Link to Article | http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2009/07/08/6266/incorporating-exercise-into-a-busy-life/

Written By: Jay Hewitt

July 8 2009 (Diabetes Health) – I would exercise if I had more time… if I had a health club membership… if it didn’t hurt so much… if I knew what exercises to do… if I could do it with my family… if I could control my blood sugar…

Have you ever said anything like that? I have. Yes, I race the Ironman triathlon, but I also live in the real world. I have a job (two actually-lawyer and motivational speaker), a wife and child, a house with chores that need to be done, and a demanding training schedule. Oh, yeah, and I also have type 1 diabetes. I know how hard it is to balance life and exercise. Let’s see what we can do.

If I had more time…

I remember thinking about running my first marathon in 1999 (eight years after I was diagnosed with type 1) and wondering, how does anyone have time to do that? A few years later I decided to race triathlons, then to enter the Ironman triathlon, and finally to qualify for and race with the long distance triathlon U.S. National Team. How does anyone with a job, a wife, and children have time for that? Time, however, is the great equalizer. Unlike money or talent, we all have the same amount of time, and it passes at the same speed for everyone. In his sage poem If, Rudyard Kipling reviews the many challenges in life and reminds us to “fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run.” Suddenly the unforgiving minute is gone. The year is gone. The decade is gone. I sure am glad I decided to run that marathon a decade ago.

Two important keys are flexibility and good habits. One good habit is early morning exercise, before the kids are up or the day gets too busy. For the working man or woman, I recommend that instead of sitting in a restaurant during lunch break, you work out for a quick 45 minutes or hour several days a week. Pack your workout bag before you leave the house every morning, even if you think you won’t have time. Like a Revolutionary War minuteman, you’ll have your gear ready to go when the bugle blows. Of course, you must be flexible enough to shorten or skip exercise when your job or family needs you more. They are the most important, especially in this threatening economic recession. Still, you have to be healthy to enjoy your family and handle your job, and exercise is the key to that. Do you find time to sleep, watch TV, or play on the Internet and Facebook, but believe that you don’t have time to exercise? You always make time for the things that are important to you.

If I had a health club membership…

The world is the greatest health club, and it’s free! Walking, running, cycling, roller blading, and hiking are all there for the taking. I belong to a health club for swimming and weight training, but I love to get outdoors to ride my bike or run.

If it didn’t hurt so much…

Who said exercise has to hurt all of the time? Yes, you do need to push yourself, and everyone likes the satisfaction and challenge of making it through that hard workout or up that steep hill. But some days all you need is a good steady effort, just enough to keep your heart rate going. You actually burn more fat when you exercise for a longer time at a pace that is not too intense. I call it the labored-conversation pace. Work out hard enough that your conversation with the person next to you is a bit labored. You don’t have to go all out for 20 to 30 minutes with your chest and muscles searing like you drank battery acid and your eyes popping out of your skull. Forty-five minutes to an hour at a labored-conversation pace will burn more fat.

If I knew what exercises to do…

I am a big fan of cross training, which can include walking, swimming, cycling, tennis, softball, playing golf without a cart, hiking, rollerblading, and aerobics. I like to weight train one day a week in the gym, but combine it with endurance training outside on other days. Once you are out of your twenties, sports like basketball, lacrosse, and soccer are hard on the knees and ankles, so I encourage “straight line sports” like running, cycling, and swimming.

If I could do it with my family…

Make your family a part of it. I love to push my daughter in the jogging stroller or pull her on my bike. Play co-ed volleyball or tennis with your spouse at the Y and take your family to watch Dad or Mom run the local 5k or 10k. Let them be excited with you.

If I could control my blood sugar…

Use technology. I keep OneTouch blood sugar meters in my workout bag, car, office, and home. Test before and after exercising. Keep nutrition and sport drinks available before, during, and after workouts. Adjust your insulin after some experimenting and checking with your doctor. I adjust my basal dose on my Omnipod insulin pump for long workouts.

The most important thing is to have fun. Whether you are racing or just getting in shape, she or he who has the best time, wins!

Link to Article| http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-health-recession-waistlines,0,1108878.story

THURSDAY, Jan 14 2010 (Chicago Tribune) – The economic downturn is busting wallets and bursting waistlines as consumers shift their eating habits to help their budgets.

