So you’re planning to begin, or improve and “stick with,” your movement behavior. Your physician suggested exercise, or you would like to play with your grandkids and spend more time outdoors. Whatever your reason, I would like to share some approaches that might make it easier for you to “stick with” whatever you plan to start.
Movement is good for us, we know that, and there is plenty of research to back up that claim. As a man in his mid 40s, I knew that getting back into better shape and improving my movement habits would be a challenge. A couple of years ago I was a depressed and rather uninspired 330 pounds of human being. Even then, though, I didn’t get overly focused on weight. I have a primary immunodeficiency, CVID, so starving my body would not be very wise. And, I knew my goals would be different today than they would have been in my 20s. At age 48 now, I’ve learned a lot about where I am now and what I have to do to succeed. I can’t claim there aren’t days I am humbled during this process.
If you’re not in ideal shape, getting a little older, or like me and facing both challenges, you’ll need to take it slowly at first. I highly, highly recommend beginning with yoga, tai chi, or just stretching and breathing and walking. As you begin your journey, here are a couple of recommendations I suggest you consider.
- breathing–everything begins with breathing. You need to be moving air to have a productive workout. It would be time well spent if you planned to just breathe and stretch for the first month (yes MONTH) of your journey to improve your movement behavior. Tai chi has helped me to slow down and breathe–it’s vital for deep stretching, proper form, and for preventing injuries. When in doubt…slow down and breathe. Here’s a breathing technique I have developed from multiple sources, including my use of an incentive spirometer and the “belly breathing” you use in tai chi or for vocal performance. The shorthand I use for this technique is “51,” standing for five counts in and one big breath out. Begin by breathing in either through your nose or through your mouth, whichever is comfortable and allows you to breathe deeply into your belly. You can sit or stand, whichever is better for you, but use “good posture” and create space in the middle of your body to breathe into your belly. Breathe deeply into your belly, counting to yourself slowly or using 1001, etc., expanding your belly (think of pushing out your waistband or belt) until it is slightly uncomfortable, hold it for a microsecond and “feel” it full, then release and say “relax” to yourself as you let the air out. So, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, relax. The mental, verbal suggestion reminds you to allow your body to relax while you practice. Repeat this process for about 2 minutes, or longer if you prefer. You can set a timer on your phone or other device if that helps you. A helpful analogy to visualize is someone drawing a bow–breathe in to draw, and then relax as you imagine letting the arrow fly. I use this technique while doing tai chi and while stretching, and even between reps when lifting. The more air you move, the more you’ll be able to move, and that’s the idea when adapting your movement behaviors.
- recovery–Simply put, I need more recovery than I used to need. If I want to prevent injury, or even be able to move the next day, I have to understand that. With no ACL in my left knee, shoulder damage from dislocations, chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis from CVID, and other issues, I just can’t “go nuts” one day and think I’ll be okay the next. That ain’t happening. You’re going to need to give yourself time to recover as your body adapts to new behaviors. Slow down when you need to, and plan to give yourself extra time to recover when you struggle to get through the day. I tend to workout every day, but that has a lot to do with bronchiectasis–in order to keep my lungs from shutting down, I need to cough up mucus pretty much every morning. Eww, right? But it’s something I need to do. Since I move every day, I have to plan “recovery” days. I don’t take the day off–instead, I’ll do tai chi or some stretching. A lighter workout, but still movement. I also recommend a longer warmup and cooldown. I warmup for 10 minutes and cooldown for ten minutes with every workout, doing what I call “plyowalking.” What is plyowalking? I combine walking a 20 foot strip in my basement with some stretching and plyometrics. I mix in some high knees, high knee with a twist, hamstring stretch kicks, front snap kicks, side kicks, and even some lunges with a “ginga” from capoeira. I stretch what I need to stretch, adapting as needed. If I need to loosen my shoulders with “swimming” or cross elbows and up elbows, I do that. Warming up prevents injuries and helps me the next day, so I do that. I think of the cooldown as the start of the next day’s workout–if I don’t loosen up at the end, it’s gonna be rough the next day. The other portion of my recovery day could be some light heavy bag work and then stretching, or it could be tai chi for 40 or 45 minutes. I use “Tai Cheng” from beachbody.com, and the “master class” is 29 minutes of stretching and 9 to 12 minutes of tai chi forms. Stretching, breathing, and slowing down on these “recovery” days is what allows me to do the “intensity” days. I generally alternate “intensity” days with “recovery” days, but sometimes I need two recovery days in a row. It helps me now to understand this. If I am too sore or dragging too much one day, there’s no harm in a second “recovery” day in a row. Believe me, it’s better than getting injured and struggling a month with the injury. In order to “stick with it” in terms of your new movement habits, give yourself time to slow down and recover.
Whether you are just in the planning stages of changing your movement behavior, or you are just trying to stop “stopping” and having to start from scratch again, spending time specifically working on your breathing behavior and recovery behavior will help you to reach your health and wellness goals. As the Taoist saying goes, “First you crawl, then you walk, then you run.” If you jump straight into running too soon, you may have a setback. Give yourself time. Behavioral change is a long-term project.
stickingwithit 