exercise motivation

We had a chance to chat with Dr. Dean Ornish, founder and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival. He's a featured health expert in the new documentary, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, which examines the current state of our health care system and provides hopeful solutions based on lifestyle and dietary changes. A big proponent of chronic disease prevention through healthy habits, Dr. Ornish offered up some sound advice and simple changes we can all make to improve our health — chocolate included!

FitSugar: What do you think is the most simple, overlooked thing people can do for their health?
Dr. Ornish: Love more. What you eat, how you respond to stress, how much you exercise, whether or not you smoke, how much love and support you have. But of all those, probably the love and support. Study after study has shown that people who are lonely and depressed are 10 times for likely to die or get sick. You're more likely to smoke and abuse yourself if you're lonely and depressed. It's not enough to just work at a behavioral level and give people information; you have to work at a deeper level.

FS: Everyone has days where they don't want to exercise, how do you motivate yourself on those days?
DO: If I really don't want to, I don't, and then I'll do more the next day. What matters is your overall way of eating and living. So if you don't do something one day, do a little more the next. If I don't have time to meditate for an hour, I'll do it for a minute. It's not all or nothing at any age, and it's really up to you.

FS: People like to stick with their daily habits; how do you get individuals to change their behavior towards healthier choices?
DO: It's about helping people connect the dots between what they do and how they feel, and giving them the tools. Fear is not a sustainable motivator. You can scare people into changing for a few weeks, but not for very long. When you make changes, most people find that they feel so much better so quickly, it reframes the reason for changing from fear of dying to joy of living, and that's what makes it sustainable. Also, to realize that it's not all or nothing. Instead of saying this is good food and this is bad food, and don't ever eat meat, be a vegetarian — I never tell people that. I used to a long time ago and then I realized I was actually not only not helping people, but making it worse. It turns people off because even more than being healthy, people want to be free, so when you tell people what to do they stop listening. If you eat meat five times a day, eat it three times a day or have a meatless Monday and see how you feel. If you don't exercise one day, do a little more the next. Then you start to feel better and then it comes out of your own experience, not because some doctor or some book told you.

To find out Dr. Ornish's surprising favorite indulgence and his take on snacking just read more.

I take pride in the overall aesthetic and organization of my closet. After my relaxing morning ritual, I continue to keep stress levels to a minimum when opening my clean closet — clean being the operative word here. A messy closet can add unnecessary stress to your life and waste precious minutes of your day. And not only that, but sprucing up your closet can do wonders for your mind and body. Here's why . . .

1. Give away clothes that don't fit or don't make you feel good to Goodwill. By putting your closet through a mini detox session, you'll feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Oprah says that your home should rise up to meet you, and I feel that this extends to the closet zone as well. If your closet is stuffed to the brim with outdated shirts or dresses you know you'll never wear again — it's time to say so long. Once your closet is more airy, you'll have easy access to your wardrobe and you'll discover chic pieces you didn't even know you had! Trust me, you'll feel like a million bucks, which will translate to saying yes instead of no when your friend asks you if you want to join her in spin class.

Here are some more reasons why you should get your closet clean on.

Turns out that exercise helps us grow more than impressive muscles — it can also help us grow new brain cells, according to a new study. The study also found, however, that loneliness can hinder the effects of exercise on the brain.

Investigators found that mice who lived together grew brain cells after exercising on running wheels, while the ones who were kept isolated and exercised did not. The scientists speculate that the lack of brain cell growth in isolated mice could be because the stress of being lonely releases hormones that reduce the rate of brain cell growth; while exercise also releases the same stress hormones, being social helps revert the negative effects.

While this is not the first time we've heard that exercise can make you smarter, the ability for daily exercise to promote brain cell growth is always good news for fitness fans, and the powerful effects of socializing are yet another reminder of the benefits of a good workout buddy (and not only that, a reminder to make time for the important people in your life)!

Whether you're a running newbie or have been running since you started walking, finding motivation to stick with it can be harder than finding the perfect pair of sneaks. Tracking your progress in a fitness journal is helpful, but writing down numbers doesn't allow for much self-reflection. It also doesn't allow you to connect with other runners or to get support and tips to encourage you to keep running.

Starting a running blog is sure to put an extra pep in your step. Easily create your own running blog using OnSugar. For some inspiration, here's an excerpt from the DISfunkshion blog:

When I first started running, I was running away from life, trying to escape. I would go out run a couple miles while listening to whatever insipid song was playing on my iPod and by the time I arrived home, I was exhausted, too tired to be angry.

Now running is a part of who I am. It’s the only time I feel like I can think clearly. The rhythm of my shoes against the pavement is barely audible with my iPod on but it doesn’t matter because within minutes the world melts away. Running enables me to see the truth in life because there are no outside stimulants; it’s just my thoughts and I out on the road. When I run, I can understand life, people and their actions, the way a mechanic understands and repairs a car engine.

When I started running…I was running away from life, from myself and from everything that I didn’t understand but now I feel like I am running towards a place more honest and hopeful: my future.

