March 9th, 2008 Take Ten!

Has reality set in leaving you with less desire to maintain that New Year's resolution to exercise regularly 2008? Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone in your decreased desire to get out of bed or take the time after work to fit in your fitness workout! This is usually the time of year when we can find ourselves reflecting on how realistic those resolutions really were! The scholars of time management have repeatedly revealed to us in history that although we're a species with the greatest of intentions, we do have a tendency to set unrealistic goals at times.

Time seems continually to play a vital factor in actually fulfilling our desire to get in to the healthy habit of exercising regularly. Taking the time out of our already work and activity filled days can leave us feeling like it's almost impossible to fit anything else in to them! There is light at the end of this struggle as recent research strongly proves that shortened periods of exercise are very helpful in maintaining health and fitness. One of the greatest barriers for people wanting to maintain a healthy fitness program is their perception of the time needed to invest in it. Another factor in deterring people from committing to an exercise routine is they're not able to leave their home for long periods of time. Although there are a number of great club and gym facilities in Thunder Bay with very reasonable membership rates, some people just find it too difficult to get out regularly to enjoy these facilities. Having a newborn baby, running a home based business or caring for an elderly parent in one's residence can result in individuals spending more time at home.

Until recently, research suggested that a person was required to perform cardiovascular exercise for at least fifteen minutes three times a week to elevate the heart rate in order to acquire any health benefits. Today, health and fitness researchers worldwide have been promoting fitting shorter periods of exercise in to daily activities of living. The overall goal is to help people realize that fitting in a few short periods of exercise for five to ten minutes at a time is very beneficial to our overall health. For example, walking several flights of stairs instead of taking an elevator every day, which takes approximately seven minutes, lowers the risk of developing heart disease by sixty percent. Recent studies have proven that putting up bright informative signs at a shopping mall to encourage using stairs instead of elevators has increased the amount of people actually using the stairs by six percent!

If we were able to dedicate even 10 minutes a day to exercise, think of how drastically that would reduce our percentages of developing sedentary related physical ailments. By simply walking around the block for 10 minutes at lunchtime you could proudly say I've started an exercise program! If you haven't been exercising for a long period of time, and of course if you're starting something quite different than your body is used to, it is always strongly recommended to consult your medical doctor prior to initiating a new fitness regime. This is very important for people that have previously diagnosed medical conditions requiring regular check-ups.

So, instead of feeling overwhelmed about where to start with exercise, remember you can always fit 10 minutes in to your day to get started. For those that want to try a ten minute work-out plan at home, the Thunder Bay Public Library abounds with resources to assist you in doing so. If you would like to try a work-out DVD, consider some of the following all produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment: 10 Minute Solution Yoga, 10 Minute Solution Fitness Ball Workout, and 10 Minute Solution Blast Off Belly Fat. Each of these DVDss consists of five 10 minute workouts that you can individualize to your personal needs. If you're interested in reading about the benefits of short periods of exercise, try these titles: The 10-Minute Rejuvenation plan: T5T, the revolutionary exercise program that restores your body and mind by Carolinda Witt. Another great book we have on this topic is a brand new release called 10 Minutes in the Morning: The 28-day yoga & Diet Plan by Barbara Currie. These are just a handful of the resources that the library has to help you get started on a home exercise plan! So have fun, and remember all you need to do to get started is TAKE TEN!


Raegan Rocco, Library Assistant