Doctor Dumbbell

Some people seem to think that you can get fit in a day or a week. For a lucky few, they can get away with just doing a few sessions before noticeable changes start to happen. For most however, this is not the case. The only way to get the long term benefits that regular exercise provides is to develop Exercise Persistence and make it become a habit.

“The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us to the act.” –Orison Swett Marden

The key to making a habit form is persistence and there are certain things that need to happen within you if you are to make your January resolution last throughout the year and beyond, and not just for the month.

The first thing needed is definiteness of purpose. This is basically the reason why you are exercising. It could be to feel fitter, lose weight, fit into clothes, to take part in an event; whatever it is, you should keep this in mind if you want to develop Exercise Persistence.

The next thing is desire. How much does your goal matter to you? How much do you want the result you are looking for? If you want the outcome enough, you will find the motivation to start exercising comes a lot easier. If the short term desire of the TV, sofa, junk food and a warm house is stronger then the desire to achieve your exercise goals you may struggle. This is why you should keep your fitness goals at the front of your mind at all times.

Definite plans are also required if a habit is to be formed, and it is best to record these on paper somewhere and review occasionally. By having a plan to stick to you stay focussed and are likely to attempt at least, to stick to it. Deciding that you will stick to an exercise plan of three times a week has a stronger purpose than just deciding to exercise when you feel like it.

So you have a definite purpose to exercise, the desire to achieve results and some accurate plans, the next thing needed to develop Exercise Persistence is self-reliance. This is the belief in your ability to achieve your goals. If the task seems too big and you don’t think you can get there it is likely that you will give up. As you start to exercise regularly it is important to monitor your progress in some way. If you are looking for physical benefits I would recommend regular Health MOT’s or fitness tests as these will highlight the improvements in your body, increasing your belief in your ability to get results, inspiring persistence.

If you are to develop Exercise Persistence you will also require accurate knowledge. Guessing at training techniques and hoping that you get results may destroy persistence as the results may never come. Books, magazines, TV, the internet; the information streams are vast. Personal trainers can be considered expensive, yet the knowledge you will gain even from booking a few sessions could be valuable in helping you to be more persistent and achieving your goals - money well spent!

Having empathy and understanding from others will help you with support. This cooperation with others can help you through the tough times and keep you focussed when you lose sight of your goals. It could be friends, family, training partners, exercise professionals; whoever it is, find someone that will support you on your journey towards Exercise Persistence.

In summary, if you want to develop Exercise Persistence, set some goals that are especially important to you, develop a weekly exercise plan, and find out your benchmarks. Then, find knowledge on the best techniques for you, enlist the support of helpers and monitor progress regularly. By January 2011 you will be practicing Exercise Persistence and be a healthier, happier person as a result.

How have you got on with your New Year’s resolutions? Are you going out for your morning jog? Have you signed up at the gym?
It should come as no surprise to you that if there’s one thing that is certain it is that you will lapse.
The most important thing is how you deal with these lapses. However, if you are realistic and honest with yourself then you are in with a chance. So rather than go through the same pattern of behaviour that keeps our gyms in business take some positive steps now!
Here are three things that you can try:
i. Put a reminder in your mobile phone calendar (try the middle of February) with a message that you would write to somebody else who you wanted to stay on track with his or her physical activity. We are better at giving advice to others!
ii. Reward yourself when you get back on track after a lapse; but make sure it fits in with your goal- in particular stay away from food rewards.
iii. Arrange to workout with a friend (another person is invested in your success) and do something that you both enjoy.
Good luck to you all and from everyone here at DoctorDumbbell.com we hope that 2010 will be a great year for you. Let us know how you get on by leaving a comment.

Little girls do ballet and little boys fight. Don’t they? Girls are interested in sitting up straight and looking pretty; boys like slouching and being mucky. Am I right?

So when they grow up women are more flexible than men and men are stronger than women.

These generalisations are presented to you not as facts but to provoke debate. Different hormone levels and genetics play are a factor as well but let’s concentrate on social conditioning. The pressure to conform to expectations. What does your child’s school offer?

How about a curriculum, which allows all children to sample a wide range of physical activity from an early age? How about more targets or milestones? This is not about competition; it’s about exposing young people to more options.

Is it time to stop thinking as certain sports as having a gender bias? For me hockey is an interesting one. When I was growing up this was seen as a girl’s sport in the UK. In the rest of Europe it was a boy’s sport. There is no obvious reason why.

I would like to think that it might be commonplace to have girl’s boxing, boy’s ballet and mixed football (soccer) teams. What do you think?

