Leaping Over Barriers to Physical Activity and Exercise

October 16, 2024
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Summary

Your Exercise Happy Place

Do you think you don't like exercise? Think again! Challenge yourself to think about a time when you were active AND happy. Maybe it was when you were…

  • Running out to play at recess in elementary school
  • Chasing down the ice cream truck
  • Jumping on a trampoline
  • Dancing at a party or in a bar
  • Shopping on a boardwalk or at a mall
  • At a pool party or water play

There's a good chance you have at some point enjoyed activity. Let’s get that joy back!

Physical Activity and Health: What’s the point?

Physical activity supports weight management

  • Burns calories while you’re exercising
  • Burns calories after you exercise (EPOC)
  • Speeds metabolism day and night by building muscle

Physical activity lowers type 2 diabetes risk

  • Decreases insulin resistance (increases insulin sensitivity)
  • Lowers blood sugar

Physical activity does way more…

  • Improves blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides
  • Improves mood and lowers stress
  • Improves sleep
  • Supports brain health: better memory and cognitive function; lower risk for cognitive decline

How Much Physical Activity?

For members of a Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and most adults, the CDC suggests aiming for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity activity, and 2-3 times per week for muscle-strengthening exercises for the major muscle groups. Most people can benefit from higher amounts of exercise.

Examples of moderate to vigorous intensity activity:

  • Brisk walking, uphill walking, hiking, jogging
  • Swimming laps, water aerobics
  • Stationary or outdoors cycling, spinning
  • Playing and training for sports, e.g., tennis, soccer, basketball, golf, pickleball, badminton
  • Group fitness classes such as kickboxing, zumba, aerobics, boot camp
  • Rowing, elliptical, stair climber machines
  • Some gardening or household activities (if focused) like shoveling, raking, or vacuuming

Major muscle groups to strength train:

  • Arms
  • Shoulders 
  • Chest
  • Back
  • Abdomen 
  • Hips
  • Legs

Strength training can happen in or out of the gym. It can involve free weights like dumbbells and barbells, weight machines, kettlebells, body weight exercises, resistance bands, water bottles, or other household objects. 

Most Americans don’t get recommended amounts of physical activity.

  • 46.9% of adults meet aerobic activity recommendations
  • 31% of adults meet resistance training recommendations
  • 24% of adults meet both strength and aerobic training recommendations

Common Barriers to Physical Activity

Here are some common reasons why people don’t get more physical activity.

  • Too tired
  • Lack of time
  • Don’t know what to do
  • Nobody to exercise with
  • Injured or restrictions
  • Don’t like exercise
  • Not motivated

Sometimes, it’s easy to overcome barriers to physical activity if you identify the barrier. For example, 90% of Americans in one poll said they’d be more likely to hit the gym if they had workout clothes that they liked!

Motivation to Get Active

Lack of motivation is a common barrier to exercise. Here are some strategies to gain motivation.

Notice immediate benefits

  • Better mood
  • Feel proud
  • Get better sleep
  • Improve focus and performance
  • Have more energy

Think about longer-term benefits

  • Lower blood sugar and risk for diabetes
  • Improve heart health and risk factors like high blood pressure and high LDL or low HDL cholesterol 
  • Manage weight more easily

Make it rewarding

  • Stretch or go for coffee with friends afterwards
    Set goals or milestones and tie them to rewards
  • Train for sports or vacation activities 

Make it easier

  • More convenient
  • More fun such as with a book or movie
  • Lower pressure - “I can go for only 5 minutes and see how I feel”
  • Lengthen the warmup or lower the intensity

Log it

Make Time for Activity!

Here are some tips for making time for physical activity.

  • Schedule it in your calendar
  • Prioritize it. Can you exercise more if you…Take one trip to the store instead of two or three, check email less often, or work out in the morning?
  • Multitask: Get active during TV time, walk during phone calls, while waiting to pick up the kids, to get your morning coffee. or do other errands
  • Make family time active time
  • Fit in small bouts like 5 minutes before or after meals or during a break, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking around the parking lot before entering a store or other building

All-Or-Nothing Thinking Can Be Detrimental

If a barrier comes up and you can’t do “all” of your workout or “all” of the healthy things you had planned, do you do “no” workout, or do you do “something?” It’s always a good idea to choose “something” over “nothing!”

Here examples of possible barriers that prevent you from doing “all,” and how you might respond with “none” or “some”

“I don’t have time for my full workout today”

  • None: Skip it
  • Some: Do part today or do some now and some later

“The gym is closed today”

  • None: Skip it
  • Some: Walk in the neighborhood, do a workout video at home, or lift soup cans (light weights)

“I overslept and don’t have time”

  • None: Skip it
  • Some: Do part of a workout or walk for 5-10 minutes at lunchtime

“I’m too tired or don’t feel great”

  • None: Skip it
  • Some: Walk slowly for 5 minutes and see if you feel better

How to Start Exercising (Again)

If you have never exercised regularly or it’s been a while, check with your doctor to see if you are ready to exercise and if you have any restrictions. 

Then get yourself motivated by setting a goal and making a plan for what you’ll do and when you’ll do it.

Health Coach Q & A

Are we going to receive a handout once the webinar is done?

You can always come to the Lark webinar hub and see recent webinar recordings, summaries, and question and answer sessions. 

Is there a target HRZ for the recommended weekly minutes (in addition to the talk test)?

You can use a target heart rate zone (HRZ) in addition to the talk test. First, you need to determine or estimate your maximum heart rate. An estimate for maximum heart rate that works for many (but not all) people is 220 minus your age. 

For example, if you’re 50 years old, your estimated maximum heart rate would be 220-50=170 beats per minute. 

For moderate-intensity exercise, the target would be 50-70% of your maximum heart rate. For example, if you’re 50 years old, your target heart rate would be 85-119 beats per minute.

For vigorous-intensity exercise, the target heart rate is 70-85% of your maximum heart rate. If you’re 50 years old, the target heart rate would be 119-145 beats per minute.

You can combine heart rate zones with the talk test to get a good workout. Using the talk test, a moderate intensity activity would mean you can talk but not sing during the activity, and a vigorous intensity activity would mean you can only say a few words before needing to catch your breath.

I have nothing and no one that motivates me.

That can certainly be tough, as motivation is very important for making healthy choices like being physically active. One possible person that could motivate you is yourself - do you have reasons for wanting to make certain decisions about your behaviors? Are you able to remind yourself about possible reasons like feeling better, losing weight, or lowering blood sugar? Or maybe do you have family or friends that you enjoy spending time with and you want to be healthier for longer so you can have more time with them?

The Lark DPP Facebook group is a private group for Lark DPP members. You can interact with Lark coaches and other Lark DPP members. Members talk about food, weight, recipes, the Lark app, workouts, and more. It’s a place for support and camaraderie. You can request to be admitted here

Other supporters might be someone like a fitness instructor or trainer or a colleague at work. You can ask your healthcare provider for recommendations about where you might go for additional support. 

Is it bad for your knees to walk up the stairs?

If you have healthy knees and your doctor approves, it’s usually good to walk up the stairs. It can strengthen muscles like the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. These muscles support your knees, and if they’re stronger, it takes pressure off your knees.

However, if you feel any pain or have conditions like tendonitis, arthritis, cartilage damage, or anything else, it’s best to ask your doctor about stairs. You can also ask whether it may be more comfortable or safe to use the handrail when climbing stairs.

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