Are You Getting Enough Exercise?

I told myself I was going to start writing more fitness-related posts, so here we go!

I think it goes without saying that exercise is a good thing that we all should be doing, in some form or another. But how much is enough? Work, family obligations, just life in general likes to get in the way and we find ourselves pushing off going to the gym or getting outside.

Before I go any further, I can't even begin to emphasize the importance of exercise enough! It is true that focusing on our bodies can be selfish, but when having energy, stamina, and strength enhances your life and decreasing stress improves your relationships, how is that selfish? If exercise consumes your life and you are more focused with how you look than spending time with your loved ones, then you may have tipped the scales too far, but otherwise exercise can be a healthy part of achieving balance in life.

So how much is enough? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults should be getting 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic exercise (ex. walking) OR 75 minute of vigorous aerobic exercise (ex. running) and 2 days of total body strength training each week.

Think of it this way... you can spend 30 minutes per day Monday-Friday performing an activity where you can talk (walking, easy biking, elliptical with light resistance) or you can spend 15 minutes per day Monday-Friday performing an activity where talking is difficult (running, biking or elliptical with heavy resistance). I can guarantee you that with the time you spend reading this article, checking Facebook/email/Instagram and whatever else, is the time it would take to go run for 15 minutes! So don't say you don't have the time to exercise ;P

Now I will admit that getting in proper weight training workouts could take a little more creativity, especially for those of us without gym memberships. But let me tell you, this is one area where social media has become an incredible tool! Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube have literally thousands of workout resources. Just now I typed in "total body workout at home" in the Pinterest search tab and found these three workouts, all of which would work every muscle group of the body:

But I don't know what a squat press is in workout #1... Guarantee you that Youtube can show us! And sure enough..

Even if you don't have dumbbells at home, you can improvise with cans of soup, gallons of water, cinder blocks...anything you can grab a hold of! And honestly, it really doesn't take that much money to invest in a small gym equipment supply. A yoga mat, 5-, 8- and 12-pound dumbbells, and a 20 pound kettlebell will cost you a total of $70 at Walmart. Considering the average gym membership is $20-30 per month, that equipment will pay for itself in two to three months, and except for the yoga mat, that equipment will last for years too!

Today's focus was simply to tackle the question: are you getting enough exercise? We've established that in as little as 2 hours a week, total, you can accomplish what you need to reach minimum health goals! This week I will address the different types of exercise (flexibility vs. cardiovascular vs. strength), motivation for finding the time to exercise, and some common technique mistakes people make in the gym. Stay tuned :)

Readers: Did you know about the CDC guidelines? Are you reaching minimum guidelines for achieving physical activity? What changes do you need to make? Do you use social media to find new workouts?