Everyone Should Make Time for Objective Driven Exercise
by Dr. Selina Sekulic

Final Kick Ankle & Foot

Exercise must be at the top of everybody’s priority list. Far too often people make the excuse that they lack the necessary time to exercise. When probing deeper into their daily schedules, it quickly becomes evident that they have time, but they don’t see the value of exercise. Little do these people know, one day they will be forced to make time for doctors visits or hospital stays in order to manage a chronic disease due to years of poor health decisions.

I encourage intentional exercise that lasts at least 60 min each day.  The rest of the day should be spent moving as much as possible. Time management is critical. It might mean waking up earlier, or going to bed later, but exercising every day should be a priority. Exercise regimens should also be variable, and I prefer that my patients do more than just the trendy 3×30 min of High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) each week. In Time Magazine: The Science of Exercise, Dr. Jordan Metzl states that “You can get away with half of the recommended dose of exercise by exercising at high intensity”. Although there is plenty of truth to this statement, I believe that the mindset shouldn’t be “how to get away with the bare minimum exercise” rather is should be “how much time I can set aside in my day to optimize my fitness to reach performance goals”.

The problem I see with short sessions of HIIT training is that it takes people more time to drive to the facility and get dressed than do the workout itself. Sure even 10×30 seconds all out efforts of any physical activity will promote positive changes, but there should be more to one’s fitness routine. If there are a couple days each week that a 30 minute workout is truly all that is possible, then head over to your closest neighborhood hill and run hard short sprints. Then spend the rest of the day moving around as much as possible. This clearly means incorporating the tried and true tricks of taking the stairs and parking farther away from your office door. But it also means finding idle time throughout the day to move around, rather than remaining seated and snacking at your desk.

For any fitness objective, a discussion about diet should always be incorporated. Whether the goal is weight loss, or weight gain, it is important to eat according to your activity levels. Time Magazine: The Science of Exercises states that “exercise is not an effective way to lose weight, research has shown. In a cruel twist, many people actually gain weight after they start exercising, whether from new muscle mass or a fired-up appetite”. Anybody who this applies to is not exercising or eating objectively. If a patient is trying to lose weight, there should be absolutely no processed foods in their diet. Additionally, intermittent fasting is a great tool for weight loss, and improving insulin resistance. Unfortunately, people are trying to lose weight while still finding time to eat three meals a day. Skip one or two of those meals each day, and you free up ample time to exercise—while also losing weight.

There is no substitute for hard physical activity if the goal is meaningful physical reform. In The Science of Exercise a study in the American Journal of Health Behavior “showed that when women with Type 2 diabetes and obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 2.5 pounds and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%”. If weight loss was truly the objective, then Zumba appears to be a failed means of achieving that objective. I can’t think of a single person who’s goal is to lose less than 3 pounds in 4 months. Most people are expecting to lose 3 pounds in a single workout. And although this is an unrealistic expectation, it is also unrealistic to expect people to exercise for months without significant change in body composition or performance. 

People expect to feel some level of pain and suffering during exercise, and that’s why I don’t shy away from prescribing it. I steer patients towards physical activities that are sustainable, and do not aggravate any acute or chronic injuries. Hard physical activity also feels rewarding. Rather than telling patients to back down, I prefer to help them find activities that will bring them the most satisfaction and help them reach their potential. Objective driven exercise routines are sustainable, and the physical changes I see with my patients are remarkable. When positive results are measurable, patients will easily find time and value in exercising.