We’ve heard for decades that exercise is valuable, and those who get it regularly attest to the benefits. Nonetheless, for many of us the decision-making flowchart about whether to exercise leads at every branch point to “no”—except for the question, “Shall I do it later?”
Rather than berate ourselves for shrugging off exercise in the past, consider each new day a chance to join the ranks of the fit—and join them we must. “It’s absolutely true that there is nothing out there more effective than regular exercise for keeping most of our chronic diseases at bay and warding off the ravages of age,” says Jane Brody, longtime personal health columnist for the New York Times and a fitness enthusiast from Woodstock. “I know of a hundred studies that show that people who are physically active are healthier, happier, and mentally more alert, including into their 80s and 90s. Even a simple activity like tai chi, which doesn’t require sweat or any special equipment or clothing, can be done at any age, and has been shown to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls. Exercise helps people sleep better, too, which goes to hell in a handbasket as you get older.”
Mike Arteaga, owner of Mike Arteaga’s Health and Fitness Centers in Poughkeepsie and Highland, avidly follows fitness and health research. “The medical community is finally recognizing the fact that exercise is the most important thing we can do to prevent premature death and thousands of diseases,” he explains. “For many years research about the benefits of exercise used questionnaires, but a study done about those studies found that people greatly exaggerate the amount of exercise they get. So that had really been watering down any appearance of a health benefit.” Now researchers work directly with study participants and collect accurate data. “They find a tremendous correlation between getting regular exercise and disease prevention,” says Arteaga.
Destination: Invigoration
Daily living in a mechanized world, unless your vocation is fitness or manual labor, puts few demands on our biological systems. They languish in underutility, like an orchestra waiting for sheet music. Regular physical activity gets the symphony under way: blood circulating, lymph stirring, immune cells prowling, toxins clearing, tissues regenerating, muscles building, bones reinforcing, lipids shuttling, mental faculties revving. Activities that put demands on the cardiovascular system and muscles, and which increase flexibility and coordination, are ideal. Engaging in them at least three times a week is best.
Luckily, the Hudson Valley is a buffet of outdoor recreation opportunities like walking, jogging, bicycling, or skiing the rail-trails or Scenic Hudson’s many open space parks; canoeing or kayaking the Hudson River and its tributaries; rock-climbing in the Shawangunks (or the indoor climbing walls in New Paltz and Albany); hiking or mountain biking in the Catskills; snow skiing on surrounding slopes.
Enjoying these often enough is the catch. To address the nitty-gritty of a regular exercise routine, exercising at home works for some. Lifting weights while watching the news, jogging the neighborhood, vigorous housecleaning, and serious yardworking are examples. Guidance and motivation for individual workouts abound in exercise videos, the cable fitness channel, and online websites.
But quantity and quality of exercise at home often fizzles over time. “If you are doing something that’s challenging, it’s almost impossible to do it on an ongoing basis by yourself,” says Arteaga.” He cites research that followed people who exercised long term: “The vast majority did so at a club.” And those home fitness machines that look so tempting in the infomercials? “I get a lot of knowing smiles when I ask people how many pieces of clothing are hanging on it.”
Gyms, Boots, Yoga
Imagine exercising with like-minded people surrounded by views of the Hudson Valley in fall colors, in winter sparkle, in the flourish of spring. Imagine taking in a classic movie, on a large screen with surround sound, while tread-milling or cycling. Envision yourself rocking out in an aerobics class with choreography and music from world-class fitness experts in Australia. Arteaga made these reality at his Poughkeepsie fitness center. “It helps people stick to their exercise,” he affirms. “One woman said she had to work out longer because the movie was just getting to a really good part. It’s a gigantic home run if we can get people to work longer.”
Ambiance varies among fitness facilities, as does size, clientele, cost, and staff persona. Different gyms appeal to different folk. “Each person needs to find the place they feel comfortable in,” says Arteaga, “because if you hate going there, it’s not the gym for you, and you’re not going to keep it up.” Check out private fitness clubs, the YMCA, a yoga or dance studio, a local school or hospital, a senior club—someplace to enjoy exercise, not just suffer through it. Many offer a free trial class or membership period.
Some cost a bundle; others are surprisingly affordable—especially compared in the long run to health care costs. “Staying healthy is the best way to keep health care costs down,” notes George Prisco, manager of Mike Arteaga’s. “It’s a proven plan, and we’re trying to sound the trumpet on that one. We’ve made it easy for corporations look at us as an integral part of their corporate wellness program, because the way to keep costs down is to get employees healthier instead of waiting until they have some problem that could have been prevented with regular exercise.”
An interesting trend in exercise options is the “boot camp” approach. Lest reality TV shows mislead you, they’re about getting tangible results in a fun format, not humiliation. “I cringe at that trend,” says Terri Stuart who has been teaching boot-camp style exercise for 30 years since her first job as a trainer for the Navy. Today, she runs Hudson Valley Boot Camp, with ongoing classes in Newburgh, Goshen, and Warwick that draw new moms, baby boomers, empty nesters, working people—just about anybody. “We’ve got a woman who is 78 who could hardly get up the stairs because of arthritis,” Stuart says. “Now her bone density has reversed and she’s blowing everyone away.”
Stuart’s classes are outdoors whenever possible. “You’ll be enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature, getting in the grass, sometimes out in the rain,” she says. “And it is intense interval training—short spurts of intensity alternating with short rests. I work out with them so they can see my form, because form is everything.” A neat collaboration Stuart has devised is two days of boot camp plus one of yoga at Happy Buddha Yoga in Goshen. “I call it yoga boot camp fusion, and it gives you flexibility and stretching in addition to the kick-butt workout.”
Personal Coaching
Coaches and trainers offer a one-to-one relationship that adds specially tailored fitness plans, plus motivational clout. Like fitness centers, personal trainers come in diverse personalities, price ranges, and areas of expertise (or lack thereof, so select carefully).
Dorothy Hamburg has an MS in exercise physiology and is owner of Personal Strength and Training in New Paltz who specializes in one-to-one strength/weight conditioning and in therapeutic exercise for people with special physical concerns such as a previous injury. “We start with something that will build confidence,” says Hamburg, “something that is an attainable level where you are making gains without too much stress. And I’m not just designing an exercising program. I’m also teaching you to recognize what’s happening physically, what the muscles should feel like while they are contracting, to know we are in the right spot for the muscles we are trying to train.”
Hamburg’s clients often find that as fitness goals are accomplished, bigger ones beckon—even the triathalons in which she participates herself, and coaches. “Someone might begin with fast walking, and slowly work up to running. As they gain confidence, they might branch off into perhaps participating in a 5K run, and I’ll work on a program with them for that. One of my clients ran her first 5K last year and loved it.” Hamburg is a great role model: She wasn’t athletic until her adult years, and knows you don’t need an athletic background to become fit now.
When seeking a personal trainer, research their credentials. Hamburg says to look for a graduate of a top, accredited program such as from the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the American Council on Exercise. Ask for details about any other special training or certifications.
The Weight You Love
Lifting or moving weights to build strength may conjure images of massive, sculpted bodybuilders, but some degree of weight-bearing exercise is recommended for nearly everyone, especially as we age. Weight borne by the skeleton, plus the stronger pull from muscles at their attachment points, stimulates bone to add density and durability.
Of course, gyms have equipment galore for this, but you can get a weight-bearing workout on your own by such things as hiking or snowshoeing with a backpack; doing yard work that moves weight around (mulch, landscaping plants, a push-it-yourself lawn mower); rowing and paddling against the current; and clearing snow with a shovel (but educate yourself on doing so safely!). When somebody asks why you are doing it “the hard way,” show them your muscles.
Added strength makes ADLs—activities of daily living—easier and safer. Such a goal may mystify younger people, yet a sedentary lifestyle, even for them, can make ADLs a challenge. For elders, strengthening muscles especially around the joints of the legs confers better balance and coordination to avoid, or minimize the impact of, a fall. An exercise specialist will have a host of strategies and some fun equipment to safely improve strength, flexibility, and joint support regardless of age or existing activity level.
Keeping on Track
Sustaining a fiery motivation for regular exercise isn’t always easy. A classic antidote to wimping out is to schedule regular exercise and consider it as essential as everything else in your schedule. Making it a routine—the same time of day, and same days each week—helps. Having friends to exercise with is a powerful sustainer too, and camaraderie is a prominent reason people join gyms, classes, teams, and community activity groups.
“My biggest motivation for regular exercising is really the social aspect,” Brody says. “You have to think of it as not just doing it for your physical body but also for your mental health.” Her favorite activities include ice skating, morning walking, and swimming, through which she has made lifetime friends. “We have wonderful conversations, share information—that in and of itself is so rewarding that the exercise almost becomes a bonus. And I know they are waiting for me to show up each time.”
Arteaga’s top suggestion for somebody stalling on exercise is to read the best-selling Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Dr. Harry Lodge. “Dr. Lodge is brilliant, and the book explains very entertainingly why exercising every day is important. If that book doesn’t turn somebody into an exerciser and change their life, nothing will.”
This article appears in October 2010.
