Exercise and Fitness

MindBody Aspects of Exercise

This website is entitled mindbodymedicine.com, and is currently focused on mindbody approaches to back pain and other disorders. We hope to continually offer more in the fitness and wellness areas.

Let's start with exercise--simply and truly, the best thing that almost anyone can do for his/her health. It's better than supplements, often better than medications, and requires little expenditure of money. In an article I wrote last year, I called it "the magic elixir".

Other than quitting smoking (if you smoke), there is almost nothing else you can do that is better for your health than beginning an exercise program. This can be as simple as walking, as tiring as running, or as much fun as tennis or hiking. Physical activity has many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of several cancers (including breast cancer). Psychological benefits of exercise include lower anxiety levels, improvement in depressive symptoms, and better moods.

I recommend exercise highly for all of my patients. There's almost no one, regardless of age, who can't benefit from starting an exercise program. Studies have even shown functional benefits in people over ninety who strengthen their leg muscles in a six week exercise program. However, if you intend to pursue vigorous exercise and you're over forty or have health problems, have an examination with your doctor first.

But vigorous exercise is not required to improve your health and well-being. Daily walks are a great form of exercise and often the easiest form of exercise for many people. Even the busiest among you can probably do some stationary bicycling, even if you need to be on the telephone or reading while you're on the bike.

The key thing is to start exercising and to find the right types of activity for you. There is a ninety-minute tape entitled "Your Own Exercise Program--Getting Started" that is available on the ORDER page. It comes with a five page article and covers a variety of topics including:

benefits of regular exercise
how much and how frequently to exercise
effects on metabolism
weight loss
techniques to motivate yourself to exercise
preventing and treating osteoporosis with exercise
how to make exercise "play" instead of a "work"-out
choosing the best time of day for you to exercise
best time to stretch
importance of warm up and cooldown
using the "Frequency Intensity Time" (FIT) formula
measuring your pulse rate at rest and exercise
determining your ideal pulse rate for exercise