Tortoise to hare? I don’t know about you but when I think about exercise, I’m more a hare kind of guy. I go hell for leather at it. When this approach hurts, I stop. The expression “no pain, no gain” used to be used about exercise: however, it really shouldn’t hurt (too much?).
As a soldier I had to get used to the “no pain, no gain” approach. In fact, they used to throw in things to make it worse. We be running around like mad hares then we’d have an enforced stop. We wouldn’t simply become a slow tortoise; we’d become a hibernating tortoise for several minutes. Unfortunately, if you stop mid-exercise the lactic acid builds up. This makes resuming exercise more painful.
You can take Andrew out of the army …
You can’t take the exercise hare out of Andrew. So, despite leaving in 2005 the last decade (plus a bit) I am still struggle being an exercise tortoise.
I want results and I want them fast. Are you the same? Unfortunately, fast results aren’t going to happen, well apart from some form of injury. This leads to the downward spiral of “I hurt myself so I’m not going to do it”. Then you try again with the same results.
I need to embrace CANBACE in my attitude towards exercise. We are Creating A New And Beautiful Existence not entering a fully formed one. Whether we are exercising or Canbacing it’s not a marathon. The tortoise will eventually win the day!
Learning to exercise like a tortoise
Firstly, what is exercise?
Anything that gets the heart pumping faster through physical exertion.
This means that exercise can be anything from walking to running a marathon and all points in-between. As I don’t have to be a lean mean fighting machine any more, I’m learning to do “less strenuous” exercise.
Nicci’s health issues also means the exercise we used to enjoy together is difficult for her. As a child she used to “suffer” from tortoiseitus, which was her mother’s word for Nicci’s more laid-back approach to life. Now Nicci’s HAS to be a tortoise when exercising because anything else causes too much pain.
So Nicci and I are using a 10 Minute Solution “Dance Your Body Thin” DVD. This means we can vary the workout to suit our fitness levels and do it for anywhere between 10 mins to 1 hour. They do a large range of “10 Minute Solution” workout videos covering a wide range of exercising methods. If you want to see if anything appeals to you please click here..
How to be an exercise tortoise
Basically, it’s about pacing yourself.
If you decide to go jogging/running a way to ensure that you stay within your limits is to talk whilst running. That way you won’t be able to push it too much.
To begin with don’t exercise every day. Your body needs time to recover between exercise session. Initially three times a week is more than enough.
To be honest the best form of easy exercise is to walk if you want to lose the pounds/kilos. A fast walk is better at burning the fat than a run. As we get older it is also better for the joints.
Even tortoises can benefit from exercise.
There are definite health benefits which are well documented from reduced risk of heart attack or diabetes. Some 
of the health benefits are:
- Makes you feel happier
- Helps with weight loss
- Good for your muscles and bones
- Increases energy levels
- Helps skin health
- Reduces your risk of chronic disease
- Helps your brain health and memory. …
- Improves relaxation and sleep quality.
Embrace your inner tortoise
As with all things exercise can bring benefits just don’t expect them overnight it takes time. Here are a few takeaways about exercise:
- Do something you enjoy
- Make it as easy as possible so you keep doing it.
- Don’t overdo it
- Aim to make exercising a priority in your weekly schedule
- Remember it will take several months before the new routine becomes a habit.
I will look at different types of exercise in more detail in later blogs and report on our progress.
Practice makes perfect
It’s all well and good writing about things in theory: however, we need to start applying what we learn. If you would benefit from exercising more today’s activity is to walk a little further or a little faster than usual. If where you work has lifts, consider walking up the stairs a couple of times a day. Travel by bus to work? Then get off one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. Every step is a step in the right direction …
To help you keep track of all your work for the daily activities mentioned we have created a monthly diary for you to record your progress. To download your copy of “My January Canbace Diary” please click here.
Be kind to yourself …
In CANBACE friendship!
If anything I have written resonates I’d love to hear from you in the comments. I appreciate that this can be a difficult subject to speak openly about. If you don’t want me to publish your comment on the website, please let me know. I will keep your words private.
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