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Busy Baby Boomers - Make Time for Exercise

Baby Boomers, I know how hard it can be to fit exercise into a busy lifestyle. Most people work a long day and by the end of the day are too pooped to move. The people that are in shape are the ones that make a date with himself or herself. Another way to insure that they will keep their commitment is to hire a personal trainer that will help them to stay on track and be consistent. It's important to exercise at a set time marked in your calendar. This is one way to make sure it is part of your day, not some afterthought.

If you're a morning person, the best time to workout for you is when you rise and shine.

Have your workout clothes where you can see them. Put them on as soon as you wake up.

Have a protein drink and you're ready to make your health and well being a way of life. What a great investment of your time. Not only will you look and feel great, you'll spend a lot less money on doctor visits and medicine when you make taking care of your health a priority.

If your not a morning person, then afternoon lunch hour or after work will be the best time for you to schedule your workouts. Bring your exercise clothes in a bag and leave it in the car with a bottle of water and a towel. Now you're ready to go the minute you have your lunch hour or when you leave work. If you do it during your lunch break, bring a healthy meal to work to eat while you're working since that hour will be devoted to exercise.

So now that you've determined which time slot works best for you, get your calendar out and schedule it in ink. I suggest doing a cardiovascular workout 3 to 4 times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes if weight loss is a goal. Weight training 2-3 times a week is so beneficial to baby boomers because as we approach our mid to late 40's and 50's, our metabolism slows down substantially. Building muscle will help us to burn fat so that we can drop excess weight and prevent weight from accumulating on our bodies. Also as we age, our bone density decreases. The key is to use our muscles, bones, joints and ligaments and keep them healthy and strong.

Always start with a warm-up such as brisk walking or bicycling to get the muscles warm. After about 5 minutes, stretch out your upper and lower body, your back and gently stretch your neck. Now you are ready to get busy with the weight training. If you do your weight training first, it will use your glycogen for energy. When that energy reserve is used up, it will go to your fat reserve for energy. This is why it is best to do the cardio afterwards.

If you begin with cardio, it takes 20 minutes before your body uses the fat for energy.

Okay, now you know what to do. Get your calendar and mark in pen your workouts every day of the week for the month. Each month, do this again. This habit will make you prioritize your fitness commitment. Try to be consistent and do it the same time each day. These appointments will make your time to exercise a scheduled event and your success will be greater when you plan ahead this way. . . .

 

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