Getting in shape, what does it mean? Very simply stated, it means exercising in such a manner that will enable you to become stronger, and at the same time enable you to perform a particular activity for a reasonable amount of time without succumbing to fatigue. Your goal is to increase the duration of your activity by improving your cardio-respiratory (circulation and breathing) capacities.

This portion of the website will deal with subjects related to Walk Jog Run: Wellness For Everyone

Is it easy? No, it is not. Is it impossible at your age (whatever that may be)? Absoluteley not!

You have to set a goal. Why do you want to exercise? Do you want to have more flexibility?, more strength?, more body tone?, more endurance?, or do you just want to lose weight, and have no concerns with anything else?

If you just want to lose weight, period. Take walks that will last for 40 minutes to an hour. The energy needed to propel you on your walk will come from the storage of fat. Walk at least five days a week. The longer you go, the more fat your will burn, therefore the more weight you will lose. This is a fantastic beginning toward the development of a desire to get involved with a total fitness program.

It would be beneficial for you to look at or purchase Covert Bailey's, Fit or Fat Smart Exercise now in paperback--Smart Exercise, Covert Bailey's first book since he completed his 3.6-million-copy bestselling Fit-or-Fat series. Here is a comprehensive guide to exercise and training; an irreverent debunking of weight-loss myths; a lucid explanation of how our bodies stay fit or go fat. Bailey reveals the secret of true fitness: keep your muscles in peak form and everything else will follow.

Oh!, one more thing, be prepared to develop the "push-away". Go ahead and ask, the what? The "push-away" is where you deliberately push yourself away from the table that contains foodstuff that is not healthy, such as food containing a high content of fat.

Many times the best tasting food is that which contains a high percentage of fat, BUT it is not healthy, and detrimental to your objective.

Warning!!! If you have been leading a sedentary lifestyle and you are over 30 years of age, you are encouraged to get a physical examination from your doctor. It is important that you have medical clearance before beginning your program of exercise. It is equally important to identify any physical problems that currently exist or that may result from exercise. Don't worry, there is almost nothing that can stop you from improving your present level of fitness, if you have the desire. Don't be reluctant to go slow, and be patient.

Whether you are going to become addicted to exercise is very much an unknown. One thing for sure is, that as we get older, we lose some of our flexibility. Regardless of what activity you choose, you should preceed it with some form of stretching. I am a firm believer that pre and post activity stretching will not only help prevent injuries, but will be beneficial in reducing muscle soreness a day or two after your exercise session.

Look at Bob and Jean Anderson's world famous book on STRETCHING It was first published in 1975 when fitness awareness was in its infancy. Stretching has since sold over two million copies in the USA and has been published in 24 foreign editions worldwide. Now after twenty-one years and with many other books on the market, it has become the most widely-used and recommended book on stretching and its popularity continues to grow each year.

OR

if you are like I am, and learn much quicker by watching than reading, consider the Anderson stretching VIDEO
This video is excellent for all ages... It features Bob Anderson and is a video that offers people daily stretching with a simple, safe format. The 57 minute video is organized into six comfortably paced sections: a brief introduction, stretches for the neck and back, then legs and hips, followed by stretches for the feet and then arms and shoulders. The tape concludes with a 14 minute overall series of stretches that can be followed for everyday fitness or for a specific sport or activity.

It is important to be in the right frame of mind before embarking on this worthwhile venture. Be prepared to make an important investment--shoes. They are the tires for your Rolls Royce (body-to-be). Shop around at running stores. Be confident that the sales person is knowledgeable. I recommend that you purchase a good pair of running shoes. Why running shoes? Because my theory is that if shoes are manufactured well enough to run in, they are good enough to jog in, therefore they certainly are appropriate for walking. Ultimately, you will have shoes to meet any of your exercise needs.

I am not convinced that you have to spend a fortune on clothing. Put your vanity aside and remember why you are exercising. Wear clothing that will allow you a full range of motion as you stretch or... Walk, Jog, Run

If you would rather listen than read, it can be done! You can listen toWalk-Don't Jog: A Subliminal Persuasion/Self-Hypnosis Tape/Cassette

Always bring a sweat suit of some type to provide warmth to your muscles as you warm up and as a covering after you are finished. This will help you prevent any muscular discomfort due to a rapid thermal change.

Eating before exercising is important, but don't just eat anything. It is recommended that you finish eating two hours before exercising in order to allow proper digestion to take place. Be careful not to be is such a hurry (this is the 90's) that you forget to eat---something. Never exercise on an empty stomach or you may find yourself dizzy and body quivering from a lack of blood sugar (hypoglycemia). A bagel, toast, orange juice, or cereal will usually be sufficient. Watch out for the huevos rancheros or you may be reminded of what you ate throughout your entire exercise session.

