I hate exercise in all forms (with the possible exception of swimming, but only in natural settings, never a pool.)
I love sweets.
I hate being hungry.
I love to eat whatever I want, when I want and as much as I want.
I hate feeling sick, having no energy and being unable to do what I enjoy.
Bottom line, I’d like to live my best, healthiest and most fulfilled life without having to pay the price.
Can you relate? This might have worked in my 20s, but in my 60s I find that every poor choice I make, from diet to exercise to sleep to overextending myself, has profound effects. I don’t bounce back.
In order to live my best life, I need to make consistent good choices. Choices which aren’t necessarily fun or what I want. I’ve learned to do that. Here’s what’s worked for me. We are all different and perhaps none of this will resonate with you. But if even one suggestion hits the mark, the results are positive. Baby steps.
Become Convinced
This may take a while, but being convinced that diet and exercise are crucial to your ongoing health and therefore well-being, is important. I’m sure you have heard for years what you should and shouldn’t eat, and some of it contradicts and confuses. Everyone knows that exercise in some form benefits you and couch potatoes eventually become baked potatoes. But finding what works for you is a process, and starts in your mind.
I’ve been on this road for several years, but recently learned radical, life-changing information about exercise. Exercise not only benefits your body, but improves your brain function. That blew me away.
“Exercise is the single most transformative thing you can do for your brain.”
Wendy Suzuki
Listen as Wendy Suzuki tells how you can actually form new brain cells through exercise.
Find Tools That Work For You
My Apple Watch transformed me. From the first day I closed all three rings (I’ll explain in a minute) it keeps me focused on how much I move and exercise in a day. It nags me gently when I don’t.
The rings are move, stand and exercise. I need to stand once every hour for 12 hours to complete the stand ring. Simple, right? But if you are writing, reading, watching Netflix, knitting, napping or any number of other things, you aren’t changing your position, and the watch keeps me focused on that. The goal it has set for me is to burn 300 calories a day to close the “move” ring. And exercise is counted in minutes. I need to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to close the exercise ring. It sends me alerts mid-morning if I’m behind what is normal for me, and sets monthly challenges for me. I’m competing against myself, but it works! When I first started two years ago, I was excited to close all three rings in a day. Here is what yesterday looked like:
Another tool which has helped me is the “My Fitness Pal” app, which can be downloaded from the App Store to your phone and used for free. With it you can track what and how much you eat. That combined with a simple scale keeps me on track. I set the number of calories I don’t want to exceed in a day and easily keep count. All my entries are saved, so once I used it for a few days, the foods I normally enjoy are just a click away, so it only takes a few minutes a day. I don’t weigh everything, just cheese and meat to make sure my portions are correct. It’s simple and keeps me accountable.
Sweeten the Deal
My late husband used to say this when the kids faced vaccinations or other tough life events, and with him it usually involved ice cream. Here are some ways I “sweeten the deal.”
- I always listen to an audiobook when walking. Maybe music would do the same for you.
- I count heavy housework such as vacuuming, mopping and anything that involves multiple trips up and down stairs, as exercise. I used to struggle to exercise on the days I did housework until I realized that housework is exercise.
- I listen to audiobooks while doing housework. Double sweet!
- Speaking of sweet, I’ve mostly dropped sugar from my diet, but I’ve learned to make the occasional treat with Monk’s Fruit, a healthy alternative.
- I love to cook and bake, but most of it I can’t or shouldn’t eat, so I give it away. It’s incredibly fun to bless others.
- I watch a movie while on my exercise bike.
- When I earn one of the monthly awards on my Apple Watch, I post it. Come celebrate with me!
As someone with severe arthritis, I know I need to keep moving. But so do you! No matter what your physical challenges (and who doesn’t have them?) you can live your best life by making healthy choices today.
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Good, practical advice!
Thanks so much! Stay tuned for part three. :o) Ann