With unemployment in the double digits, consumers who find themselves increasingly strapped have turned to cheaper means to feed their families. And those who have jobs are working longer hours, forgoing exercise and searching for foods that are economical and convenient.As a result, more consumers are turning to processed foods, either prepared, frozen or canned and often filled with fat-generating calories, refined grains and sugars. Experts said that’s making more Americans chubbier and prone to obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes in what has been dubbed “recession fat.”

“Eating healthy has been one of the big casualties of this economic downturn,” said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group and author of the research company’s annual Eating Patterns in America report. “Last year, consumers cut back on eating better-for-you and organic foods.”

The culprit is cost. About 70 percent of respondents to a recent Technomic Inc. survey said healthier foods are increasingly difficult to afford.

Meanwhile, consumers are turning to more affordable grab-and-go alternatives such as chips, cookies, candy and now snack wraps and miniburgers in between meals and often in lieu of a meal, recent studies show.

More consumers are eating at home. But some are cooking frozen pizza or bringing home fast food. The obesity rate was up more than 1 percentage point, to 26.4 percent in year-over-year comparisons in September, according to the Gallup- Healthways Well-Being Index.

Link to Article| http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/03/31/f-physed-obesity.html

TUESDAY, June 2nd 2009 (CBC News) – Some Canadians may be haunted by memories of being whipped by dodge balls in elementary school, not being fit enough to play midfield in soccer or watching as all your classmates were picked ahead of you for whatever game was the focus of this week’s gym class. Unpleasant memories of phys-ed can turn Canadians of all ages off exercise and sport.

The combination of a car-friendly culture and popular sedentary activities like watching TV or playing video games make it unsurprising that at least 25 per cent of Canadians between the ages of two and 17 are overweight, according to Statistics Canada.

A few years ago, the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that the average Canadian kid spends three to five hours a day sitting in front of a TV or computer screen. The study also showed that in the past 15 years, the incidence of obesity has grown by more than 50 per cent in children age 6 to 11 and by 40 per cent in those between the ages of 12 and 17.

Adding to the problem is that only nine per cent of parents acknowledge weight problems in their children, the Canadian Medical Association reported in August 2006.

Canada’s Physical Activity Guide advises children to aim for 90 minutes a day of physical activity.

In 2002, researchers in Nova Scotia concluded two-thirds of children and youth in Canada aren’t physically active enough to gain health benefits that would offer protection from heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

The researchers fitted children with pedometers that recorded all of their physical activity – club and recreational sports, walking etc., rather than relying on children to report how much they moved.

Over the past two decades, rates of overweight and obesity nearly tripled among Canadian children, according to the Canadian Institutes of Health Information’s report, titled “Improving the Health of Canadians 2004.”

Likewise, the report’s authors noted four out of five Canadian youth are not active enough to meet international guidelines for optimal growth and development.
The Active Healthy Kids Canada 2009 Report Card found that only 13 per cent of the country’s children and youth were getting 90 minutes of physical activity a day. The organization says besides the health benefits of physical activity, its research shows that active kids do better in school than sedentary kids.

The federal government has touted its children’s fitness tax credit as one way to encourage parents to help their kids get active. Parents can claim a maximum of $500 a year for eligible fitness expenses. Eligible activities must “include a significant amount of physical activity that contributes to cardio-respiratory endurance, plus one or more of: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility or balance.”

Joe MacDonald, a professor at the school of education at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., would prefer to see funding for school sports teams connected to the school curriculum. If young children are taught to understand how their bodies move, they’ll be more likely to join the teams, he told CBCNews.ca. Instead of being intimidated, they’ll learn to enjoy sports and physical activities.

Endocrinologist Dr. Laurent Legault of Montreal Children’s Hospital agrees self-consciousness and low self-esteem can be barriers to phys-ed instruction. “We want to move past the team sports concept and move to activities that someone can take with them when they’re 80,” Legault said. Teaching outdoor activities like cross-country skiing, for example, can be a hit with students.

Learning the physical basics
Before they can get to that stage, though, children need some tools. MacDonald called today’s children “physically illiterate” — just as they need to learn the mechanics of grammar to read and write, they also need to learn the “language of movement.”

Students in primary grades need a foundation of quality phys-ed classes taught by phys-ed specialists, just as teachers specialize in teaching math or science, he said.