Some think it is "cool" to workout without eating. This is a very common thing with people with eating disorders. I have found some success in convincing students that the food they eat prior to exercising is not really food but FUEL. FUEL that is absolutely necessary to provide the energy for propulsion during exercise.

WATER!
Bring water with you.
You SHOULD replenish water lost through perspiration and avoid dehydration. It is a fallacy that drinking water will give you stomach cramps.
Drink !!!!...

HAVE A PLAN!. It is recommended by most exercise cardiologists that you exercise at least three times a week for a period of 20 to 30 minutes with your heart rate elevated into a "training pulse" zone.

Sally Edwards' Heart Zone Training: Exercise Smart, Stay Fit and Live Longer This book is written to those of you who want to maximize your time and get the most fitness benefits. In addition, it dispells many myths of training: - As we get older we get worse. - The target heart rate is false. Here's an example: you want to lose weight and burn fat. How do you do that especially if you have been working out and getting heavier every year? Answer: train in the fat burning zones using the principles of time in zone and the power of a cardiac monitoring device - the heart rate monitor. It's an easy to read (takes about 2 hours) book that's for those who are the novice as well as the competitive athlete.
Sally Edwards, author, athlete, businesswoman and speaker. Easy sensible approach to training & fitness If you ever were an athlete or just wanted to be, this is the book for you. Sally Edwards really knows what she's talking about. The approach is down-to-earth and sensible, with stories to illustrate how it works. Heart Zone Training works, and it's easy. It works a lot better with a heart rate monitor though. I particularly liked that the book aims to help anyone, at any fitness level, instead of aiming at elite athletes. Highly recommended!

Another book, that will enable you to understand how to monitor your heart rate for optimum benefit is Kenneth Cooper's Aerobics Program for Total Well Being.
Before starting your workout, be sure that you understand what you are trying to accomplish. You should be concerned with doing something that is beneficial that has a low risk of injury. Learn how to monitor one of the basic components of cardio-vascular fitness...the number of times your heart beats in one minute. Take the time to learn an accurate method of monitoring your pulse rate. Research the formula for establishing a pulse rate that will be of benefit and not a detriment to your well-being. The formula will include your age and current level of physical conditioning. This is a MUST! Do not begin an exercise program without a basic understanding of how your heart works during exercise.

HOW TO BEGIN your own workout... One doesn't have to compete with others to enjoy results. If you are going to follow the recommedation regarding improving cardio-respiratory fitness. You will be exercising a minimum or three times per week. No more than two days should pass between exercise periods in order to optimize the benefits from your workouts.

If you have a friend to work out with, it is usually more pleasurable. Do not try and keep up with your friend if they are more advanced than you. Start slowly with a few minutes of walking and arm rotations, just to get the blood circulating at a pace more rapid than normal. Do some pre designed stretching exercises related to your activity. If you are going to start with a brisk walk or jog, be sure to be aware of the boundaries of your "training pulse rate" so you will not head toward exhaustion prematurely.

An excellent method to determine if you are using too much oxygen is by employing the "talk test". You should be able to carry on a normal conversation without huffing and puffing. If you are working out by yourself...talk anyway. If a stranger comments to you, just smile and carry on--for it is you who knows what they are doing. If you cannot talk without a loss of breath, slow down and walk until you can breathe comfortably through your nose. When you can do that, resume your original activity.

Related to normal avtivity is the unfair presumption that you know how to perform the skill with a moderate degree of proper mechanics. If not, do your homework, and research how to breathe properly, move the arms and legs efficiently, determine what is acceptable as good posture. If you do not pay attention to proper exercise mechanics, you run the risk of discomfort or injury to your back, neck, legs, etc.

Stop reading for just a moment to recognize that you may, on occasion, feel some muscle soreness. You might over exert and cause minor injury to certain areas of your body. Whenever you change your activity and involve muscle groups that are different from your prior exercise, you will probably feel a soreness, most prevalent a couple of days AFTER your workout. This is due to something called muscle specificity...pertaining to a particular muscle or muscle group.

If any soreness or swelling occurs, think of R.I.C.E.--rest, ice, compression and elevation. That is how you treat your injury. Rest and try not to use the affected area. Apply ice for 15 to 20 minutes every two hours for the first 48 hours. Apply an ace bandage if swelling is present. Elevate the injured part of your body, if possible, so the blood will flow toward your heart and not out toward the tips of your arms and legs. If pain persists, see a physician, you may need a prescribed medication to help you recover.

For those who read everything and finally got here...Congratulations!!!
Now--everybody UP! Are you ready? Lets get started!