ACTIVE LIVING

Our attitude to exercise can be a case of mind over matter. TRISTAN HALL discusses some of the common beliefs and barriers that can hold us back from being fitter and getting more out of life.

EXERCISE TAKES TOO MUCH TIME – Not so. With just 20 minutes of activity you can get your heart and breathing rates up enough to benefit your health. According to Dr Scott Lear (Heart and Stroke, 2021) you can also break this time into small chunks and still make gains as long as you do the exercise at the appropriate intensity.

He calls these “exercise snacks”. These small bursts of activity can last from 30 seconds to two minutes.

And if you do the maths, you gain time by exercising. Lear says that 75 minutes of exercise a week can add 1.8 years to your life. So for every minute you spend exercising, you get six minutes back! IT MUST HURT TO BE WORTHWHILE – Not true. You may have some discomfort on the day or soon after. Underused muscles can develop microscopic tears. These tears heal and build new muscle tissue.

If you have sharp pain during exercise, stop. If you have pain longer than a few days afterwards, see your doctor. Listen to your body. Pain is not normal. EXERCISE IS BORING – Sure. As with most of life’s activities, you may need to do some research and use trial and error to find the right exercise for you.

Start by challenging the belief that exercise is boring. Ask “Is this belief helping me or holding me back?” Swap it for a useful belief such as, “exercise is my secret mood booster “or “I love being active in my ONE of the easiest yet most effective things you can do when considering your food intake is to keep a diary.

Most of us underestimate the amount of food we eat on a daily basis and keeping a record may surprise you. There is some minor inconvenience on your part of course, but I am sure you will find the results beneficial.

Another advantage of keeping a record is you are thinking more often about the choices you make on a daily basis. Retirees often find with more time on their hands their food intake can increase.

More cups of tea with a cake or biscuits during the day may be in direct contrast to how we ate when working full time. Also, activity levels of retirees are generally much more reduced than when working full time.

As a personal trainer, I find asking clients to simply record their food intake and quantity makes a great tool to review and reflect of the daily food consumed. Once you are

body’. For more information on how beliefs can help you make lasting behaviour changes, check out the book Useful Belief by Chris Helder, 2016. Useful beliefs work better than positive thinking.

Exercise is like a savings account. You don’t necessarily see the value of banking $10, but over time your money grows. It can be cashed out for a major purchase such as a car or holiday.

Similarly, exercise credits can be cashed in to help you have more fun. You can play with your grandchild for longer. If you travel to Paris, it’s going to be easier to manage the walking and the stairs on that day tour.

Another approach is to start with activities that have exercise built in. Lawn bowls, kite-flying, nature photography, fishing and geocaching are examples of this. Your focus is on learning, socialising and having fun, not on your muscle movements. I’M TOO OLD TO START – Exercise is beneficial at any age. It is the best health insurance. Researchers agree exercise adds some protection against cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. It can also delay the onset of dementia.

Break through personal barriers to exercise so you can unlock the benefits that await you. Enjoy moving in your body. Tristan Hall is an exercise physiologist with Full Circle Wellness. Call 0431 192 284 or visit fullcirclewellness.com.au aware of what you eat daily and the quantity, you can make adjustments.

Often, recording information keeps the person doing the diary much more aware of what is appropriate in the diet. Recently, a client mentioned that he was about to undertake a very social weekend in the form of a reunion. It was felt that the social nature of the reunion would mean disrupting his eating and drinking routine.

He came away from the weekend a few pounds heavier and no doubt happier. A week later, he was back into his routine of regular exercise and mindful eating.

The diary reappeared and he continued his program. The moral of the story is that life is meant for living and we are meant to enjoy it, but it’s also about balance.

If you ae struggling, try recording in detail what you consume for a week. Tom Law is author of Tom’s Law Fit Happens. Visit tomslaw. com.au

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