Thinking that working out requires a lot of daily motivation

 I have identified as a physical fitness person for a lot of years.  For example, at one point in my life I did have a running streak of more than 10 years without missing a day (10 years, two months and 12 days). And, I have said it before, each of those days was a conscious effort.  And, some times these days as my body does not always have a great desire to be pushed, I notice that fitness for some of us requires motivation.  

1 -- One of the ways I get motivation is heading to a bootfit class at the Hartsville YMCA that is headed by Robbie McLendon -- a great motivator for people of all ages and all fitness levels. He has a 20 minute EMOM workout planned today that I know is going to kick my butt.

2 -- Another way I work to get some motivation is read about some of the good ideas for fitness in older individuals.  I try to write a periodic blog that show cases people over 60 who work out regularly and I do that because I see it as motivating to others. This morning on Medium there was an article investigating the question of weight training being important to older people: https://medium.com/in-fitness-and-in-health/is-muscle-training-really-important-for-aging-well-d4d58880012

3 -- Now, what do you do that gets you the motivation to do the hardest exercise of the say - put on the work out shoes and leave the house?

Good Advice from people who continue to build their temples

 My own fitness journey has been one of fits and starts over the past couple of months. That is something I am not proud of and mention it because - It happens.  As has been mentioned so many times in this blog over the years, the hardest exercise I do is opening the door of the YMCA (or gym), Once it is opened, the journey is happening.

Julia Hubbell is a writer whose work I have been following on MEDIUM and recently she talked about the ideas that Steve shared with her about how he is building strength well into his seventies. She wrote about that feedback.

Many of the blog posts that make up the content of this blog are about people over sixty and their fitness journeys.  Often, I wonder if the content is worth it and then I read an article like Julia's this morning and know that we all can benefit from seeing what others are pushing themselves to accomplish.

Personally I have been trying to rebuild my routine though if honest, I will admit it has been with less vigor than when it stalled. My March goals are to put push ups and core work back to pre-gotlazy levels. So I am working on 100 push ups a day and using the exercise ball for crunches - ten sets of 100. Today is March 10 and I have 700 push ups (not all regulation) and 7000 crunches so far for the month. Slowly I am adding a bootfit class and have about four spin classes. So this new journey is beginning to take shape. While I did make the Hartsville F3 six-year convergence, my knees make any semblance of running a fantasy and I have not been back often because of my inability to keep up with the work.

Hartsville F3 Revolution -  they will let me hang out with them even when I can't hang with them.

So, when should you start to exercise?

Today --

The front page lead story in THE STATE from Columbia, SC for Thursday, June 4, 2015 is about Bob Coble, former Mayor. The former Mayor has just returned home from rehab after a quadruple heart bypass. He is thankful for a "Second Chance."  Inside the article Mayor Bob acknowledges that the medical professionals who helped him recover said he was in good shape but it was his lifestyle - lack of exercise and eating habits that may have triggered his episode.

Mayor Bob got one of those terrible wake-up calls as he battled that heart problem. Now, since many of us are in SC, we know we could be getting the same call. I have a saying I use for my students -- experience is learning from your own mistakes; education is learning from the mistakes of others. While exercise might not prevent every potential heart attack there is a great deal of evidence showing it makes a difference for a healthier life. Learn from Mayor Bob's story and start your exercise program -- Today.

Exercise is "most valuable thing you can do for your health after 60"

Have this idea about a book on getting and staying in shape after the age of 60 and am looking around to see what is available on the topic.

In the Hartsville YMCA this afternoon I asked one of our local MDs if he was familiar with research or articles on the subject. As I began to explain what I was thinking about a possible book or series of articles he may have contributed the first paragraph of this book>

"After 60, the most valuable thing you can do for yourself and your health is exercise," he said. Now, if I were beginning the book I might have to go back to him for the exact quote but the the power of his exclamation when thinking about this topic says I am in the exact frame from which he was coming.

Some days I am anxious to open the Y doors and other days it takes power of persuasion to head in that direction but the result is that when I have worked out -- even when the workout is not 'high quality' I know I am better for having expended the energy and expanded lots of capacities inside this body that might not be as young as it used to be.

So, I am going to spend a little time on the research side and I am going to set down a goal of getting a lot of ideas of the hows and what's of exercise after 60 while giving some example of the Why as I get some of those who are 'hard at it' telling a little of their stories.