The key to good fitness is understanding what one’s own current fitness level is, and then designing an exercise regime accordingly. And this includes considering our mental health
Felipe Alvares
Times are changing, and multitasking is now the new buzzword to stay ahead of the pack. And in an attempt to prove we are better than the rest, many of us have this tendency to take on more than we can actually do. It’s the same with exercising. Once we’ve made up our mind that we need to hit the gym, we go all out on day one itself, and then we burn out equally fast. After this, the enthusiasm with which we started wanes away as we neatly tuck away our gym wear in the deepest recesses of our cupboard, only to be remembered when, maybe, a medical emergency strikes! Being healthy is a lifelong commitment. You don’t wake up one morning deciding you need to shed the kilos or build the muscle and then lose interest in your body and yourself as you turn the page on your calendar.
The key to being consistent with an exercise regimen is to first be aware of your fitness level so that you don’t go overboard at the start and fizzle out in a week. Being aware of how fit (or unfit!) you are will also help you decide on how much exercise you need to be doing and how often. First, you need to categorize your fitness level as being poor, fair, average, good, or excellent. Remember, we’re talking about present fitness level! And not about the good old days when you were an athlete or used to run 3 km without breaking into a sweat! You may get back to your ‘old fit self’ soon, but begin with how fit you are today. A simple way of categorizing yourself is with the help of the 12 Minute Run Test. Time yourself and note the distance you can cover in 12 minutes of flat surface running. You can download the 12 minute Run Tester –feed in your information, which includes your age, gender, and the distance covered by you in 12 minutes, and you’ll get a very quick analysis of how fit you are. A 40 year old, with an average fitness level should be able to cover approximately 2 km in 12 minutes. Anything lower means that your fitness level is ‘poor’ and you need to begin at a lower intensity of exercise.
Second - evaluate your medical history. Look for signs and symptoms suggestive of cardiopulmonary illness or deficiency such as shortness of breath on mild exertion, tachycardia, intermittent claudication, ie cramps especially in your calves when you walk a little too much, and unexplained fatigue. All these point to low fitness levels. Very often we tend to ignore these vital signs, rubbishing it off as ‘the stresses of work’ or ‘a really busy day at office’ or simply ‘one of those days’!! But do remember that any of these do indicate a need for you to begin exercising slowly and cautiously.
Third – take a minute and ponder about your mental health and the goals you wish to achieve. Talk to a professional, if you have to, to help you decipher if what you are aiming at is beyond reach. Very often, the mind makes us do what the body may not be capable of, and we end up in a frustrating cycle of non-achievement or under-achievement of fitness goals that keeps us off the exercise bandwagon forever. Don’t fall prey to the over-optimistic side of your mind where fitness is concerned. Think rationally and logically always.
And finally – your friends and fitness buddies may have been the reason you’ve decided to get fit. But be cautious – you don’t always have to be able to do what they are doing or follow what they think you could be doing in terms of a workout. Each person is an individual with a unique body type and fitness capacity. Appreciate that, and get going with a workout promise that you will stick to for a lifetime. If you are stuck interpreting results or are unsure of where you stand and how to begin exercising so that it is a delight and not a task, meet a qualified fitness expert who will help you begin slow and easy, and keep you going steadily on.
