I woke up this morning and my first thought was all about just ignoring the alarm and going back to sleep. Then I remembered that it is Wednesday, and I am expected at work. I guess I should get up.

A litany of choices then presented itself, but really there was just one choice: work out or not work out. For years this has been my first mental challenge of the day. Choosing to use the bathroom is not really a challenge. More and more it is an urgent necessity. I still had some seconds to ponder my options. I put on my watch and picked up my phone. Damn… The phone is never helpful. Already it has presented a morning review of the news, emails, social media, and weather. I didn’t want to listen to my phone. I ignored it. I delayed further thought until I did my business and washed my hands.

OK… Today is walk day. I “want” to take a fast paced walk for my good health. It’s an easy work out for crying out loud… just lot’s of steps. I then notice that the weather preview says something about rain. It’s going to be raining for the next hour. Crapola. I decided to do it anyway. I have an umbrella, warm coat, and plenty of attitude. Long sleeve shirt, sweats, hoodie, and some water proof shoes – obvious choices to make as I slowly put on some clothes. Then comes the tech: I use my smart watch to track what I do, counting the steps, keeping track of my heart rate, and then recording the results. Air pods in, start audio book, and go.

This is the way I developed my habit which is working out every morning. Sometime in the distant past, I just started doing this and now if I do not do it, I am toast: I feel tired, my thinking is off, and I am slow. My personality seems less present. And then if I do not do it for a few days, the pain in my back starts up down in the lumbar spine, deep behind my low back. I would rather get up and get going then to have that pain. My body has been somewhat helpful in this way. I feel motivated NOT to feel pain, so I work out. Starting to do it was a simply recognition: I felt great when I was in shape and young. For me it was a simple choice to feel good.

How did I choose what to do? Well this developed over many years, and doing lot’s of exercise research for myself and my patients. I have noted a few trends and tried to incorporate then into my routine. First, walking is so good for you. Though there is some debate over how many steps are good versus great, I like the 10,000 steps per day goal. For me this turns out to be about 5 miles. If you integrate your watch with your phone, then you can do some nice tracking. I use an Apple Watch and iPhone, so the Health app shows a monthly average and all kinds of other data. It’s not so important to exactly meet a goal daily, but to look at the big picture. Secondly, there is no one exercise that stands out. There are tons of claims out there, but most of these are focused on you signing up for something and paying money. My take away is to mix it up and do lots of different things. I personally liked to run when I was younger so this was a great way to stay in shape. I joined the YMCA as well, and a fitness club is so great to help keep you motivated, and give you a wide variety of options for exercise. Treadmills, spin bikes, ellipticals, rowing machines, stair steppers, and then classes with all kinds of aerobic activity are available. As I’ve aged, and COVID hit hard, the gym was usurped by my routine now, which is basically a “home” gym. I do my spin bike on Monday and Thursday, then a high intensity interval training routine on Tuesday and Friday. Sunday is my long walk day. Wednesday is my shorter walk. Then on Saturday, I either ride my bike outside, go for a run, or a combination of the two. Sometimes, I’ll rotate in an Apple fitness routine, which I used a lot a few years ago, and I learned routines I liked that I now replicate on my own. The main point is to have fun, do different things, and sweat!

Finally, pick a few days per month and do something extra huge. This is where hiking comes in for me. Six hours of hiking is a massive workout if you concentrate on a good pace, elevation, and carrying some weight, which is usually water for me, plus lunch and the ten essentials. I’ll get into that in a different post. Other types of activities that work in this category are signing up for a softball league. I did so this fall with folks at work and had a great time. Less of a workout but still is a long and focused activity. Water sports like kayaking and canoeing are great as well. Heavy duty yard work counts in this arena. Chopping wood with a splitting maul or axe produces more sweat on me then almost any exercise!

If you have never worked out before, start slow and increase over time. Literally take 3 months to get up to most days of the week. Every step counts so this is why tracking is helpful as then you can see your progress, and make some connections: how do I feel after starting my routine? Do I feels stronger and more energetic? Is my sleep improved?

Here are my top ten benefits of working out:

• Improved brain health: literally you will be smarter, quicker, sleep better and have decreased anxiety and depression
• Weight management: increase metabolic activity burning more calories
• Reduced risk of disease: decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some cancers
• Stronger bones, muscles: avoid osteoporosis, and be stronger so you can do cool activity!
• Improved function in everyday activities: fall less, and have decreased functional limitations
• Improved immune function: decreased sick days, improved recovery
• Live longer and healthier: decreased risk of extended nursing home stay and a longer healthier life
• Improved chronic medical conditions: lower sugars, improved pain tolerance, stay mobile longer
• Stress management: training your body to deal with physical stress prepares you for all kinds of life stressors
• Decreased dementia risk: better brain function leads to longevity of functional circuits

Join me in the daily grind of exercise! You can’t lose.