A New Year and New Fitness Goals—No Excuses!

Introducing: Bridge to Wellness Monthly Column

Gary Hicks was a World Class Runner for the University of Michigan Track Team and is a Certified Fitness Specialist.

by Gary Hicks

Welcome to our new fitness column, sponsored by the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition.  It’s great to see so many people making fitness a priority in their lives. Each month, this column plans to focus on two things: 1) useful information on topics related to exercise and fitness, and 2) a Monthly Fitness Challenge designed to improve your strength and/or cardio fitness levels.

It’s the new year, so why not start out by discussing the traditional New Year’s resolution. Exercising more and losing weight are at the top of the list for about 40% of Americans when the calendar flips to January. Another year. A fresh start. Renewed vigor. Total dedication. These are perfect conditions for real-live goal setting. Think: Beach bodies by the time spring rolls around!

Unfortunately, almost half of those who start out to achieve big things in January lose interest in two to six months. Let’s look at a couple reasons why this happens year after year.

Reason 1: Soreness (and/or injury)

Regular physical activity helps prevent coronary heart disease and assists with weight control. Weight training and strength exercises build muscles and endurance and enhance flexibility. With these benefits in mind, many people start out hard and strong with hopes of reaching their goal in a short period of time. It’s natural to think, “If I work really hard, then I can see results really fast…right?

It’s true. Hard work can help you to see results faster. However, when you first start after a long lay-off, gradually building up to the “hard work” can reduce initial soreness. In addition, slowly easing into exercises helps protect the body from injury and makes the experience more enjoyable. This can feed your desire to stick with the program and enable you to see strength gains and cardio vascular improvement instead of giving you an excuse to quit because you’re sore.

Reason 2: Boredom

Regular exercise can improve mood, relieve anxiety and depression, and enhance energy. But doing the same routine over and over can cause extreme boredom, providing you with an excuse to give up. The human body adapts quickly to physical training; consequently, changing up your workouts is a way to ensure you continue and improve. Changes may be as simple as adding more weight to the bar or increasing the number of reps for each set. Cross training is another great anti-boredom technique. Substituting a day of yoga, aerobics, kickboxing, or other training methods now and then can freshen up a workout routine and keep you interested and focused on your fitness goals.

MONTHLY FITNESS CHALLENGE:  Stockbridge Half Marathon and Marathon Clubs

January has 31 days. Your challenge is to walk an average of one mile per day for 26 days. Walk outside—try the trails or around the Township Square—or in a mall, on a treadmill, or anywhere you want.  Count up your miles at the end of January. If you make 13 miles, consider yourself a member of the Stockbridge Half Marathon Club. If you go the full 26 miles, you’ve made it into the ranks of the Stockbridge Marathon Club! Join our Facebook page and report on your progress and sign up to win prizes at https://www.facebook.com/bridgetowellnesschallenge

NOTE: If you have health challenges that hamper your ability to exercise, check with your doctor before taking on a new exercise regimen.

Upcoming wellness coalition-sponsored programs open to all:

• Tri-County Office on Aging’s (TCOA) online Diabetes PATH (Personal Action Toward Health) course aimed at helping those with diabetes, or pre-diabetes improve their wellness through management of their eating, exercising and general knowledge of the effects of diabetes. It is a 6-week interactive workshop designed to help you take control of your health and feel better. Tuesdays, January 19 – February 23, 2021, 5:30 – 7:45 pm. To register, call Tri-County Office on Aging at 517-887-1465.
• Winter Warm Up program sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield & Playmakers and brought to Stockbridge in conjunction with the Stockbridge Library and SAWC. The eight-week program includes at least one weekly zoom session and daily workout calendar. The training program will run from February – March with the finale 5K Fun Run/Walk event and celebration at Hawk Island Park March 28, 2021. Details about registering for this program are TBD.  Check the Stockbridge Library’s website for updates  Stockbridge – Capital Area District Library (cadl.org)

Author Gary A. Hicks, a veteran police sergeant with a passion for fitness, has over 35 years of experience in teaching, coaching, martial arts instruction, and police academy instruction.

This column is sponsored by the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition, which meets either by Zoom or in room 108 at the Stockbridge Activity Center on the third Thursday each month at 5:30pm. Check out www.5healthytowns.org  for more info.