Use your blog to write about all things running — reflect on the run you took the day of your wedding, share how you were motivated for a longer run, ask for advice on new running songs, or show off pictures of you crossing the finish line at your first 5K. Writing regularly and reading people's comments will offer amazing motivation to keep up with your runs. You can also join RunningSugar, our community running group!

I know there are days when you don't feel motivated to work out, but this story is sure to get you off your couch. Sheila Radziewicz began training in martial arts three years ago, and next month she's testing to earn a black belt in tae kwon do. A feat unto itself, but Sheila is doing it essentially without arms. She has a rare genetic disorder known as thrombocytopenia absent radius, or TAR syndrome. Characterized by the absence of the radius bone in the forearm, the severity of this genetic condition varies among people with the syndrome. Sheila's arms formed such that her hands are near her shoulders. With TAR syndrome, it's common to have other structural malformations, and the soon-to-be black belt was also born without kneecaps.

Sheila never let her disability stop her from doing anything. Sheila says, "I grew up with the phrase, 'The impossible only takes a little longer.'" The 32-year-old was told she wouldn't survive; then told she wouldn't walk. Now, despite her condition, her tae kwon do instructor explains, "She can use nunchucks and break boards with her kicks." With determination and a can-do attitude, you can accomplish many goals that seem beyond you. I love her mantra too!

Regular exercise doesn't necessarily prevent Alzheimer's — except when it does. That's the rather fuzzy but encouraging conclusion reached by the National Institutes of Health this week.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that fitness, healthy eating, and mental exercise such as crossword puzzles can fend off Alzheimer's, scientists remain highly optimistic based on years' worth of animal studies. The NIH determined that some human studies have proven that exercise helps, while others didn't. According to neuroscientist Arthur Kramer:

"The benefits tend to be on the order of a 20 to 30 percent reduction in being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and other such diseases . . . this isn't universal but this is found in an increasing number of studies."

Alzheimer's probably isn't your number one concern right now. But if you need a little extra motivation to exercise this week, it's nice to know our healthy lifestyles could be helping in more ways than we thought.

The anecdotal evidence is also inspiring. I love the quote at the end of this NPR story, from 78-year-old Senator Richard Lugar, who still runs races because he says exercise helps him remember "the names and places of thousands of people and events that I bring up frequently in the course of debate." Health advice from a 78 year old who still runs races? I'll take it!

After a really intense, sweaty workout, I want nothing more than to quench my thirst by downing some cold water; it cools me down and rehydrates my body. It looks like post-workout isn't the only time it's good to drink cold water. A British study shows that "a fresh-out-of-the-fridge water bottle may energize you for hot-weather exercise." Get this — those who drank brisk water worked out 25 percent longer than those who drank warmer water, and they also claimed that the workouts felt easier.

I like to place a bottle of water in the fridge the night before, so I can sip some chilled water before and during my workout the next day. I find it really does prevent me from feeling hot and tired, and helps increase my energy levels. And I must add: yay for warm weather!

The benefits of exercise seem to be neverending — among other things, it helps the brain function better, reduces stress, and is important for healthy heart function. But, if you need another reason to get out there and start moving, exercise may also protect against swine flu.

I've read that exercise helps boost the body's immune system and that doing some light cardio is good during a cold, so it made sense that it could also help protect against swine flu. But given how quickly the virus has spread, coupled with a shortage of the vaccine, I think any new advice is beneficial and should be taken seriously.

While there has not been a study on the benefits of exercise in relation to swine flu specifically, there have been numerous findings that show exercise boosts the immunity system and may protect against colds and seasonal flus.

“There is evidence that moderate exercise or physical activity can be beneficial in terms of reducing the incidence and severity of upper respiratory tract infections from all causes,” says Jeffrey Woods, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “And at least one report … has shown that exercise may be protective against influenza-associated [deaths] in the elderly.”

Because of these findings, some researchers feel comfortable suggesting that exercise may be a preventative measure against swine flu.

To hear why individuals who overtrain may be more prone to swine flu, read more

Not feeling good about yourself, so skipping the gym seems like a good idea? Wrong. It seems that a little workout, no matter what kind or level of intensity, is the perfect pick-me-up for waning self-esteem. A small, but significant study found that "the simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better." The physical benefits of exercise have been studied at length, but psychologists are beginning to explore the mental perks of breaking a sweat.

This study found that no matter the fitness level, working out gave a boost to the exerciser's self-image. Be you a marathoner, or new to a walking fitness program, the message is clear: get a move on if you're feeling down about yourself. Not sure where to begin? Check out these cardio routines and these circuit workouts. We want you to feel good about yourself.

In these lean times, with layoffs that can often translate to losing health insurance, staying physically active can help you lower your health budget. According to the World Health Organization, physically active people save about $500 annually in healthcare expenses.These days every penny counts, so get out there and go for a walk or run. Or try a little gardening, it can be surprisingly physical. Staying physically active is also a cheap way to reduce stress.