What Motivates You to Exercise?

What motivates you to exercise? Do you exercise to reduce stress, to wear a certain size, to be able to consume more calories, because it is fun, because it makes you feel good, doctor's orders? I say "yes" to all of these reasons.

I have one thirty-something client who wants to get back to her ideal weight of 105 pounds. She now tips the scale at 143 and is frustrated. When we talked about the differences in her lifestyle then and now, a light bulb went off. Then, she had a retail job on her feet most of the day, walked her daughter to preschool, and walked to the bus. Now she has a desk job, her daughter walks with friends, and her husband drives her to the bus stop. Need I say more?

This client realizes she needs to carve out time to exercise. My rule, "Don't let more than one day go in between some sort of exercise," applies. Through further questioning, I discovered that when she does exercise, she gets on the elliptical and goes as fast and hard as she can until she has to back down.

I gave her the Carl Foster "Can you speak comfortably?" test and found her maximum heart rate is 210. She was using speed to drive her heart rate to 181 bpm, exercising in Zone 4, uncomfortably close to her second threshold, a number that by definition cannot be sustained. She had to force herself because it was not enjoyable. During the test I monitored her heart rate every 90 seconds and asked her to recite the Pledge of Allegiance; if she could speak comfortably, she added resistance. At a heart rate of 176 she is winded but productive. This is her sweet spot: very productive, yet sustainable, a perceived exertion of 6 on a scale of 1 to 10.

She wants that feeling of working hard; I want her to work out smart. She does not need to improve her speed. She wants to lose weight and reduce abdominal fat, which she can do by working out in Zones 2 and 3, not Zone 4. She smiled and said, "Less is more?"

Next I asked her to list five favorite foods she eats regularly. She cited rice, and loves it. One cup of cooked white rice has 205 calories. She exclaimed that when she works out on the elliptical she burns about 200 calories, and felt defeated because she eats more than a cup at a sitting. I explained it is not as simple as calories in and calories out. Fabio Comana writes in the IDEA Fitness Journal that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 2,000 kcal of exercise per week for successful weight loss, compared with a minimum of 1,000 kcal per week to improve health. Regular exercise is the key.

I give my USF students an activity sheet, a bit old-fashioned in that it is not electronic. It lists the days of the week over 8 weeks, with a list of activities at the bottom to record duration and average heart rate.

I even include "read an inspirational thought," "smile/laugh," and "heart to heart with a friend," because these activities count in our overall wellness profile. What we can measure, what we can quantify, we can control; we can see and feel the results.

Whispers of the Breath Diva:

I am healthy; I am fit!