�Who Says You Can�t Teach an Old Dog a New Trick or Two�

Today I went to have what I thought would be a Stress Test. When I got there they said I needed to have a bunch of other tests first. After they checked me out they said I was fine – but because my father has had heart disease they would like me to come back at the end of March for the stress test.

This place was amazing. C-era Medical Clinic was founded in November 1999 by Dr. Alykhan Nanji. The clinic was developed using concepts from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Faculty of Management at the University of Calgary – along with a philosophy of global best practices, preventive health care and excellent patient care.

In any case the really great thing is that I found their Website. http://www.c-era.com Check it out – great info to keep your heart ticking. Here is an example of just one of many articles.

The Benefits of Regular Exercise

Exercise helps you feel better, live longer and (surprise) it can even be fun! Here are just a few ways that exercise can improve your life.

Exercise improves your mood.

Exercise stimulates brain chemicals which leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You’ll also look good and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

Exercise combats chronic diseases.

Regular exercise can help you prevent and manage high blood pressure, improve your cholesterol and might even prevent Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

Exercise helps you manage your weight.

This one’s a no-brainer. When you exercise, you burn calories. The more calories you burn — the easier it is to keep your weight under control.

Exercise makes your heart happy.

Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular exercise helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently.

Exercise promotes better sleep.

A good night’s sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. Regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep.

Exercise can rev up your sex life.

Regular exercise can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which can have a stimulating effect on your sex life. Plus, men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than men who don’t exercise!

Exercise is fun!

Exercise doesn’t have to be drudgery – think of it as play time! Take a ballroom dancing class. Explore a local walking or hiking trail. Push the kids on the swings. Find activities you enjoy and can do with people you love!

Here is the best 15 minutes a day you can ever give to yourself:

1)    Climb the stairs in your building and keep an eye on your watch because you need to keep moving for 10 minutes – push yourself and don’t quit. This isn’t going to give you a super model body but it is going to keep your inside healthy.

2)    Do some abdominal exercise – you can do knees to elbows – right elbow touches the left knee and then the left elbow touches the right knee – great twisting and bending action here – 25 per side is what we are looking for here. After day one and two you will be stiff but keep going and the soreness will go away. One last thing throughout the exercise keep your chin tucked down to your chest.

3)    Now time for 3 sets of 10 push-ups. To start you can keep your knees on the ground.  Other exercises you can do are shoulder raises with light weights, dips on a chair, use your imagination here – remember this is for you – you always have 15 minutes for you and if you don’t – it’s time to rethink this life you are living.

4)    Stretching – there are many ways to stretch – check out Google and try new stretches every day. This is the most important element for mobility as we age – so don’t blow it off. Again it’s the first step in truly loving you. If you have no time for you – how can you really have time for others? Enjoy

Throughout my past I have tried to externally motivate myself every which way to get into shape and stay in shape, but to be completely honest none of my past attempts ever lasted.

Oh ya there were times when I was able to stick at it long enough to run a marathon, or long enough to bring my body fat down to 8 or 9 %, BUT to transform those behaviours into a long term lifestyle – well that was going to take a completely different mindset.

I’ve met many people that the doctor told them if they didn’t quit smoking they would die – did that make them quit – NO. I have met many people that the doctor told them they must lose weight or they will die – did that make them eat less – NO. Why – because as Scott Peck stated in “The Road Less Travelled” we as human beings are innately lazy and it is our destiny to destroy ourselves.

Now ain’t that the kicker. I can hear you now – NO WAY! I would never destroy myself.

Well just think about it for a second.   —  Ok you done!

Look we are all the same – we all have countless excuses why we do what we do and why we don’t have the time or the energy to love ourselves and make every effort to care for our self. Yes I said care for our self.  

So how do we do it; well we must find it within ourselves to truly value who we are and what we offer to the rest of the world. We must learn that exercise is the key to inner beauty and shed this facade that it’s all about external looks. Face facts, we are all going to die and we are all going to lose our youthful look – BUT – if we attain good health and true inner beauty we will never lose it. Key word NEVER!