The Wii has brought physical activity to the computer game generation. The experience and interface has the game player moving in a way that no other computer game has managed previously.

The Wii was launched on 8th December 2006 in the UK. Have we seen a change in the nation’s health since then? Is there any group that has improved their health? Have people improved other aspects of their lifestyle since becoming Wii users? Does average Wii use equate to thirty minutes of moderate activity a day?

There is no doubt that a Wii is fun. I am not normally interested in computer games but the Wii is different. It seems to me that skills are more transferable. What I mean is, that I was never very good at using a keyboard or joystick. When I play the tennis game on Wii I use the controller in a similar way to a tennis racket. But I get the feel of playing tennis without actually having to learn how to grip the racket or run around very much. It is easier to get going.

The television commercials that I have seen portray the Wii as a family console. Everyone gets involved. In the same way that a family might play Frisbee in the park after a picnic, they might now head for the Wii after Sunday lunch.

All in all, I feel that it’s important to keep the Wii labelled as a game console. Not fitness (or sports) equipment. It’s great fun but my childhood is filled with memories of grabbing a tennis racket and hitting a ball against a wall for hours. Or heading for the park with friends to find a game of football. Sometimes we would go to White City Stadium and try the high jump or shot put. Those actual (rather than virtual) experiences set up a love for sport and exercise that I just can’t shake!

What do you think? Do you use a Wii for fitness? Have you got good results?

Have you let fear get in the way of your exercise? You probably have, especially if you enjoy classes or group activities.

This morning I dropped my daughter at her ballet class, which she loves. However, going in she mentioned that she was scared. She had missed two weeks and now everything seemed strange and unfamiliar. Perhaps the other children wouldn’t remember her? Perhaps they would have learned new things? Perhaps the teacher would be different? We took some time out to think about how much she enjoyed the class and focused on that and she went in as happy as can be.

I have had a similar experience with my cycle club. I wasn’t able to join them in a London to Nice ride. When they came back with those European miles (kilometres?) in their legs, I felt intimidated. I had also missed the camaraderie and the bond that riding together all day for four days brings.

There is no easy solution to this type of situation. You can shift your focus, remember past success or try breathing techniques. Realistically though, there is only doing it. You can acknowledge that your fear exists and then move on. Nike’s tag line is the best in the business. Just do it. Just DO it. Make it a mantra for yourself if you feel fear. Just do it.

I’m on a ‘well deserved’ break at the moment; enjoying the Mallorcan countryside. Whilst here, it has occurred to me that the beach body phenomenon is all about the end result and not the journey.  Once you’ve got your beach body, do you just want to become inactive and allow a flabby, saggy body to reform?

If you have summer holidays booked and you are shaping up to look great on the beach, perhaps start thinking about some activities to do whilst you are there.

Here are some suggestions:
•    Early morning or late evening jogs
•    Explore the surroundings with a hike
•    Find a scenic spot and practice Yoga or Tai Chi
•    Rent a bicycle and go to the next town or village
•    Bring a football and head for a pitch or open space (you’ll always find somebody looking for a game)

The great thing about all of the above is that it will inevitably lead to a stronger connection with local people and/or the environment.
Have fun and use the comment section to post your ideas for holiday fitness.

People tell me that they don’t go to the gym because they feel intimidated. They don’t know how to use the machines, they have no coordination or rhythm or don’t have the right clothing. There are fitter people there, who have perfect bodies.
This is a good point and the leisure industry needs to take a step back and look at what it is doing. There are national and international priorities around reducing obesity. These need to tie in with making an exercise venue as accessible or attractive as a supermarket, post office or pub.
Let’s start with the machines. Do all gyms need to be equipped with complicated cardiovascular and resistance machines? NO!  Exercise can be compared to play. When you watch children in a school playground, they don’t have complicated equipment but they are certainly exercising. For adults, this could mean indoor assault courses or speed drills.
What about those out of step in an aerobics class? Does it really matter? Is it time to try some music with no beat to follow (classical, abstract)? Or could the movements be free form anyway? The body responds to the activity whether you are moving in time or not.
I have worked with older adults and physical activity for the last twelve years and many come to exercise in their regular everyday clothing. That’s fine as long as the shoes are flat, rubber soled and they can move freely. This should be an inspiration to anyone who feels that they don’t have the right gear.
The fitter people who have perfect bodies will always at the gym but do they determine the agenda? I think that we are close to a tipping point where everyday people become the majority and have more of a say in their local gym. This bit is up to you. Now is YOUR time, if the gym has intimidated you. You can get together with friends and take control. You have a lot of leverage here and can involve media and politicians to get this right. Let me know if I can help you (stephan AT doctordumbbell.com). Good luck!

