Working World

Huffing and puffing on the treadmill, rubbing aching muscles after wrestling with a gym machine, gazing hungrily into a pastry display case, you mutter to yourself, “There’s gotta be an easier way!” A way to health and fitness that doesn’t involve so much discomfort and self-denial. To raise your morale, you think back to your New Year’s resolution: “This year, come hell or high water, I’m gonna lose some serious weight, join a gym, and stop smoking. I mean it this time!”

You did mean it. Every word. But now, you can feel yourself backsliding. What went wrong? It wasn’t your New Year’s vow—that made perfect sense. Maybe it was your approach that was, ultimately, self-defeating. The approach to health and fitness that often ends in defeat can be cartoonized as a 300-pound NFL linesman, in full football armor, charging into a wall of bad habits. At the core of this do or die approach are willpower and the expectation of pain. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.”

This year, why not try a different approach? Make finesse, not force, the backbone of your campaign to get back in shape.

Psych Yourself Up

First, revive your motivation by recalling the proven benefits of fitness and good health.

• A longer life blessed by years of feeling good. Becoming healthy and fit boosts your chances of avoiding the major American killers: heart disease, cancer, diabetes—and living to a ripe old age.

• Sex appeal. Being healthy and fit preserves the good looks and youthful vigor that make a person attractive and confident at any age.

• The healthy, fit worker is better able to cope with the stresses of the job. You’ll be more equipped to shrug off the tension and fatigue common in today’s workplace.

• With more energy and stamina, you’ll have a greater capacity for fun in your after-work hours. Your weekends and vacations will also be more fun-filled and refreshing. 

• If you’re healthy and fit and, like so many Americans, have limited employer-provided medical insurance, your out-of-pocket health care costs will be lower. Think how happy you’ll make your boss by taking fewer sick days.

• You’ll be better able to shed health-risky habits like smoking, drinking, drugs, overeating, and being sedentary.

• You’ll enjoy better moods and have more self-confidence.

• You’ll be better able to cope physically and emotionally with unexpected emergencies. Think of 9/11 and Katrina. Who can run to safety, climb stairs, and help others more easily: the person who’s in good shape or the overweight couch potato who smokes?

If you have any doubts about the value of regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle, just go online and browse a few of the many reputable health, fitness, and medical websites.

Try Finesse, Not Force

Even people who start out with strong resolve can lose the battle against unhealthy habits. Here’s where a kinder, gentler approach can make a difference. It can be summed up in seven tactical truths.

Tactical Truth 1: Step by step and little by little.
If there’s a single key to building health and fitness without the need for pain and teeth-grinding willpower, this is it. Be consistent... increase the demands you place on yourself in small, doable steps... give yourself time. You will see results!

Tactical Truth 2: It doesn’t have to hurt.
For the average person, regaining health and fitness doesn’t have to turn into an extreme sport. Take slow, steady, progressive steps. Keep gradually pushing the envelope. There’s no need to plunge into the pain zone. If throwing away the whole pack has failed in your war on smoking, try reducing your habit by just one or two cigarettes for a week at a time, then maintain that reduction until it becomes a habit. Cold turkey works for some people but not everyone.

Tactical Truth 3: Don’t go it  alone.
When you’re trying to improve your fitness and health, it’s easier with a buddy. It can be a friend, coworker, neighbor, or significant other. It’ll be more fun, you’ll give each other encouragement, and you can compare notes. At the gym, a personal trainer can help you reach your goals.

Tactical Truth 4: Set aside a regular time that’s best for you.
For some people, it’s the morning when we’re fresh and have more energy. A pre-work workout can set you up for the whole day. For others, after work is better. An hour or so of exercise helps purge the stress of the day. Or, try a lunchtime fitness break. At many gyms, the treadmills are humming between noon and two.

Tactical Truth 5: Eat less. Is excess weight your demon?
The key to losing pounds can be as simple as eating less (taking in fewer calories) and being more physically active (burning more calories). According to a best-selling book, French women don’t get fat because they have portion control and walk more. It’s a very simple equation. Serve yourself half as much as you normally would, then put the food away to discourage seconds. When you eat out, eat half, take half home. Small changes add up.

Tactical Truth 6: Variety is the spice of life and of workouts and dieting.
Boredom can sink the most sincere health and fitness plan. Vary your workouts and meals to keep them interesting. By making it fun, rather than an ordeal, you’ll achieve more.

Tactical Truth 7: Walk, walk, and walk some more.
Brisk walking, hill walking, any walking. You don’t need special equipment or a gym membership to work 20-30 minutes of walking into your daily routine. Park a block or two from your destination. At the mall, take the stairs, not the escalator. Find an attractive neighborhood and explore it at a brisk pace. On the weekends, head for Griffith Park or the canyons or the beach and walk. Get a dog and enjoy walking him in the mornings or evenings.

Your New Year’s resolution to win back your health and fitness was the best decision you ever made. It needn’t turn your life into a Spartan boot camp. In 2008, try the easier path to the rewards of a fit and healthy life.  

Burt Wetanson is a freelance writer who has contributed over 60 articles to Working World. His goal: “to give readers practical tools for success in the tough L.A. career market.”

1 COMMENTS

• Catherine Rhodes

  I agree that taking small steps and allowing them to slowly become habits is the secret to getting in shape. Anything too radical won't have a lasting effect.

  Jan 24, 2009