Lesson plans should teach gross and fine motor skills, spatial awareness and timing. It may seem like children can run instinctively, but according to MacDonald, they need to learn the pacing of running.

Teaching children how to do three simple activities — run, jump and throw — is the key to their being able to enjoy other physical activities, from dance to golf to hockey.

Under this strategy, by the time children are about 11, they’ll have the proper psychomotor development and skills needed to play sports, he said.

Instead, adults impose their rules on children, forcing them to play sports by adult rules. Under that formula, only the elite kids who can handle it are able to succeed at sports, the professor said.

He cites Canada’s Kyle Shewfelt, Olympic gold medallist in gymnastics, as an example of the one-third of Canadians who were physically active as a child.

At age six, before starting school, Shewfelt was asked by a coach where he learned to do a handspring. “In the backyard,” Shewfelt answered. Parents, teachers and coaches nurtured the naturally gifted athlete to success at the Olympic floor event.

The CIHI report notes physical activity among children and youth is often linked to school settings.

Daily phys-ed is required until graduation in Quebec. Alberta requires 30 minutes of physical activity in all schools from grades one through nine.

In Ontario in 2006, researchers recommended the province consider changing its high school phys-ed program to help adolescents get their recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Phys-ed alone not enough in obesity battle
However, mandatory phys-ed classes until high school graduation might not be the ticket to reversing the childhood obesity trend.

A study published in the March 31, 2009, edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that while phys-ed does offer numerous health benefits, improving body mass index (BMI) in children was not one of them.

“Although the physical activity interventions in the studies we analyzed were not successful in improving BMI, the underlying reasons for failure were unclear,” wrote Dr. Kevin Harris of B.C. Children’s Hospital, one of the authors of the study.

But the researchers said there were other significant health benefits, including reduced blood pressure; increased lean muscle mass, bone mineral density and aerobic capacity; and improved flexibility.

In a related commentary in the same issue of the journal, Dr. Louise Baur from the University of Sydney, Australia, argued for long-term, multi-level approaches to combat childhood obesity. They would include:

Improved urban planning.

Provision of healthy meals in schools.

Subsidies on fruits and vegetables for schools and daycares.

“Recent evidence suggesting that the obesity prevalence rates in France plateaued following a range of multi-level interventions provides a glimmer of hope for other countries,” she states.

Those interventions in France included a study that enlisted most of the population of the towns of Fleurbaix and Laventie. Beginning in 1992, children received significantly more nutritional education, with a focus on traditional French fare. As well, children were encouraged to get involved in sports.

The researchers found that as children’s knowledge of nutrition increased, the eating habits of the entire family changed, putting a dent in rising rates of obesity.

The CMAJ editorial cited several approaches to tackling childhood obesity, including:

Increasing physical activity through unstructured activity and access to play equipment.

Parents acting as role models of an active lifestyle for their children.

Limiting television and computer time to less than two hours per day to reduce a child’s sedentary time.

Changing a whole family’s lifestyle.

Link to Article|htto://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BL3RT20091222

Written By: Joene Hendry

TUESDAY, Dec 22, 2010 (Reuters Health) – Being overweight or obese boosts a teenager’s risk of developing the nighttime breathing disorder obstructive sleep apnea, new study findings hint.

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, occurs when airway passages become blocked during sleep, cutting off breathing for brief but frequent periods. It is often accompanied by heavy snoring.

OSA is increasingly being recognized in children and the sleep disturbances caused by OSA can lead to daytime learning and behavior problems in children, as well as more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure.

In the new study, researchers found that the risk of OSA among a group of white adolescents aged 12 and older increased 3.5-fold with each upward increase in body weight classification.

The risk of OSA did not increase significantly with increasing body weight among younger children aged 2 to 11 years old. This was “a little surprising to us initially, as obesity is generally considered to increase the risk of sleep apnea amongst all children,” principal investigator Dr. Mark J. Kohler, research fellow at the Children’s Research Center at the University of Adelaide in Australia, noted in a prepared statement.

“Previous results have been inconsistent, however, and appear to be confounded by using mixed ethnic populations and different ages of children,” he added.
In the study, a total of 234 children aged 2 to 18 years underwent overnight sleep studies after their parents reported that each snored at least one night a week. None of the kids had medical conditions that might cause them to snore or stop breathing during sleep.