TAI CHI is thought to be one of the most practiced forms of health exercise on the planet. It is a gentle form of exercise that can keep you supple and refreshed.

Tai Chi is a Chinese Martial Art that has been practiced for hundreds of years, and is not exhausting or stressful. It is a series of continuous movements that relaxes the body whilst improving internal strength, stamina and suppleness. Most modern styles of tai chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun.

The excellent thing about Tai Chi is that you don’t need any special equipment or clothing. You can do it at any time, although for the best results, a morning session is ideal.

Learning to relax is the essence of Tai Chi. The slow gentle movements are designed to loosen up your joints and make you less tense. Breathing is essential, and it is good to practice to prepare:

• Try lying or sitting in a comfortable position and inhaling long slow deep breaths, taking the air right down to your stomach. Exhale smoothly. Start for a couple of minutes and gradually increase duration. This will help you stay relaxed when you begin to perform the movements.

When you practice Tai Chi not only do your muscles relax, but the nerves are calmed as well. Whilst other forms of exercise strengthen certain muscles, Tai Chi teaches the muscles to tolerate pressure without tension. The unique thing about this ancient art form is that rather than speeding up to get better, the more you slow down and relax, the better you become and the more you improve.

You can learn Tai Chi through books, DVD’s and taking part in a class, of which there are many across the UK, suitable for all ages and ability levels. Log on to www.taichifinder.co.uk to find your nearest class.

A bad back is no fun. It restricts what you can do.  Every day suddenly has its challenges. It can make you feel down, even lead to depression.
There are many reasons for chronic lower back pain. Certainly, you should see your doctor and find out as much as you can about what you can and can’t do.  That is the first step to taking control of the situation. There are three further steps to reducing or eliminating your pain.

Chronic lower back pain

1. Move! Yes, you guessed it. Movement is good. The key here is that it seems any type of movement or exercise is better than being sedentary.  Walking, cycling and really anything else that you feel like doing.  However, jolting or jarring movement are not a good idea and as always start slowly. This is a brave step- the normal human reaction is to stop moving.
2. Strengthen your legs. They are designed to do a lot of the work that the back ends up doing. This also takes a certain amount of re-education on favouring the legs for every day tasks such as lifting. Like any habit if you can force yourself to do it for, say 21 days it will become natural.
3. Work your deep postural muscles. Pilates is a great way to do this. A physiotherapist or exercise specialist can also help

And then let us know how you got on especially if you have an inspirational story that will help others.

There are lots of ways to improve your health. These are seven ideas that are simple and effective.
Run. Running is simple. People often say that all you need is a good pair of shoes. I’m not sure. Remember Zola Bud? She ran barefoot and so can you. Your running technique will improve and you will have fewer injuries.  This is as simple as exercise gets: no gym, no shoes, no specialist equipment, no relying on others. Just you and your body.
Breathe! It doesn’t get any simpler than that! I walked up the stairs with a colleague this week. Our offices are on the seventh floor. At a fast pace, I was breathless when I get to the top. My colleague was as well but didn’t want to admit it and was suppressing his breathing.  It then took him twice as long for him to be able to talk normally. Your body needs oxygen, and when you are exercising it needs more.
Hydrate yourself all day, every day. Yes you’ve heard this before but are you doing it? Team up with somebody to have him or her remind you to drink. My wife used to ask me whether I wanted a cup of tea. Now she asks whether I want a glass of water.
Eat smaller portions. We have all got used to portions that are much bigger than we need.  Even people who eat mainly health food can get this one wrong. Then they wonder why they are putting on weight! Secret tip: use a smaller plate.
Build functional strength first. A squat is a good example of an exercise that builds functional strength. If you are short of time or want to keep it really simple then it’s a good one to include.  An abdominal curl (or sit up) is an exercise that does not have much functional relevance so think about whether you need it.
Improve your posture. This gives you an advantage. If you are exercising it means that your lungs can function properly. If you are at work you will make a better impression. If you are on a date you will be more attractive.
Stay balanced. Remember these are tips for health! Too much of anything is not healthy! A Tour de France cyclist is not healthy; an amazing athlete: yes, but not healthy. In fact if you look at the life expectancy of extreme endurance athletes you may be in for a surprise.

Try these seven tips and see how much difference they make to your life