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Physically Tweaked by Cat Smiley
Low interest! Don’t pay until 2005! The eat now, pay later system can hit at any time, with hidden interest creeping up on you disguised as an inability to maintain healthy weight, health deterioration and an overall feeling that you’re getting old. Sure, you can wear makeup and lose a few pounds here and there -- yet the truth that you create today, the body you want to live in tomorrow, will still stare you in the eye.
Creaky bones and muscle stiffness can hit at twenty years old, obesity can hit you at twelve. Age in today’s knowledgeable industry of optimum prevention and food for thought is geared towards not trashing the body you were born with. For those who insist on spending their twenties (and thirties) partying hard, sunbathing, over-exercising, dieting obsessively or prioritizing their professional life over their health...be warned, your forties may not look as good as you hope.
Forty year old individuals who have used their bodies the way nature intended are considered ‘young’ in natural communities. They are still thrown tasks requiring great fitness and strength, such as hauling 100 lbs of black beans over the hills into the neighbouring valley. Westerners tend to excuse themselves as they age, confusing aging with simply becoming inattentive to their long term fitness and health. They wonder why it takes so long to see results and complain about ailing injuries that will get them out of their exercise program.
Imagine asking your doctor to write you a note stating that you are unable to exercise readily and eat responsibly -- too busy trying to get ahead in life with your children, career, or that you are entering your retirement and require an old-age consideration plan for inactivity. Like a child playing hooky from gym class, as ridiculous as it may seem, this is reality to an excessive amount of Canadians today.
Seek medical clearance to exercise, take necessary precautions, maximize what you can do physically and get on with it. Your health is in your own hands, responsible lifestyle choices will save you a fortune. Cheap junk food meals turn out to cost a lot of money down the road; clogged arteries, diet fixes, drastic means of exercising and reduced quality of life are some of the invisible costs.
Over-exercising can take as much physical toll on your body as under-exercising. Start out slowly and do some form of activity for thirty minutes or more, every day. Joint problems can be reduced with a balanced exercise program -- working varied muscle groups including muscle stabilizers, agility, and training equal and opposite areas of your fitness. This can mean anything from jumping on a log and running along it every time you are out hiking, to going for a walk after mountain biking or practicing yoga followed by resistance training.
Balanced physiques are built through utilizing a variety of activities. Keep yourself flexible and well nourished to perform well under any opportunities life may throw at you. Don’t confuse new areas of muscle soreness with ‘pain’. Find activities that feel natural or fun, forced actions may not trigger long term commitment yet may be useful for variation. Working the inner stabilizer and core muscles are the key -- natural terrain is obviously the superior choice to machine versions (treadmill, exer-cycle etc.) however anything that gets you moving is beneficial.
When the core muscles and tendons are strong, the risk of injury is reduced, however ease yourself into an exercise program gradually. Jog/runs are great -- try brisk walking the first half, jogging the second. See how you feel the next day and adjust accordingly.
The body lay-away system is an unpredictable storm that can sweep your way any time and change life as you know it. Planning for the storm means building your body upon a foundation of physical activity, regular healthy eating and being kind to yourself. Remember that health is a gift that you can choose to receive, yet special enough not to be taken for granted. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it.
Cat Smiley is personal trainer and pro-athlete. Her company, Cat Smiley Personal Training, helps people of all abilities maximize their athleticism. Cat’s new internet radio show debuts November 10 on www.catsmiley.com. Contact (604) 488.7466.
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