I don't have time to exercise...

bharthi · Jan 18, 2007

Ladies,

Just saw this interesting article on Wall Street Journal that gives tips on fitting exercise into our daily schedule - even if we live very busy lives.

Doctors' Orders:
Ways to Work Exercise
Into a Busy Day
January 9, 2007; Page D1

Doctors always tell us to exercise for better health, but the hard part is figuring out how to fit exercise into a busy schedule. Even though most people know exercise is good for them, 60% of Americans aren't regularly active, according to the surgeon general.

I decided to survey some top doctors about their own exercise habits. Doctors are some of the busiest people I know -- their appointment books are filled weeks in advance, and their daily schedules are usually inflexible. Days often start at 7 a.m., and after patients leave, they spend long hours finishing up paperwork and other duties. Even so, many doctors I speak with still find time to exercise regularly. Here's how they do it.

Exercise early. Most of the doctors I spoke with exercise in the morning. For many, it means getting up as early as 5 a.m. While it's tough to give up sleep, the energy boost of exercise makes up for it. "Aside from a rare emergency, the morning is the time of day you can control," says Harvey Simon, a Harvard physician who hasn't missed a day of exercise in 29 years. "After work, you're hungry, exhausted and you have family obligations." UCLA oncologist Rowan Chlebowski takes a brisk morning walk three days a week, "usually in the dark." Boston urologist Irwin Goldstein exercises about 20 minutes every day before heading to work. "I end up going to bed earlier," says Dr. Goldstein.
Stay close to home. Most doctors who exercise have simple home exercise equipment so they don't have to waste time going to the gym, changing clothes and showering. "It would be almost impossible for me if I had to go to a health club," says Wulf Utian, a Cleveland Clinic gynecologist who exercises an hour and 15 minutes four to five days a week. "It's not the cost of an exercise room that matters; it's trying to get yourself to a place where you will exercise."
<REPRINTSDISCLAIMER>Combine work, family and exercise time. Doctors use exercise time to organize their day, either in their heads, using a BlackBerry or catching up on reading while on a treadmill or other stationary machine. Many told me they also mix exercise with family time. Anne McTiernan, director of the prevention center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, says she managed 45 minutes of daily exercise when her kids were young by exercising while kids were at athletic practice and taking them to the park or for walks. Now she takes bike rides with her husband. Alan Greene, a Danville, Calif., pediatrician and founder of www.drgreene.com<SUP>3</SUP>, uses long phone calls and conference calls to walk on a treadmill. He also rotates treadmill time with family members while watching TV with them.

Do a weekend workout. The weekend offers two days of opportunity. John Mendelsohn, president of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, says he is "absolutely committed" to at least one, but sometimes two, tennis matches every weekend. Yale physician Hugh Taylor says he tries to work in the yard so he also "accomplishes something" while exercising. Johns Hopkins urologist H. Ballentine Carter takes two three-mile walks each weekend. Joanne Conroy, executive vice president of Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey and an anesthesiologist, meets with a Pilates instructor Saturdays.
Mix exercise into your day. Even though doctors say they like the energy boost of a workout, they also try to stay active during the day. To communicate with people at the office, Drs. Simon and Mendelsohn both often skip email and instead walk to a co-worker's desk. MD Anderson radiologist Bradley Sabloff bicycles to work each day.
Be committed. All the doctors I spoke with say it helps that they've seen firsthand the perils of not exercising. "You can always tell when you're examining someone who exercises," says Dr. Utian. "You feel their muscle tone or they have a slower pulse. If I don't exercise, I feel like I've done something wrong with my week."

Eljaype · Jan 18, 2007

no time for exercise

Dear Bharathi,

That's what I always keep telling everybody and I also do. I don't find time for a workout and I am not interested in it either. I can't go to a gym and work out. I am not young either.
So always I mix exercise with the work I do at home. In the kitchen most of my vessels are kept down, so that I have to do situps everytime I pick them up.
While mopping the house I try to stretch myself as much as possible. The computer is in the upstairs room. Landline phone is downstairs. So when the phone rings, I go down to answer the phone. Likewise I maintain my weight and with that my health also.
Those who see me always tell me that I don't look my age. I am happy with what I am.
Anyone can do this. I lost 3-4 kilos after I started this type of exercise.
Love
Latha :wave

cheer · Jan 21, 2007

Dear Bharti,

Thanx for posting a informative article.

Varloo · Jan 22, 2007

Hai,
it is really dificult to get time for exercise for me. So I bought a treadmill, static cycle and twister. But even then, I find it difficult to work out. Something or the other comes up and I have not touched (rather got on) the machines now for many months. This time the reason was chikun kunya.
Now that I am getting better, I have to make a strong resolution to exercise. I seem to be growing on the sides. I do not even want to look at myself in the mirror, I feel very guilty.
After reading about the doctors, I feel I am being lazy rather than not having time. Thanks, now I shall have no reason not to exercise. And wish me luck too, to shed weight.

krishnaamma · Jan 24, 2007

Hi

Hi Varloo,

I am also over weight and I am having back pain. So I cant walk regularly. But I have to reduce my weight. For that the soup (which we make out of Cabbage, Onion, green chilly & tomato) is very very useful. You replace one meal by this soup and this will help to reduce your weight some what.