The risk of OSA alone was not found to be greater among adolescents compared with younger children. When considering only children who had OSA (that is, at least one bout of interrupted breathing per hour of sleep), there was a clear increase in the proportion of kids who were overweight and obese with increasing age.

However, after allowing for social and economic status, body weight, and differences in sleep study evaluations, there was no link between being overweight or obese and OSA in children younger than 12 years, even though about 30 to 40 percent of this group was overweight or obese.

By contrast, nearly all of the overweight (13 percent) and obese (nearly 53 percent) 12- to 18-year-old children had OSA; being heavy or obese was clearly associated with the condition in this age group, the researchers say.

In a report in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the researchers emphasize that they evaluated only white children. “Studies amongst different ethnic groups are necessary before these results can be generalized across races and applied clinically,” Kohler commented in an email to Reuters Health.

Link to Article| http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Fitness+drink+careful/2341049/story.html

Written By: Jill Barker

TUESDAY, Dec 15th 2009 (The Gazette) – Holidays are tough on the waistline. Parties, Christmas cookies, mom’s home cooking and family camped out in the guest room all threaten to derail the healthy habits you work so hard at maintaining the rest of the year.

Of course, a holiday isn’t a holiday if you don’t treat yourself to the odd indulgence. The occasional glass of egg nog or a couple of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts won’t cause you to spill out over the top of your jeans. In fact, researchers say most people gain only about a pound of extra weight during the holiday season (defined as mid-November through mid-January). The trouble is that extra pound has a tendency to stick around, leading to a body that looks more like Santa with each passing decade. To help you from being mistaken as jolly old Saint Nick, here are five suggestions on what not to do over the holidays.

Nibble your way into the next size up.

Your waistline can survive the occasional big meal, but what it can’t survive is a daily trip to the Christmas cookie jar and weekly pilfering from a buffet table overflowing with delectables.

To put it in perspective, munching on a shortbread cookie can add 150 calories to your daily diet, which if consumed seven days a week for four weeks results in 4,200 extra calories or about 1.2 pounds of added weight. It’s this kind of insidious consumption that if left unchecked will show up in the form of added inches where you want them least.

Keep temptation at bay by storing holiday treats out of easy reach or by packaging up any post-holiday leftovers as gifts. As for the buffet table, put a couple of your favourite treats on the plate and fill the rest with veggies, fruit and other low-calorie options.

Hibernate.

Don’t let holiday responsibilities keep you from getting outside for some fresh air. Going for a walk, joining the kids on the toboggan hill or clearing snow from the front walk all combine to burn extra calories and reduce the stress of the holiday season. Taking a break from your to-do list will breathe energy into your day and actually help you accomplish more – not less.

The same goes for the kids. Don’t let them spend the holidays in front of a screen. Visit the local outdoor rink, build a snowman on the front lawn or a construct a snow fort in the backyard. Sometimes the best holiday memories are made from spontaneous moments that capture the joys of being together as a family.

Ignore the cost of holiday cheer.

The consequences of eating your way through the holidays are well known, but did you know that Christmas cocktails can pack an even greater caloric load than many traditional holiday treats? A margarita or pina colada can ring in at 700 calories vs. about 300 calories for a Nanaimo bar.

The 90-calorie shot of alcohol isn’t the biggest culprit. Add juices, syrups and soft drinks to your glass and the number of calories per drink can easily double or triple.

Even seemingly simple drinks like a gin and tonic can contain more calories than you think. At 200 calories a glass, it’s easy to drink the caloric equivalent of a Big Mac (576 calories) in one night. As for the quintessential Christmas drink, rum and eggnog, it weighs in at 350 to 450 calories per glass, depending on the recipe.

Forget what the gym looks like.

Don’t let visits to the mall take precedence over visits to the gym. Both are holiday musts and should carry the same amount of weight on your list of seasonal priorities. In fact, a short reprieve from the seemingly endless list of holiday tasks will do your body good.

If you’re worried about leaving visiting family members at home while you bust out for a workout, ask them to join you. Many clubs permit guests during the holidays, which makes it easy to enjoy a yoga class with your mother or share giggles with your sister during a Zumba workout.

Use the holidays as an excuse to overindulge.

We all love to celebrate the season, but if you don’t put some parameters around your holiday lifestyle, you may find yourself carrying an extra pound of flesh for the next 365 days or more. So if you’re going to indulge in rum and eggnog and a piece of Christmas cake, just make sure you work the other end of caloric continuum and burn as many extra calories as you consume.

