How my Hair Stylist Cuts Hair and Fits in Every Day Exercise
I met my new and interesting hair stylist today when I changed hair salons. We got to talking and discovered that we had much in common. This included the challenge of staying trim and fit through every day exercise.
We discovered that we were both interested in weight loss through a healthy diet and exercise. We discussed our individual approaches and took note of each others’ successes.
Amy is at the centre of many lives including her husband, teenage kids and her clients. She was overweight by about 20 pounds when she decided to start an every day exercise program and to modify her diet. She is very proud to have lost half of her excess weight already despite her busy schedule at work and at home.
Amy works long hours but she is so committed to her better health that she has negotiated different start and finish times at her work place. This means that she can workout on her every day exercise routines daily. She has come to enjoy these over recent weeks and would not miss.
The most interesting aspect of our discussion was the portable heart rate monitor that Amy wears when she exercises. She tells me that they are not expensive so I have decided to get one to measure when my heart-rate gets to 1.3 its regular rate. I know that I need to include this level of cardiac fitness in my fitness program.
I know my heart beat is generally 70 beats a minute. With the new monitor I intend buying, I expect to know when it reaches an elevated rate of 90-100 beats a minute for my cardio-vascular exercise each day. This kind of every day exercise will help me lose weight.
The other thing I learned from Amy was how important social support is in her program. She exercises with a girlfriend and they keep each other motivated. They have (non-eating) rewards for reaching goals that are part of their every day exercise and they have enlisted friends and family as their ‘support group’ to enquire about their progress and encourage them to continue.
I know that every day exercise can get a little dreary and you need to know whether you are making any gains so it is essential that you actually chart your progress. This can be either for changes in body shape or reduction in the circumference of various parts of your body for example your butt, your waist, or your upper arms, or your chest.
The danger with charting is that some people do it too frequently and become discouraged when they do not make sufficient gains. Another danger is that some people chart at the wrong time. Always measure your weight at the same time each morning not in the afternoon or evening when there is greater fluid retention or when you have been eating.
So set a regular routine for exercise and a regular process for charting the gains you are making. I have decided that I am going to use a pedometer and a portable heart rate in my drive for a fitter, healthier body. I think I will build some rewards into my program and find a buddy to join me in my every day exercise too!
