
Life and Weight Management. www.MyPrivateCoach.com:
Life Coach - Life Coaching Arlene Unger is the Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of
experience and additional certifications in Nutrition, Sports
Psychology, Executive Coaching, Addiction, Nonverbal Therapies,
and Communication Disorders Coach at My Private Coach. She can be contacted
at info@myprivatecoach.com . Get a taste
of coaching FREE today, schedule your first free session!
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