Aging Backwards Tuesday Tips #4: Getting Off The Couch

When people hear the words "anti-aging," they tend to think of face creams or lasers or even plastic surgery, but there are a myriad of other aspects of "Aging Backwards." Exercise is quite possibly one of the most disliked -- but it doesn't have to be!

I personally love to work out, but I know scores of people who consider exercise the bane of their existence. Many people are looking for shortcuts, magic pills or creams to keep them young, but the reality is it takes work. I consider exercise to be my "magic pill." Not only does working out benefit the heart and lungs, increase strength and muscle tone and keep the body lean, but it also helps to lower stress levels, get rid of toxins and actually makes the skin look younger by increasing circulation and delivering nutrients to skin cells. According to Audrey Kunin, M.D., a Kansas City, Missouri dermatologist and the author of DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual, another benefit of exercise is that it gives the skin optimum conditions for making collagen, the support fibers that help keep wrinkles and lines at bay.

What's the Best Time to Exercise?

I like to get my workout done first thing in the morning. It's a great start to the day, plus I don't have to worry about juggling my busy schedule to make sure I fit it in later. Tampa, Florida Chiropractor Kathy Clements agrees. She prefers to work out in the morning to be sure it gets done. "If I skip my workout in the morning, all day long I'll play mind games with myself about how I have to get to the gym after work. So if I set my goal to go in the morning, I'm increasing my chances of going and not getting too busy or tired to go later," she explained.

Dan Hamner, M.D., a New York City sports and rehabilitation doctor told me, "The best time to work out hormonally is between four and six p.m., but I like to get it over with first thing in the morning. It focuses me and makes me feel energized." He advises avoiding late-night workouts because they can actually keep you up.

Los Angeles-based author, writer and performer Debra Ehrhardt prefers dividing her workout into two parts. "I like to exercise on the treadmill for a half hour in the morning and a half hour later in the afternoon. An hour feels like forever to me, but if I break up my workout into two half hours it goes by quicker," she said.

Aging Backwards Workout Tips

1) Play a Trick. If I'm feeling tired or sluggish and start to make excuses to myself about why I'm not going to work out, I put on my gym clothes and shoes and tell myself, "I'll just 'play along,' not really put any effort into it and then I'll at least feel as if I had a workout." Five minutes into "playing along," I'm feeling energized and I'm doing a full-blown workout, which I would have skipped altogether if I hadn't "tricked" myself into doing it.

2) Discover Dr. Al Sears' PACE workout program. Many people think they have to spend hours and hours working out to achieve optimum results, but recent studies have revealed that a shorter workout can actually be better. The commonly-accepted methods of "aerobic" exercise that many of us have practiced for the past 20 years can actually have the harmful effect of shrinking the heart and lungs. In his book, Dr. Sears explains it all in language that's easy to understand and he provides step-by-step instructions for losing pounds of belly fat, building new muscle, reversing heart disease, strengthening your immune system, reversing many sign of aging and more. Here's a link to Dr. Sears' PACE program.

3) Get some cute workout clothes that make you feel great. If you like your exercise outfits and you feel good in them, it can mean the difference between working out and not working out, especially if you go to a gym. I like to work out at home, where I may do sprints on my elliptical machine or with a weighted-handle jump rope then do some weight training and stretch with pilates or yoga. I also have a variety of fun and interesting DVDs that I like to work out to. The Firm Workout is my all-time favorite. These women are in the most fantastic shape! I don't know about you, but if my "trainers" look terrific, I feel confident and inspired by them, knowing I could look like them if I stick with the program. And it works. My body has definitely changed since starting The Firm. And even when I'm working out all alone at home, I make sure I'm wearing a cute, little workout outfit. It's all about doing it for me, not for anyone else.

4) Tone your derriere. The gluteus maximus is the largest and one of the strongest muscles in the body and strong buttocks muscles are needed for good posture and mobility. Traditionally, squats have been considered one of the best exercises to strengthen the "butt muscles," but experts at the American Council on Exercise have found that four other exercises provide similar benefits to the squat and may be a safer alternative for some people. A detailed explanation and pictures of some of the exercises can be found here.

5) Use visualization to achieve the results you want. Many studies have shown that there is a powerful mind-body connection that can be beneficial in so many ways. What is the mind-body connection and how does it work? Can what we think actually have an effect on our bodies? According to research, it can. Our psychological/emotional state affects the endocrine system. For example, when we experience fear, the hormone adrenaline is released into our systems. When we have no fear, there's no adrenaline flowing. The hypothalamus, the emotional center of the brain, transforms emotions into physical response, affecting appetite, body temperature, circulation and a host of other functions. The hypothalamus is the receptor for neuropeptides, the chemical messenger hormones that carry emotions back and forth between the mind and body and influence in a big way the immune system. Neuropeptides link perception in the brain to the body via hormones, organs and cellular activity so the mind and body work together as one unit. Here is a quote from Buddha: "All that we are is a result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become."

So, why not change into those cute workout clothes and start moving? You may be surprised at the way your "new attitude" about exercise can change your life.