Before you add the guilt of not getting enough exercise to your holiday list, it’s natural to miss a workout or two during the holidays. To combat that “never enough hours in the day” feeling, remember that when it comes to exercise, every little bit counts. So take every opportunity to be active and encourage your family to do the same.

Link to Article | http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100113/statscan_fitness/20100113/?hub=EdmontonHome

WEDNESDAY, Jan 13 2010 (ctv.ca) – Canadians were far less fit in 2009 than they were in 1981, according to a sweeping new Statistics Canada survey, which found that obesity rates have sky-rocketed in both teenagers and adults.

The Canadian Health Measures Survey, which Statistics Canada calls the most comprehensive fitness study every conducted in the country, compiled data by taking direct physical measurements of subjects, including body measurements, cardio-respiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitness and blood pressure.

The survey found decreases in fitness levels to be most pronounced among adults between the ages of 20 and 39. According to the data, the percentage of adults in this age group with a waist circumference that put them at high risk for health problems more than quadrupled, from five per cent to 21 per cent among men and from six per cent to 31 per cent among women.

In the 60 to 69 age group, 65 per cent of women and 52 per cent of men were considered to be at high risk for health problems based on their waist circumference.

The data for youth was just as alarming. The proportion of both teenaged boys and girls who are at risk for health problems based on their waist circumference more than tripled between 1981 and 2009.

The number of teen boys aged 15 to 19 classified as overweight or obese rose from 14 per cent to 31 per cent between 1981 and 2009, while the number of overweight or obese teenaged girls rose from 14 per cent to 25 per cent.

Dr. David Lau, president of Obesity Canada, said the findings have grave implications, particularly for teens.

“We’re seeing more and more teenage boys, overweight boys, with all the adult problems such as high blood pressure, high blood fat and cholesterol,” Lau told CTV’s Canada AM on Wednesday morning. “So it’s not at all surprising to predict that their life expectancy will be shorter than their parents. And I think that’s a huge wake-up call for all Canadians to perhaps focus on trimming our weight down and become more fit.”

The survey contains the most accurate information available to date about the fitness levels of Canadians. For the past two decades, fitness-level assessments have been based on body mass index (BMI), which is an easily calculated number based on height and weight.

BMI statistics have shown that Canadians have become heavier over the past 25 years, Statistics Canada says.

However, other measurements provide a more well-rounded, and therefore accurate, picture of fitness levels and the resulting potential health risks, such as high blood pressure.

According to the survey, three per cent of the adult population had undiagnosed high blood pressure in 2009.

There are likely a number of reasons for the dramatic drop in fitness among Canadians, experts say.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa says declining physical activity is only part of the answer.

In 1981, when the study began, the Internet did not exist, cable television had far fewer channels than it does now, and video games were in their infancy, Freedhoff said. And fast-food choices, as well as prepared and other convenience foods, are only growing in popularity.

“The best thing that I think Canadians can do to start trying to turn this around, quite frankly, is learn how to cook, and to stay at home for meals,” Freedhoff said.

“And to start participating in fitness events and things to do with your family that aren’t just sitting around and watching television, but getting up and going outside.”

Link to Article|http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Getting+motivated+start+weight+loss/1866149/story.html

Written by Liz Bruckner

(calgaryherald.com)–For countless Canadians struggling with added pounds and lacklustre motivation, summer doesn’t rank high on their list of favourite seasons.

Take Natalie West: Having carried extra weight most of her life, the arrival of warm weather served as a cue for the Kitchener, Ont., resident to load on layers, cover up as much as possible and avoid bathing suits.
But this summer, having lost almost 80 pounds, West is happy to show off her form.

Hitting the big 3-0 in 2008 was what motivated her to alter her ways. “I suddenly realized that I only get one life, and one body through which to live it. That fact sort of smacked me upside the head,” she says.

A Real Story Of Weight Loss

And so began a winter of change, starting with an herbal cleanse, almost daily visits to the gym, and making conscious decisions at every meal to eat nutritiously. Two months into the process — and having dropped more than 20 pounds — Natalie was hooked.