Love is an act that is reciprocal – but not in the way most people think. Love is an act we must give away to get back – we do not get love from others. So if we are going to care for ourselves we must act – we must give away love and it will come back to us. Confused?

I hear it all the time, I just want to find someone who will love me for who I am – HEY STOP – the person you are really looking for is yourself and once you accept this you will remove all these unrealistic requests from your parents, children, friends, significant other or spouse.

The next thing I needed to understand was what I was really trying to accomplish with my exercise. In the past it was all ego driven – all about external looks – like great pecs or a six pack, which was a reflection of my lack of self worth and insecurity. Now it’s about health, being healthy enough to be happy so that I can give away happiness on a daily basis. I walk where I can, workout when I can and try to watch what I eat – BUT most importantly went I slip up now I forgive myself and accept that a one day slip is not the end of the world, all I need to do is get back on the horse the next day. Whereas in my past I fell victim to my overly zealous ego and threw up my hands immediately stating “What’s the use!”

So there you have it plain and simple – exercise for all the right reasons and you won’t end up with so many internal battles that you just can’t win!

Fact – the more we exercise, the more we reduce our risk of cardiovascular problems. The Institute of Medicine is on record as saying that we “now need’ to exercise for an hour a day and if we were to exercise for two hours a day it would be even more beneficial to our health.

Sounds good right, but who the heck has two hours a day to exercise? Therefore the real question is: How much exercise we actually need to benefit our cardiovascular system in a way that will significantly reduce cardiovascular problems.

Scientific literature from numerous studies state that heart attack risk can be reduced by 30 – 50% by regular, moderate exercise. In fact additional studies state that 20 minutes a day was enough to gain a substantial improvement in cardiac risk.

So if you have the time, get that body of yours in gear and knock out a couple hours of cardiovascular exercise a day, but if you’re like me and have way to many other things on your plate to spare that much time – well then I guess twenty minutes of moderate daily activity will just have to do.

You owe it to yourself – to love yourself – to discipline yourself – to help yourself!

It has been scientifically proven that there is nothing in the body that causes it to age.
There are no  time-released elements, or alarm clocks set to go off at specific times
causing deterioration.  The reason people age in appearance and attitude is because
they believe they’re supposed to.  They’ve programmed themselves subconsciously to
look and act a certain way at respective points in their lives. 
They believe and accept age and therefore get old.
Jean Walters

So if this is true – and I belive it to be true - we are going to need to keep our bodies in a condition that will allow us to enjoy a longer life and that means staying fit. Yes exercise – BUT – you must exercise for YOU!  Don’t subject yourself to self-professing experts.  Everyone has an opinion and while his or her intent may be honorable, spare yourself from his or her kindness.  If you really need help to develop a program seek out a professional trainer at your local gym or internet directory.  Now the word exercise derives from a Latin root meaning “to maintain, to keep, to ward off.” To exercise means to practice, put into action, train, perform, use, and improve. For us the key word – is “IMPROVE” – slow and steady wins the race!

Go about things slowly and trust your body to let you know what is right and what is not right for you.  But how will you know if what you are doing is right?  We did say go about it slowly didn’t we?  Trust yourself, follow the instructions for whatever exercise you have chosen. There are thousands of programs available on the web as well as in book stores and librarys.
 
Listen to your body, it will tell you if the movement feels acceptable and if the weight or resistance is safe.  Again if you’re not comfortable trusting yourself seek out a professional until you have developed enough confidence to trust yourself.  In any case only you will know if you are being honest with yourself and once that honesty has been developed, trust will soon follow.

The National Institute on Aging states that osteoporosis is a preventable disorder when weight-bearing exercises such as “walking, jogging, playing tennis and dancing,” become lifestyle activities done three to four times per week.

So what’s stopping you from exercising and doing what it takes to keep youself fit and active? Well if it’s not happening I guess that’s a question you need to ask yourself.