stay the course
Keep resolutions all year long
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
For many people, the number-one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get more exercise.
While those are good resolutions, they are often hard to keep.
For gym rats, it’s a tough time of year because they have to wait to use machines and weights at the gym.
Exercise classes can be more crowded, too, as more people sign up and buy new workout clothes and shoes.
But often by the middle of February or the first of March, the onslaught of new exercise enthusiasts has dwindled away.
Some exercisers simply won’t fully commit; others go gung-ho, starting such a strict regimen that no one could keep up.
Yet some people continue to exercise all year long — walking, running, cycling, swimming, skiing, snow shoeing or lifting weights.
So what’s their secret?
“I want to grow old and be comfortable in myself and be able to do things with my kids and my husband,” said Linda Madsen, a Ronan area walker.
She has been walking with the same group of women for about 10 years and loves the walking path paralleling Round Butte Road west of Ronan.
“I prefer walking outside — year round — to the treadmill,” Madsen said. “It’s a great way to start your day.”
Madsen also likes yoga. She also takes adult education classes, such as Zumba and HIT, to vary her fitness activities so she doesn’t get bored.
She said sometimes it’s kind of hard to drag yourself to the gym or to class, but she’s never been sad that she went.
For people who worry about others watching them, Madsen said, “You are only competing against yourself.”
Besides most exercisers are too busy working out to watch everybody else.
For some, it’s exercise partners — the “buddy system” of accountability, which Madsen said helps her. Other exercises are intrinsically motivated; and still others opt to take group exercise classes that provide encouragement.
Statistics from the Journal of the American Medical Association show that more than one third (34.5 percent) or 78.6 million adults in the United States are considered obese. Less than five percent of adults receive the recommended 30 daily minutes of exercise.
In March of 2014, Dan Nelson started swimming at Mission Valley Aquatic Center to rehabilitate his knee after surgery. He started slowly, but by May he was swimming up to 20 laps and had lost 50 pounds, according to a thank-you note sent to pool staff.
Whatever exercise a person chooses, it’s important not to get bored. Vary the routine by switching from bicycling to running once in a while or go snowshoeing instead of a Sunday run.
Even Polson’s hard-core professional tri-athlete, Matt Seeley, likes to think up fun challenges. For his 44th birthday, he did 4 400s, and his family did a relay to keep him company. In all kinds of weather, Seeley can be seen biking to work in Pablo.
Seeley has some words of wisdom about keeping resolutions. He’s been trying to build training communities and athletic communities in Polson for the last 10 to 15 years.
These sorts of activities — with groups of people — adds motivation and a sense of collective effort, plus accountability to get out of bed, Seeley said.
A second part of this idea is to stay consistent from week to week. Instead of saying “I’m going to take 30-minute walk in the next few days” say “I’m going to walk on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” he said.
Seeley also urged people to document their exercise, what they did and how they felt. This lets a person set goals for distance or time, and sometimes just being able to write it down is enough to get a person going, he said.
Seeley has been getting up at 5:30 a.m. to go swim with a group of people at the Mission Valley Aquatic Center. To get himself out of bed, he’s been thinking about how much better he’ll feel after he swims, although that’s an hour or so in the future.
Another motivator is registering for a future event, such as a bike race, a 5k or marathon, “and announcing it to the world” to push through the tough times in your training, Seeley said.
“For me — Tana (Seeley’s wife) will tell you and others — I’m addicted to exercise,” Seeley said. “I don’t do well if I don’t exercise in the morning.”
He said he’s so much more relaxed in stressful situations and he enjoys the day so much more.
At the end of the day, Seeley said exercise gives a person little bit of processing time. Also, exercising allows him to eat more of the foods he likes and stay healthy and fit.
So to keep that resolution, eat clean, get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, vary the exercise, and have fun.
