Break up exercise patterns

Today's lifestyle cannot exist without daily routine. What happens when this hardline structure is broken? The possibilities are endless.

Many people structure exercise always on the same day, at the same time, for the same length of time to achieve body perfection. If the structured fitness habit breaks down, we immediately imagine fat and wrinkles. It doesn't have to be that way.

What you need is an active lifestyle. You don't have to spend your hour each day or every other day jogging, swimming, or riding your stationary bike. You can break it down into bits and pieces to make up your activity time. Treat your physical fitness the same as your eating habits. Work in small periods of quality fitness several times a day, instead of one large, structured time.

Interesting thought, isn't it? If you like to stretch first thing in the morning, then do it! Ten minutes of movement before you get up can make your morning aches disappear. If you like to run in the morning, great. Twenty minutes of jogging fixes up the cardiovascular system for the day. Ten minutes of working in the garden, pulling weeds, lifting fertilizer, and pushing the wheelbarrow around counts for a bit of weight training. The thing to remember is spontaneity. After every two hours of inactivity, have a little activity.

How much better it is to think constant activity, even light activity, than one or two hours of hard sweat. Enjoy your hour of sweat, too; just consider the alternatives of constant motion and try "now and then" motion.

Sitting at a desk isn't motion. Office work does nothing for the body. This is where you need a little stimulation to get out of your chair. On break time, go for a walk; at lunch, seek out a fitness class or jog. After work, do the same or find something physical to do outdoors. Walk after dinner while someone else does the dishes.

If you can add fitness to your day in small bits and pieces, you will not overindulge, end up with an injury, or get bored. Use your brain -- there are loads of physically active endeavors waiting for your body. Find some!

Jerry Vance is certified by the American Council on Exercise and teaches fitness at the Carson City Community Center and Healthsmart.