Tuesday, January 13, 1998

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO EXERCISE CAN BE A TOUGH STRUGGLE

 

MANHATTAN -- For many people, exercise is an annual New Year's resolution. But often it is difficult to keep those resolutions. With the new year only a couple of weeks old, many have abandoned their resolutions. David Dzewaltowski, associate professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University, gives some facts and advice about exercise to get re-motivated to continue exercising throughout the year.

* The first step is making the decision, so that's really what the resolution is. The problem with decisions about exercise is that when we find out those decisions are hard, we tend to change our choices. Make a resolution that is attainable.

* It's best to make sure you're medically okay to start an activity program. So if you haven't seen a physician in a while, and you're middle aged or an older adult, it would be wise to visit a doctor for a physical examination.

* If you want to improve your health, or just want to get started down that path where your risk for chronic disease will decrease, the Center for Disease Control suggests a minimal guideline of about 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.

* For those who start a program of exercise, there will be a dropout rate of about 50 percent within the first six months. And of that 50 percent, most of them drop out in the first couple of months. The long term studies that have followed people longer than six months, show that percentage starts to increase. Most people in the United State don't exercise on a long-term basis.

* Research literature suggests if you lose confidence, you're not going to succeed. If you choose to exercise, and you start that program and suddenly you lack the confidence you can do it, you're going to drop out. So pick an activity that you're confident you can do and you can stay with.

* If you look at our society, we see obesity increasing, and we often tie that to caloric intake in our diets and increases in fat. But the research suggests that our society is really becoming more sedentary. So that's a contributing report to why body fat is increasing. It's not necessarily only related to diet.

* If going to a fitness center or investing in exercise equipment doesn't work for you, try to find an alternative that fits into your lifestyle. Try three 10-minute, brisk walks throughout the day, or activity around the house such as gardening, yard work and shoveling snow, even walk to certain places rather than driving.

* Your body changes when you start to exercise. You increase muscle mass, water weight and the amount of sugar stored in the body, and if you step on the scale you may suddenly weigh more even though you are losing fat. If you stay with the program over a long period of time, you start to receive all the benefits.

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For more information, contact Dzewaltowski (pronounced JEV-ULL-TAU-SKEE) at 785-532-6765.