“If you’d asked me how I viewed making the changes to my lifestyle in the beginning, I would have said it was a means to an end, and that I made the effort because I had to. But once I started seeing results and feeling better not only about the way I looked, but also about the way I felt physically — the chronic arthritis pain I’ve had since I was a teen is gone, and I’ve noticed improvements in my eyesight, as well — it completely changed my perception.”

Melanie Krochmalnek knows the feeling. Though the Toronto native initially began working out as a way to drop unwanted weight and tone up, she quickly found herself addicted.

“There’s nothing like the feeling you get after finishing a great workout. Boot camp is my current obsession, but I also dabble in Pilates, yoga, and spinning from time to time. For me, the physical benefits are great, but the way I feel mentally is the biggest bonus.”

This all makes perfect sense to Tosca Reno, fitness guru and bestselling author of The Eat-Clean Diet. Having gone through her own weight-loss battle — Reno was 40, overweight, and a mother to three young daughters before she began dedicating herself to changing her path — she’s always amazed at the different forms motivation comes in.

“The common thread when it comes to finding inspiration is the feeling that you’ve had enough. As soon as someone gets good and mad at themselves for letting their body and health go and decides to change things, they’ll be on their way. And whether that comes from stripping down in front of a mirror, or having enough of gasping for air after climbing a few stairs doesn’t matter, as long as the realization comes.”

Know What You Eat

Reno’s tips?When it comes to fuelling your body, be aware of everything you eat, and go as “clean” as you can, avoiding processed foods and “the worst ingredient out there”: sugar. Look at exercise as a date with yourself and not a chore. Book time in the morning and try working out with someone so you’re more likely to show up.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that obese adults had a 40-percent higher chance of suffering from severe headaches or migraines when compared to people at a healthy weight.

And don’t discount the effect extra weight can have on your mood.

Studies have shown that because overweight people are unhappier about their appearance, they’re 31 per cent more likely to have a less optimistic outlook on life than those at a healthy weight.

For the full article, please visit the following link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19744231

The purpose of this systematic review was to study the relative health risks of poor cardio-respiratory fitness (or physical inactivity) in normal-weight people vs.
obesity in individuals with good cardio-respiratory fitness (or high physical activity). The core inclusion criteria were: publication year 1990 or later; adult participants; design prospective follow-up, case–control or cross-sectional; data on cardio-respiratory fitness and/or physical activity; data on BMI (body mass index), waist circumference or body composition; outcome data on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence, type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk factors. Thirty-six publications filled the criteria for inclusion. The data indicate that the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was lower in individuals with high BMI and good aerobic fitness, compared with individuals with normal BMI and poor fitness. In contrast, having high BMI even with high physical activity was a greater risk for the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the prevalence of cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors, compared with normal BMI with low physical activity. The conclusions of the present review may not be applicable to individuals with BMI > 35.

Link to Article| http://www.canada.com/health/seniors/biggest+hurdle+getting+couch/1743931/story.html

Written By: Natalie Stechyson

Older adults wanting to become more physically active shouldn’t overlook training one of the most important parts of their bodies: the brain.

Developing the motivation to exercise is one of the most important keys to a healthier lifestyle.

Dr. Andrew Pipe, chief of prevention and rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, says that like many boomers, he grew up with an inactive lifestyle, and changing that later in life can seem daunting.

“I grew up in a time that if I went jogging I would have gotten beer cans thrown at me,” Pipe says with a chuckle. “Motivation can be a challenge, particularly for those who have not been active.”

Make Exercise A Life Habit

This attitude, Pipe says, is a critical issue for older adults, who are witnessing the growing prevalence of such diseases as obesity and type II diabetes. A 2007 study by the Public Health Agency of Canada found that eight per cent of adults age 55-64 report having heart disease.

Pipe says he encourages baby boomers to become active in their everyday lives, and the best tip he can give is to start by walking.

“If the benefits from walking every day could be made into a drug, that drug would be priceless,” Pipe said.

“Exercise doesn’t have to be scary.”

Peter Crocker, an expert in sports and exercise psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, says motivation is the most important factor in exercise because it determines which activity you choose to do and why you maintain it over time.

“It is fundamental,” Crocker says. “Without motivation you wouldn’t exercise.”

He adds older adults face such challenges as busy work schedules, family responsibilities and the reality of aging bodies: “We’re getting older. Our bodies aren’t in the same shape as when we were 15.”

