The View from Sports Center

Procrastination is A Good Thing

2009-07-12T19:00:00-05:00

....when you want to buy a new car or house or big screen television and you know you really don't have the money but the urge feels stronger than you are;

....when you want another glass of wine or beer or that super chilled Mexican Martini and your waist line knows you don't need it;

....when the cigarette siren sings ever so sweetly;

....when the madman of temper wants to release the worst side of you;

....whenever you're in a hurry.

Sometimes putting things off is good for you.

Update and Closure on My Training Routines

2009-07-11T06:00:00-05:00

Today was my last entry in My Training Routines. You can read more about it here.

How Much Exercise is Enough for Lower Back Pain?

2009-07-09T19:11:00-05:00

Some people with lower back pain (and some clinicians as well) view physical therapy as a treatment. It's something you get for a period of time until your symptoms retreat slithering away into the background. At that point, you think you're well.

Maybe you are but for many people short term therapy creates an illusion of sturdiness; a veneer the thickness of an eggshell. You just think you're good to go.

The solution for long term results and a veneer that's closer to hardiplank than an eggshell is exercise. You have to exercise the rest of your life. Exercise is no longer an option. It's a necessity.

But, how much is enough? Once, twice, three times per week? And, how do you find the time for it?

Researchers from the University of Alberta studied this very issue and discovered that people with chronically sore lower backs had 28% less pain and 36% less disability when they exercised four days per week as compared to two or even three days. People who exercised two or three days week also improved but not as much as the four days per week group.

How do you find the time?

You don't. You make the time.

That's the truth. No one ever just finds time lying around in a corner or under a mat or beneath a chair. You're too busy. You make time. And, to do this, something must die.

You have 24 hours in a day and you should spend 7 to 8 hours sleeping. So, you're down to 16 hours. Most people work 8; now you have 8 hours. And you probably have some commute time somewhere in there too so let's say 2 hours total commuting. Now, you have 6 hours. And, you spend maybe 30 to 45 minutes in the morning getting ready so let's be generous and call that an hour. Now, you have 5 hours. Spend 90 minutes at dinner - that leaves you with 3.5 hours. Spend an hour or two with your kids (if you have them and they're young enough they still want to be around you :-), now you have about an hour and a half. Now, here is where the dying occurs.

What you may want to do is read, surf the Internet, watch T.V. - something. But, what you need to do is exercise for 30 minutes. I can already hear the howls. "There's no way I can do that!" Yeah, there is. The time is there. You have to take out a sword and strike down dead the thing that's in your way - like T.V.

Now, before someone gets too upset, I know there are situations where you really don't have the time. Maybe you're a single parent with three kids and you work two jobs or maybe you're working your way out of debt and can get, at best, 6 hours of sleep a night. You're an outlier though. You are not the bell curve. You get a pass.

Otherwise, I'll bet you can make the time. Remember, four days a week is best; two helps. Start with two days. Just two days a week. The solution for most people is to insert exercise (and I prefer the term "training" but that's another argument) at the beginning or middle of their day. Go to bed two nights per week, thirty minutes earlier and get up thirty minutes earlier in the morning. Get a routine together you can do at home and do it. It will take you at least a month (and the research on how long it takes to form a new habit is sketchy - some reports are one month and some reports suggest three months) until you quit grumbling and fighting the urge to go back to bed. You have to be disciplined - a disciple of your self.

And, if you're not sure where your time goes, get this free report to help you figure it out.

A Year Ago on The View from Sports Center

2009-07-05T19:11:00-05:00

Here's what was happening last year:

Make today count.
DK

You can comment on any post by clicking "COMMENTS" at the end of the article. Share your opinions and ideas!

For the latest on MY TRAINING ROUTINES, click here .

New to the View? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates in the box at the top left hand corner of my blog and then share this blog with your friends.

Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? You can read a sample and order it here.

Good News for Runners

2009-06-27T08:43:00-05:00

You stand a better chance of living a longer and healthier life than people who don't run according to a study published last year in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study followed over 500 people - runners and non-runners - over a 20 year period. Although runners decreased their average amount of time per week from four hours at the start of the study to a little over an hour by the end of the study, runners had less disability and fewer early deaths from conditions such as cancer, infections, or neurologic disease.

The lead author, Professor James Fries told the BBC News, "The study has a very pro-exercise message. If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise. The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought."

But, is it running that delivers the benefit or is it the aerobic nature of the activity?

Aerobic exercise is not limited to running. You can cycle, swim, or perform resistive exercise and make your heart and lungs work too. "Cardio" is no longer king. What this study shows is that people who exercise over their lifetime are generally healthier and live longer. They used running as a means to achieve those benefits.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that the health benefits of exercise appear at 150 minutes per week and increase at 300 minutes per week. This is at least moderate intensity exercise . The more intense the exercise, the less total time is required to achieve the health benefits (for example, you can cut 150 minutes per week to 75 minutes if the exercise is vigorous). And remember, if you're not sweating, it's not exercise (yes, there are exceptions for the exceptionally fit, highly competitive athlete).

So, how many minutes per week are you investing for your self?

You can comment on any post by clicking "COMMENTS" at the end of the article. Share your opinions and ideas!

For the latest on MY TRAINING ROUTINES, click here .

New to the View? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates in the box at the top left hand corner of my blog and then share this blog with your friends.

Did you know I have another blog? If you enjoy the science and art of getting and staying fit, you might enjoy Exercise:ology.

Do you have a copy of my new book, "The Little Book of Sparks"? You can read a sample and order it here.