In my experience I am telling this. Only drinking this soup and taking fruits and veg. + walking for .6km per day, I reduced 6.5 Kgs. with in 15 days. If you are able to walk more means, you can reduce more.
But now as per Dr.'s advice I am not reducing like this. He asked me to reduce only 2 to 4 Kgs.(!) per month.:-D

So I am some what relaxed my diet.

Varloo · Jan 26, 2007

Hai Krishnaamma,
Please give the recipe of that soup, I should try that as per your experience. The thing is, I could not do anything for myself due to non co operation from the family side. Just when I start a diet, hubby will get sweets and such things and fornot wanting to waste them, I eat them. Otherwise, I try not to make and eat sweets-at least I can avoid loading more calories.

krishnaamma · Jan 26, 2007

Hi Varloo

Dear Varloo,

Here is the recipe of the Soup. I think you know this.

200 gms Cabbage
200 gms Onion
300gms Tomato
4 – 5 Green chilly
Salt to taste

Chop all the veg. and in a pan pour 800 ml water.
Put all this at a time and stir.
Add salt.
Mix well and let it boil.
When all the vegetables are cooked remove it from the fire.
It is a tasty soup. No doubt.
You can take it as much as you want.
And how many times you take, those many times your other intake will reduce.
That will help you to reduce your weight.

More over, there are some basic rules according to me to reduce weight.
Let me share that with you. This is my personal experience.

First stop eating the left over items, with the view of not wasting. I am not telling don’t eat the left overs on the next day.

Don’t eat a food because if you skip that it will become waste. In other words let us not use our stomach as a dustbin.

If you don’t want keep small quantity of left overs in your fridge, just with out hesitation throw it out. Don’t eat them.

Second one is Co operation of our family members. Here I don’t want to say that they too start fasting like us. But they must not compel us or feel pity for us.

We are doing for our health and as well as we are reducing their tension. (When we fall ill they are the people who will suffer with us. Is it not?)

So when your husband brings some sweet you just give him sweet and take just a bit for his love and affection and keep giving it to others with a sweet smile.

Another one thing, reduce oil as much as possible. That is very good for our health, our family’s health.

Just stop ‘Seasoning” first. Stop fried items, not 100% and keep it occasionally.

See your Calories not exceeding more than 1200 per day.

And do walking with out fail at least in side the house for about ½ an hour.

I am thinking of opening a Thread on this. What is your opinion?

amudham · Jan 27, 2007

Re: Helathy soup...

Hello Krishnaamma,
Thank you for the recipe and your tips on being healthy.
The soup recipe looks simple to make, but healthy with the veggies. I am going to try this one at home in the week end.

Here is a request, would ppreciate if you can provide some more soup recipes or with some variations, so that I will not get bored of having the same soup daily!

Please provide me the link, if you have already posted it.

Thanks Bharthi for posting the WSJ article!

Thanks

Ezhil

Varloo · Jan 27, 2007

Dear Krishnaamma,
thanks for the recipe and the tips. Already I use only minimum oil- I use only 1 lt of veg oil and 1 lt of gingely oil monthly for a family of 3. I think that is the minimum. And I have already trained my son from infancy without ghee and sugar. I used to give milk without sugar to him. Now he takes even tea without sugar. Inspite of that, my weight does not come down.
But the exercise part should be more, I feel. I do the usual house work, have a maid to help me in the morning.
I shall try the soup and let you know how it works for me. You can start a thread or can keep posting in this, all about losing weight. After all, this thread is for members who want to lose weight.
Another soup on this line is the cabbage soup in the GM diet. It is in the same thread only. (I hope this soup is not that one, is it?)

Eljaype · Jan 27, 2007

Dear Varloo,

Don't think you have to have time for exercising. Whenever you are standing in the kitchen, move around, do situps. You'll be waiting for the curry to boil. While you look for the curry look out for yourself too. Start doing small simple ones. Slowly you'll see the results.
Once you start seeing the results, you'll be encouraged.
As krishnamma said, do not temper chutnies, instead grind curry leaves/coriander leaves into the chutney. Tastes and smells nice and is also very healthy. I always temper with a drop or two of the oil, just for the mustard tto splutter.
Do not eat anything just because you think it is going waste.
Your stomach is not a waste basket.
Always control your portions. What I do is to take in a plate what I feel I have to and go and sit in a corner. Won't take a second helping. I am very particular about that.
Do the same thing and you'll see the difference.
Latha