Avoiding Exercise
It started out as a quest. The goal was to exercise continuously everyday for an hour a day for 100 straight days. Then I saw a facebook post from an old high school classmate complaining about people posting their workout results on facebook. That got me to thinking. Maybe I have the wrong approach. Maybe I should avoid exercise by just enjoying myself. So the goal was altered to “avoiding exercise” for 100 straight days.
Why an hour? An hour is the intersection of advice. I met a running coach last year. We had several conversations about exercise and weight loss. He quoted several studies that said that an hour was the ideal exercise period for weight loss. It had nothing to do with intensity. It had everything to do with how the body’s metabolism works. The other advice came from my Cardiologist. He told me that after an hour of continuous exercise the heart no longer was gaining a benefit. All of the cardio benefits came within the first hour.
This year I completed my 9th marathon. But, I finished it walking and that is not the way I want to end my marathon career. I want to finish it running. I know what my problem is. I weight too much. Carrying that extra weight for 26 miles is hard on the back the knees the heart and every joint and muscle in the body. Marathon training for the May marathon officially starts January 1. This January 1 the goal is to start training in good shape.
The avoiding exercise concept began with a face book post. It was a cartoon posted by a high school classmate complaining about people who post their workout results. Now, mind you, it is perfectly all right if people post the results of all night partying. But, anyway it got me to thinking. What if I decided to avoid exercise, and played instead.
The result of the new attitude has been good. I made it 10 days avoiding exercise before missing on the 11th day. On the 12th day I got back on the horse and today will be my 15th day in a row. I am mixing it up. I will run, walk, bicycle, or I will kayak. Whatever is available that day, and strikes my fancy, I will do.
Yesterday was a kayak day. My home is on a river and kayaking is a convenient way to avoid exercise. It is also enjoyable. Enjoyable is the key. People think of exercise as drudgery. How can a nice long walk in a small town be drudgery? The short answer is, if you let it. Don’t let it. The pictures in today’s blog are all from one kayak ride. The tug is a DDAY veteran. My last blog all the pictures were taken in one small town walk. Get out and play, or just go sightseeing. It is a great way to get healthier while avoiding exercise.