The key is to find an activity you enjoy and to stick with it, Crocker says. People who feel they have to exercise — perhaps on a doctor’s orders — are more likely to drop out of physical activity than people who exercise because they find it pleasurable.

Crocker adds that exercising with other people is one way to make it more fun. “There will be barriers, but there are things you can do to overcome barriers.”

Susan Sommers, a Toronto marketing expert, had to overcome her own psychological barriers in order to complete her first marathon at age 61.

“I couldn’t even imagine that I could do it,” Sommers says. The race, for her, was as much a mental process as a physical one.

“The last three hours of my marathon had nothing to do with my feet,” she says.

Sommers, 64, has been a motivational speaker for 17 years. She encourages older adults like herself to find the inner drive to get fit. She gives advice — do your research before you start, set realistic short and long-term goals, have a support system, stay committed — and she leads by example.

“Motivation is sometimes other people saying we’re doing it and you can do it, too,” Sommers says.

Once you find your motivation, Sommers says, the attitude carries over into other personal and professional aspects of your life. Motivation allows you to find focus, balance and make changes and sacrifices.

Sommers gives the same tips to entrepreneurs and marketers when she speaks at professional meetings. She has even combined her strategies into a business plan she calls “marathon strategies for marketing success.” Her advice all boils down to one idea: to get motivated, you have to push yourself. And she promises it will pay off in the end.

“You realize how good it feels to take care of yourself,” she says.

5 TIPS to Kick Off Your Exercise Program

Here are some things to help kick off your program:

1. Get Advice.

Goals need to be discussed with a health care professional to determine how rigidly the exercise program can be undertaken, as well as any risks that it may pose to the well-being of the patient. A doctor is able to recommend the correct exercises and the techniques in which the exercises can be undertaken. The doctor will be able to monitor the progress from the weight loss programs and make recommendations for future exercise and diet.

2. Set Goals You Can Reach.

Many patients come out of the gates running; they don’t realize that beginning a healthy and active lifestyle occurs in small steps especially considering that immediately following your Lap-Band surgery you will not be ready to do the kind of exercises that you may be more prepared for 4 to 6 months down the road. It is important to have realistic expectations when beginning an exercise program and combine the program with adequate diet and nutritious foods. By starting slow, the body adjusts to the workout routine and eventually will build stamina within the body. Over time, stamina will increase and the body will adjust to longer and more strenuous periods of exercise. These realistic short term goals will lead to long term goals that will preserve your health while creating safe and effective weight loss. You will find yourself very surprised during the process that something that got you winded a few weeks ago is very easy today.

3. Get Going.

There are many simple ways that activity can be added into the routine on a daily basis. Simply increasing the amount of walking that is completed throughout the day, such as walking to retrieve the mail, or walking to the end of the block with the dog can increase stamina, burn calories and create muscle within the body. Walking can be implemented into the working routine by taking advantage of breaks. As little as ten to fifteen minutes of physical activity per day can act as a major step into an active lifestyle and expedite the weight loss process. Adding an extra minute to a routine, or lifting your knees a little higher all makes a difference in the big picture. Take it slow and don’t over do it.

4. Plan Your Exercise.

Like everything in life, an exercise plan is unique to each individual undergoing the weight loss program. Use the tools that you have within the home to implement your weight loss routine, such as cans or bottles filled with water a substitute for weights. Use what works for you, and you will find success within your weight loss program. You can learn to combine these exercises with additional hobbies which can lead to an all-around active lifestyle. Maybe you have a child who plays ball, or likes to ride a bike, maybe now would be the time to join in?

5. Stick With It.

Although an exercise plan may be difficult to stick to, consider making it part of your daily routine. Use short term goals to remain motivated by the weight loss routine, and celebrate weight loss with active living rewards. Surround yourself with people who are also interested in living an active lifestyle. Remember, that small changes lead to large changes, which lead to an overall change in lifestyle. Plateaus occur and it is acceptable to miss a couple of days on a weight loss program. The most important part is to return to the program and continue with the regimen. Having patience with yourself, above all, can reap the most rewards. Remember that when your day gets busy, don’t let the exercise routine be the thing that gets postponed or forgotten about. You have worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to get where you are now, so don’t let it all go south when you get busy or overwhelmed. The best time for some exercise is when you are stressed as it helps you focus and gives you time to focus and regroup.