I think about 85 percent of us make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and exercise more. Some of us have done so every year for decades. We all do so because we know exercise is good for our heart, keeps bones and muscles strong and actually relieves stress. In addition, daily exercise has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve circulation to the legs and arms; increase HDL cholesterol (the good stuff), and lower LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff). A study of older Americans also showed arthritis of the hips and knees improved slowly with moderate walking exercises.

It’s ironic then that a national newspaper article on Valentine’s Day stated most of us or about 75 percent, abandon our New Year’s commitment to exercise by February 14th of every year. In our medical practice, we noticed this trend (exercise burn out) year after year even in patients who seemed highly motivated on January 1st. Why, you ask?  To answer your question a little more completely, we need to take a look at the concept of exercising to help your heart.

Experts in preventative cardiology and cardiovascular research tend to agree that heart felt benefits of exercise depend on the number of calories you burn in a day or week and not how quickly you burn those calories. A 2000 Harvard study indicated there seems to be very little reduction in heart blood vessel disease with light or moderate exercise and vigorous exercise seemed to provide benefits only to a burn level of 2,000 kcal per week (that’s 2000x1000 simple calories).

A 150 to 160 pound man would have to jog or vigorously walk 3 miles per day to burn 2000 kilocalories in one week. Of course, you have to realize that a brisk walk of light to moderate intensity for a young person may represent a maximal strenuous workout for an older person. That’s why it’s wise to have a good heart and lung checkup by your doctor before starting any long-term exercise program.

So, now that we know a little about exercise and it’s effects on the heart, let’s discuss a few tips on staying motivated in our pursuit for exercising to improve our heart and possible extend life.

1. Work out with a coach or with a friend and use their advice   and positive feedback to keep you motivated.

2. In the beginning, set your goal for at least 30 minutes of intense exercise per day and work up slowly. You won’t get as fatigued and experience exercise burnout as easily.

3. Don’t use excuses to get out of your daily exercise routine, So what if it’s raining, wear a raincoat and boots and go anyway.  If you feel the weather is too severe, go to a local mall or Wal-Mart and walk briskly in the corridors or aisles.

I know an exercise group that meets in a church gym on rainy
days.  Some of my patients use the Y on those days and swim for
an hour.

4. Break up your 30-minute exercise session into ten-minute segments such as brisk walking alternating with jogging. Remember, it’s not how fast you exercise, it’s the total number of calories burned up that count.

5. Exercise for a purpose so you won’t feel guilty about the time investment. Walking or bicycling to work, the barbershop, the mall or to visit a friend are good examples of time productive exercise.

6. Last but not least, try to remember that any thing you do which causes physical movement in your body can be called exercise. You do not always need thousand dollar machines and special gymnasiums to exercise your body.

You don’t have to struggle to “get in shape”, you just need to exercise and burn calories to help improve your heart function and all of those other body things we discussed earlier. Hope you develop healthy heart habits for your "after Valentine’s Day" New Year’s Resolution this year!

Dr. Frank