What does it mean to be self-caring? What can we do for ourselves
that will provide more energy, more satisfaction, and serve as an alternative to all the
addictive possibilities available to us? How does exercise fit into the picture?
"I you do just one thing, make it exercise." This is the title of the
first in a series of articles addressed to practicing psychologists by Toni DeAngelis. There is
good reason for this statement. By improving fitness, strength, and flexibility, exercise
increases our capacity to handle negative events and improve our appreciation of ourselves.
Exercise provides a focus for our effective use of time and for stress reduction.
Exercise is the essential underpinning of a healthy lifestyle. It requires
a program, which takes a daily preventative approach to the care of our bodies. An exercise
plan includes goals of fitness, strength, and flexibility.
Fitness - Vigorous exercise (heart racing and body sweating)
for 20 to 60 minutes a day, three to six days a week, increases cardiovascular capacity,
releases endorphins (which have a role in reducing stress and depression), and burns calories,
leading to weight reduction. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling, aerobic dancing, swimming, stair
climbing, and cross country skiing qualify as vigorous restorative exercises, if done properly.
Be sure to clear such an exercise plan with your physician if you have not been exercising or
are 40 years of age or older.
Recent research shows that even a minimal level of exercise is better than none. Even a routine
totaling 20 to 30 minutes a day, six days a week will improve fitness. Choosing a type of
exercise you really want to do will help you incorporate it your lifestyle. Even then, it may
take three months or more of practice before becomes routine. Activities such as walking at
lunchtime, dancing, gardening, tossing a ball, and climbing stairs can provide a sufficient
amount of exercise to maintain body tone and alertness.
The 1996 Surgeon General's Report shared the following examples of moderate
physical exercise
More vigorous, less time
Medium vigor & time
Less vigorous, more time
Stair walking, 15 minutes
Swimming laps, 20 minutes
Walking 1 3/4 miles, 35 minutes
Shoveling snow, 15 minutes
Water aerobics, 30 minutes
Wheel wheelchair 30 to 40 minutes
Running 1 1/2 miles, 15 minutes
Walking, 30 minutes
Gardening, 30 to 40 minutes
Jumping rope, 15 minutes
Raking leaves, 30 minutes
Touch football, 30 to 45 minutes
Bicycling 4 miles, 15 minutes
Pushing stroller 1 1/2 miles, 30 minutes
Volleyball, 45 minutes
Basketball, 20 minutes
Bicycling 5 miles, 30 minutes
Washing windows or floors, 45 to 60 minutes
Wheelchair basketball, 15 minutes
Walking, 30 minutes
Washing/waxing car, 45 to 60 minutes
There is a limit to the amount of healthy exercise. When we exercise despite significant pain
or give it a priority beyond good health and normal social, family, and work relationships, it
may be serving another purpose. Too much exercise can lead to recurrent overuse injuries,
excessive weight loss, depressed immune system, and arthritic and degenerative changes.
Strength - Strength training maintains the mobility, flexibility and power of body's
muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints. It is estimated that people who not do strength training
lose 35% of lean muscle mass and 20% of strength by the time they reach the age of 65. This loss
of strength has a progressive impact, affecting the ability to do everyday things such as walking
up stairs, carrying groceries, getting up or down from chairs or the floor, and maintaining balance.
Strength training twice a week is recommended, including exercises that use major muscle groups.
One indirect result of strength training is the ability to increase food intake without gaining
weight because of muscle development. Harriet Nelson's Strong Women Live Longer describes a
scientifically based, user-friendly program of weight training helpful to both men and women.
Flexibility is defined as being able to move one's joints through a maximum of motion without
pain. Our need for flexibility increases with age, especially for persons over 50 years of age,
because of disuse of muscles. Disuse affects the ability to reach, carry, grasp, and balance.
By building flexibility, we improve daily functioning and avoid unnecessary injury, pain, and
surgery. Stretching exercises involving all muscle groups three times a week are recommended.
Leg stretches after aerobic activities maintain flexibility and minimize pain and injury following
exercise. As a general rule, stretches need to be held from a gentle pull to the point prior to
discomfort, for at least ten and as much as thirty seconds, and for three to five repetitions.
Stretching needs to be done following a five-minute warm-up activity and after all fitness and
strength training to avoid injury.
Reference:
DeAngelis, T. (2002). If you do one thing, make it exercise. Monitor on Psychology,
33 (7) 49-51.
Nelson, H. (1997). Strong women live longer. NY: Simon & Schuster.
