Posted Dec 5, 2011
From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, the diet of the average American is easily corrupted for even the most disciplined. Let’s face it, turning away a slice of gravy-smothered turkey or capon, a mound of seasoned, mashed potatoes or a heap of herbed, breaded stuffing only can be accomplished by the most regulated fitness-minded advocates of self-control. And then the coup de grace — refusing a piece of freshly made Waldorf Astoria pumpkin cheesecake, replete with two tablespoons of Southern Comfort.
It seems almost un-American to deprive yourself of these pleasures. So you succumbed — now what?
You fell briefly from the wagon of hope onto the ground of excess but redemption is at hand if you are resolved to do so. What to do?
Maybe a reflection on how the benefits of physical
activity can offset your recent fall from grace before it becomes habitual. Adjustments in a person’s lifestyle can be made at any time and replaced with corrective physical measures, which could lead to a more healthy future.
Instead of watching Sylvester Stallone in Rocky for the 10th time, why not tear yourself away from that award-winner and try walking, swimming, jogging or some other form of exercise? And if it’s not important, make it important.
“If you rest, you rust,” Ruidoso Athletic Club (RAC) personal fitness trainer Avril Coakley admonishes.
Consider this: Regular physical activity increases quality of life as well as reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States.
–Helps to control weight.
–Helps maintain balance and posture.
–Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
–Helps reduce the overall cost of medical care.
–Promotes psychological well-being.
–Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease.
–Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
–Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
–Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
–Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.
–Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
–Helps increase energy levels as well as increase the quality of sleep.
> Non-movement of the body leads to low energy, weight gain, chronic diseases, sleep disorders and muscle imbalances. If you let muscles and joints stop moving, over time the overall body loses the ability to move with any sort of balance or efficiency regardless of age.
Life is motion. When we stop moving, we stop living, which is why staying active is the number one desire of people as they age.
When you talk to healthy people older than 80, they will almost unanimously say their secret is “keeping active.” Motion is vital for health and aging well.
“Exercise is not scary,” Coakley said. “When people let their muscular system fall apart, their balance and posture then suffers. This is true of men and women, young and old.
“Our bodies and our muscles work best when they are worked. The body has a need to move.
“If you are typing at a computer for an hour, when you stand up your first instinct is to stretch. When people undergo surgery, they are now required to get up and move around as soon as possible.
“Studies show people heal much better when you get them moving. Exercise in general is simply moving your body.
“In addition to the obvious muscular and cardiovascular benefits of moving, motion and physical activity pump vital fluids within the body.
“Cells and tissues with little direct circulation receive nutrition and have their waste products removed by the physical compression and stretching that occurs with motion and exercise.
“This is why incorporating regular exercise is so vital to an individual’s health and well-being.”
For those who choose to modify their lifestyle and incorporate physical activity into a consistent regimen of living, other facets of improved health should also be considered in conjunction.
Proper nutrition can greatly aid sports recoveries in such events as baseball, basketball, running, swimming, etc., before and after such performances.
Qualified, personal training experts can get you in suitable shape for such competitions as skiing, racquetball and cycling.
Improper sleep habits and sleep disorders can affect an athlete’s conduct on the field of play as well as influencing a person’s emotional and/or mental capabilities in his or her job.
And lastly, how the benefits of aquatic exercise may improve your overall health through the use of all muscles in the body.
The last four mentioned phases of creating a healthy lifestyle will be covered individually in upcoming articles in the Ruidoso News sports section.
Editor’s note: RAC personal fitness trainer, Avril Coakley, contributed greatly to this article.
©2011 the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.)