Hot and sweaty -- and the mind!

Getting hot and sweaty is a normal thing to experience when you first start a fitness program. It doesn’t have to be painful and doesn’t last long. For several months when I first started a regular almost daily exercise program, I kept a small towel nearby. Not any more though! I get short of breath doing some things but otherwise I get through my routine quite efficiently and although it’s still a workout, I don’t get all hot and sweaty.

Keep in mind that my objective is to be fit and healthy. What I do might actually be considered a maintenance program. I’ve already been through the hot and sweaty stage and now I want to maintain this level of fitness and keep it. Others may want large muscles or the ability to run 10 or 20 miles. That is hot and sweaty. There’s a big difference.

Another thing, I don’t want my life or even my days tied up doing a big set of exercises or spending hours running long distances. Also, I want to be able to do my exercise at home inexpensively, conveniently, in a short period of time, and be entertained while I’m doing it so I have a TV in the room, which happens to be our large bedroom. But it can be any available space in your house or any place for that matter.

I exercise because I want to stay healthy and it also makes me feel good. It’s something that gives me a sense of accomplishment. Getting there takes time and patience. But the result is that my quality of life keeps at the level I’ve been accustomed to!

Getting hot and sweaty is a normal thing to experience when you first start a fitness program. It doesn’t have to be painful and doesn’t last long. I used to keep a small towel nearby. Not any more though! I get short of breath doing some things but otherwise I get through my routine quite efficiently and although it’s still a workout, I don’t get all hot and sweaty.

If you’re just starting an exercise program, or even a small set of exercises, you can expect to get hot and sweaty to some extent. This will likely happen during your aerobic session whether it’s jogging outside or on the elliptical. If you start to get sweaty and tired or uncomfortable then it’s time to stop. Don’t feel badly if it’s only been two, five, or 10 minutes. You will be surprised when after a few weeks at that level it becomes almost a breeze and you say to yourself that maybe you’ll increase the resistance on the elliptical or increase the time a bit. Same thing if you're outside jogging. It takes time to get your body accustomed to this new activity you’ve started!

When you have the aerobic session done then it will be time to begin your other exercises. I use the aerobic activity first so my body gets warmed up and then I start on the rest of my exercises, eight of them.

If you have a look at my stick drawings (See My daily exercise routine) you’ll see the sequence that I follow and they are all relatively easy to do. The only real challenge is the very last one where I do 25 straight pushups. If you choose to include pushups in your list of exercises you should not worry about doing anything more than whatever you can do even if it’s only 1 or 2 or 3. You’ll be pleasantly surprised after a few weeks of doing two or three pushups when you discover they were so easy you can now do 5 or 6. It goes on like this.

I exercise because I want to stay healthy and it also makes me feel good. It’s something that gives me a sense of accomplishment. Getting there takes time and patience. But the result is that my quality of life keeps at the level I’ve been accustomed to!