Nose pickers, muscle men, and chandeliers

We present our most entertaining guest author to date, Leslie Longueira, Director of Ignition Health!

 

“I don't have time to go to the gym!”

We have all used this excuse, even me.

And if you think about it, it is a fairly reasonable excuse, as far as excuses go. After all just by getting to the gym after work, you would have to set aside 30 minutes to drive next to someone who thinks it’s okay to pick their nose because "no one will see them". Next you find yourself on a highway that resembles a parking lot, whilst being nearly pushed off the road by some very important driver who insists on squeezing in front of you, despite the fact that wasn't enough space between you and the car in front to fit a tictac!

By the time you have reached the gym, you have already had a long day at work, and perhaps you are reflecting on the nature of management in a somewhat less than positive manner.  So you procrastinate a little, and finally, manage to get out the car, secretly wishing you were rather at home having a beer.

Finally you make your way inside to get changed, ready to get that body into shape. However, the truth is you have already wasted 45 minutes stuck in traffic, just getting there and getting ready! The next challenge is waiting for a piece of equipment because  some people on the treadmill are afraid to catch a speed wobble lest they smudge their make-up and fail to impress the muscle men, who are busy grunting away in the free weights section!

So that would be at least an hour of your day gone by - without being overly productive. Can we really afford to waste precious time like this?

The good news is you do NOT have to put up with this time wasting routine in order to stay healthy and exercise. Studies show that the minimum exercise requirement is 30 minutes, 4 times a week of elevated heart rate exercise!

So if you really are pushed for time, go for a walk during your lunch break, or when you get home with your family. Now we are not talking about a Sunday stroll, rather a fairly brisk walk. You want to get that heart rate up. After all, if you are going to be swinging off the chandeliers and getting the heart rate up in other ways (if you know what I mean), make sure you are completing your 30 minute sessions to enhance your stamina!

Oh and make sure you stretch after as well, you wouldn't want to pull a muscle or injure yourself.

“I don't have time,” should never be an excuse. All you have to do is set 30 minutes aside each day and you WILL be able to live a healthier and more productive life. 

Leslie Longueira is the Director of Ignition Health, a dynamic team of personal trainers and a 702 Small business awards finalist.  Ignition Health's trainers provide personal training at your home or at their intimate setting in Melville, and also assist corporates in fitness and wellbeing at work.  The Time Clinic recognises Ignition Health as a true time generator and agrees that physical fitness is key to personal effectiveness.  All Time Clinic clients qualify for a special introductory offer with Ignition Health.

 

How to create successful change

It’s approaching that time of year again when most of us will be creating ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ for 2013. Perhaps you want to exercise more, weigh less, spend more time with your loved ones and find a healthier work life balance?  Perhaps you want to start something new or break a bad habit?  How wise exactly are we in creating New Year’s resolutions? And what can we do to ensure we succeed this time?

Firstly, there is a lot to be said about ‘turning over a new leaf.’  Those of us wishing to break a bad habit, or create a new one, are likely to benefit from the psychological motivation that has been observed as highly beneficial when giving a person a ‘fresh start’.   If we can create a date – and this does not need to be New Years Day! - from which we shall begin anew, the psychological impact does indeed work in our favour.  We are more likely to get it right if we believe we are making a fresh start. 

But a fresh start is not enough for all of us.  Many of us are still likely to ‘relapse’, become impatient with ourselves and give up.  What can we do to ensure that the change we wish to implement ‘sticks’.

The secrets lie in perseverance, even when you perceive failure, and in understand the nature of change and patterns.  Change involves changing behaviour, and for behaviour to become automatic, it needs to become a habit. So how do we create (or break)  a habit?

Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, says we should examine the location, time of day, other people and any other triggers that are responsible for activating your habit if you wish to break it. What are the cues, routines and rewards sustaining the habit in your life?  Alternatively, create rewards in order to incentivise yourself to maintain a new positive habit!

In order to learn to hit a ball, we have to miss, in order to colour in, we start by drawing outside the lines.  Yet as adults, we become extremely intolerant of our perceived failings.  We forget that the learning process consists of failure until such point as we succeed.  Thomas Edison tested over 3000 filaments before he found the right filament for a lightbulb.  How many of us would conduct 3000 tests, or would we give up in the face of perceived failure?

The creation of a habit involves practice. A new habit will take at least 21 – 30 days to implement, during which time you can expect to fail a number of times.   Once the habit is entrenched, it becomes automatic, and you will find yourself wondering how on earth you got through your week without those six gym sessions before! 

New Year’s resolutions can be very positive, but remember, we don’t have to wait until New Year to make the change that will improve our circumstances now!  And remember that every step, forward or backwards, is a step in the right direction as it is an opportunity to learn! With a little determination, we will succeed as long as we remember to be patient with ourselves.

Recommended reading: Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit”