Tools for a Balanced Lifestyle:

A Manual for a  Guilt Free System of Healthy Living

By: James J. Messina, Ph.D.

Chapter 2: Exercise to Live

2. Exercise to Live

I. An Exercise ALERT

An important element of the Balanced Lifestyle Program is the exercise component. Exercise means increasing the amount of physical activity more than what our ordinary life demands. What exercise in the Balanced Lifestyle requires is our getting back to our caveman roots. Our bodies were meant to handle more physical activity than what our modern world requires of them. When cavemen (and cavewomen too, but we will use the terminology caveman for our illustration) were hungry they needed to leave their caves, which were often located on the side of high hills or mountains. This required them to descend the hill(stretching their muscles for the strenuous activity which lie ahead) to get out to the open plain. They would then walk or run across the plain (for up to two hours or more at an increased heart rate or aerobic level and working up a sweat in order to avoid predators for whom humans were their delicacy of choice in their food chain) until they got to the forest. Once in the forest, they would climb trees (requiring cross training due to the need for motor skills different from those used to that point), or squat behind bushes (requiring flexibility and good muscle tone) or run from tree to tree to hide (running for their lives from other predators who favored human flesh) in search of their prey. They would then slowly stalk (with patience and determination) their food source until they were in "shooting" distance. When close enough they would hurl (requiring upper body strength and agility) their spears at their protein source and hopefully hit their target. Once successful in killing their "needed survival energy source," they would then need to pack the animal on their back (anaerobic strength work) and then run or sprint out of the forest, across the plain (for up to two hours or more with increased heart rate and the strength conditioning loads on their backs). They would then need to climb (stepping their way carefully up) the rocky terrain of their mountain or hillside home until they were safely back to the cave. Once in the cave, (after cooling off), they would begin the process of nurturing their bodies with the "prized food." They needed to be as active as this in order to stay alive. They needed to have bodies which could sustain the level of activity needed to track down and kill their food source if not daily at least three times a week. They needed to sustain this level of activity for their entire lives in order to stay alive and well. They needed this "exercise" in order to survive. For cavemen then, "exercising" was a way of life. Exercise was as essential for cavemen's lives as was air, water and food. They needed to " exercise" to live.

So what about us in the twentieth century who possess cavemen (and cavewomen) bodies but without the need for the high level of physical activity they needed to stay alive? What are we doing to our well planned bodies with skeletal, muscular, respiratory and digestive systems meant to be so active? What is happening as we subject our bodies to the sedentary lives resulting from the modern era of electronics, computers, gadgets, gizmos, remote control, elevators, escalators, automobiles, and other forms of motorized transportation? If we are not giving our bodies the physical activity, for which they were magnificently built to perform, then we are slowing down our internal bodily clocks which manage our metabolic rate. We are telling our internal monitors that we don't need to have excessive activity in order to live. We are telling our internal regulators we have enough "stores" of food in our cave to survive on. We are telling our internal systems to "slow down" and relax since our bodies do not need to be vigilant, alert, awake, active or ready to go at any minute. We are telling the message centers in our bodily functions that we are not "under attack" and to "let down their guard" so that their peak efficiency will not be needed to survive in this world. What we are doing to our internal bodily regulators, is to get them out of whack and confused. They do not know we really need to continue the activity (or at least a part of it) which our predecessors on earth required to stay alive. As a result, our internal functions become slowed down, under utilized and unresponsive. We have less energy, become more lethargic and experience tiredness more readily than cavemen did. We have decreased metabolic rates so that we do not burn off our caloric and fat intake as quickly as cavemen. We become recipients of inordinate numbers of fat cells which are there in our bodies for no real "survival" reasons. We begin to experience joint problems due to being unlubricated or infrequently used. We begin to experience problems in our respiratory and circulation systems due to inactivity. We begin to have digestive tract disorders due to lack of physical exertion. We begin to have muscle tissue breakdown, especially in our primary muscle our hearts. We, by our sedentary lifestyles, experience life threatening physical diseases and conditions which shorten our life expectancy or at the minimum reduce our vibrancy, vitality and ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Because we do not "exercise" enough we threaten our survival. Because we do not have enough physical activity in our lives we are more out of shape than our cavemen predecessors. By not having enough physical activity in our lives we are injuring our "cavemen" bodies. Exercise is needed for us to maintain our bodies in a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is returning to our caveman heritage and giving our bodies a chance to feel the success and triumph of being successful in achieving goals of survival and living. We, by increasing our physical activity and exercise, give our bodies a chance to again hit the targets which will keep us alive and well. When we choose to exercise we accept that exercise is as vital to our lives as is air, water and food.

We must also be easier on ourselves for the lack of exercise in our lives because we were not (in the majority of cases) raised to have exercise as a normal function of our lives. Our families did not adhere to the belief that exercise was essential for life. They did not teach us, from early life on, to make physical activity an important priority in our lives. Oh yes, they might have encouraged us to do physical things like: dance, gymnastics, little league baseball, football or soccer, karate, etc. But our parents did not introduce us to healthy physical activities which we could continue to engage in for the rest of our lives. The motive behind our being encouraged to engage in activities often did not have any thing to do with our health. Often the motive was to get us to become competitive or maybe keep up with the Jones's kids. They often encouraged physical activity so that we could become successful as athletes, performers or contestants. The messages given us about physical activities were confused, jumbled and distorted. We did not get the message that exercise and physical activity were as essential to living as were food, water and air. Our parents (in the majority of cases) were poor role models for adult participation in physical activity and exercise. They were responsible for many of our current beliefs and negative self-scripts about exercise.

Our parents were not alone in giving us corrupted, distorted and irrational perceptions and beliefs about exercise. Our schools, community groups, organized youth sports, friends, peers and relatives also gave us input about ourselves and our level of exercise and physical activity. Perhaps we were the last ones to be selected for teams at school or gym class. Maybe we were taught that the only way to play was to win. Or maybe we were taught that because we were so uncoordinated that we couldn't do anything. We might have had bad experiences when it came to gym class, organized sports and extracurricular physical activities, which have shaped our biases and prejudices about exercise and additional physical activity. We need to accept that we were not taught healthy messages about exercise and physical activity as children and that we need to correct these self-perceptions and self-scripts prior to our implementing our exercise program for our Balanced Lifestyle.

You need to exercise to live. So what is holding you back? What is blocking you from getting on the bandwagon of exercising? What is behind the stress, anxiety or panic you feel when you realize that an exercise program is required for the rest of your life in a balanced lifestyle? What you need to do at this the beginning stage of your Balanced Lifestyle efforts is to do an ALERT to identify what are the irrational, unrealistic and unhealthy beliefs which are keeping you emotionally off track and resistant to implementing an exercise program in your life.

Assess

Lessen

Unhealthy Message Healthy Affirmation

• I don't have time to exercise. I will make time to exercise.
• I don't want to be in a big group. I will exercise on my own.
• I don't want to wear tights and leotards. I will wear whatever clothes I want to when I exercise.
• I don't want to hurt. I will have increased resistance to pain and hurt by exercising in a healthy sane way.
• I don't like it. I need to exercise to live and I will only do those activities which I enjoy doing.
• I don't want to sweat. I will allow myself to sweat while I exercise and enjoy doing so because it is good for me.
• It is such a grind. I will only do an exercise program which I enjoy doing.
• It is so boring. I will make every effort to make my exercise program interesting and pleasant for myself.
• It is so costly to exercise. I will implement an exercise program for myself which is inexpensive and of reasonable cost.
• I am worried how others react to me. I only need my own approval when I exercise.
• I have too much in my life to do already. I will make room in my life for exercise.
• I need an outside "push" to do it. I will motivate myself to implement an exercise program in my life.
• I can't exercise alone. I can exercise alone because it is needed for me to live. I use air, water and food on my own and I can do the same with exercise.
• I won't let others see me. I will chose exercise and activities which I can do alone and out of the sight of others.
• Exercise is work. I exercise because it is healthy for me.
• I will make every effort to make exercise fun for me.
• Exercise is a waste of time. Exercise is the best expenditure of time I can give myself.
• Exercise is extracurricular in my life. I will make exercise an essential component of the curriculum of my life.
• Exercise is not a habit for me. I will make exercise a healthy habit in my life.
• I don't look forward to exercising. I will look forward to exercising.
• I am bad because I need to exercise. I am a human being who needs exercise in order to have a healthy, vibrant, vital life.
• Exercise is drudgery. I will make every effort to make my exercise program interesting, productive and something I look forward to doing.
• Exercise is a pain in the ass. Exercise is going to make my ass smaller.
• I'm embarrassed to exercise. I am proud that I exercise and I will let others see it.
• Exercise = weight management. I exercise because I need it to have a healthy life.
• Exercise = diet program. I exercise because I need it like air, water and food in order to live.
• Exercise = weight loss. I exercise so that my body regulates itself in a healthier way.
• Exercise = no food. I exercise so that I can eat food with less guilt and fear.
• Exercise = deprivation. Exercise is a gift I give myself.
• Exercise = punishment. Exercise is a reward I give myself so that I can live a healthy, vibrant and vital life.
• Exercise = quick fix. Exercise is a lifetime activity which I need to do in order to live a healthy and robust life.
• Exercise = bulking up and muscles. I will accept that muscles tissue will increase by my exercise program and that it is good for me.
• I never seem to get around to it. I will always make time in my life to exercise.
• Exercise = a job. Exercise is a way of life for me.
• Exercise = a job I don't get paid for. A healthy life is the best payment I will get for the time, energy and resources I put into my exercise program.
• Exercise is only done by jocks. I am exercising to win at the game of life.
• Exercise is only done by yuppies. I am exercising for me because I deserve it.
• Exercise is only done by thin people. I exercise to keep me alive.
• Exercise is only done by the Stars. I am worth the effort I will put into exercising.
• Exercise is only done by pretty people. My beauty will shine as I exercise.
• Exercise is only done by body builders. I am saving my body by exercising. Exercise is only done by athletes. I am a winner in life by exercising.
• I am too tired to exercise. I will gain more energy and strength by exercising.
• I am too exhausted to exercise. I will gain vitality and drive by exercising.
• Exercise is not normal for us to do. Exercise is a normal function for humans to perform.
• Girls don't exercise. As a woman I have a need to exercise.
• Exercise is not ladylike. I become a healthier woman through exercise.
• I am ashamed to show my body off. I will exercise without the fear that others will see my body as I exercise.
• Exercise is aggressiveness. I will gain calm and peace in my life through my exercise program.
• It is sexual to exercise. My sexuality will become healthier as I exercise because I will become a healthier person.
• To exercise is a selfish behavior. I deserve the time needed to exercise.
• Exercise means to do something exotic. I will do ordinary things in my exercise program.
• I will please others if I exercise. I will exercise only for myself because I need it to be healthy and strong.
• Exercise is to do sporty things. Exercise means for me to increase the amount of normal physical activity in my life.
• If I exercise I can eat more. I am exercising so that I can live a guilt free lifestyle and develop a healthy relationship with food.
• I accept that if I want to lose weight that I will have to increase the amount of physical activity in my life and reduce my intake of food.
• I am not athletic enough to exercise. I am able to exercise because my body was made to exercise.
• Others will make fun of me when I do it. I only need my permission and approval to exercise and it is not important to me how others will react to my exercising since it is healthy for me.
• Exercise increases appetite. I will decrease my appetite by increasing the level of exercise in my life.