our experts : HEART & SOUL
Perfect People Shouldn ’ t Read This Article
By STEPHEN D NEWMAN MD
The month of February is known for love and romance , but is also the month when we tend to fall back into our old habits and break our resolutions . Don ’ t deny it , the New Year is when most of us hope to make changes and improve our health . Planning to exercise regularly is a good thing . Heart and vascular outcomes are strongly associated with exercise tolerance and good fitness , but we are human and life gets in the way . We push through the holiday stress , download motivational and fitness apps to our smart phones and purchase preowned treadmills that are still shiny and new from our neighbors . The first two weeks of the New Year seem to go as planned , but by February , we are back to our old habits .
I am told that half the population makes resolutions each year with the top choices being exercise , weight loss , smoking cessation and finance makeovers . The problem is that individuals often set unrealistic goals and expectations , and just quit when the challenge is found to be too difficult . Changing behaviors and habits can be very challenging . It requires changing your thinking and challenging yourself . The plan must be specific , measureable or bound by time .
Some people tell me it took a heart attack to make them stop smoking . After a major event , like a heart attack , some people do make changes . This is basically a form of procrastination such as rushing to finish homework to avoid a bad grade . Motivation on the other hand is often a result of action , not the cause of it . We continue to exercise because we feel better after making that choice despite motivation .
We are taught in physics that objects in motion tend to remain in motion , and we are bound by the same laws of the universe . Any resolution requires action . The key is not over scheduling or making the challenge too difficult . Tasks that border on success and failure seem to be more motivating . You may have to write down all your excuses like arthritis , bad weather and lack of perceived time , but then decide what you can and will do . If you cannot find an exercise plan that is tolerable due to aches and pains , get your doctor or physical therapist to find out what you can do . We are finding that any amount helps .
In preventive cardiology , we focus on moving patients from survive mode to thrive mode . People say they want to be healthy , but sometimes are not willing to put forth an effort or simply feel like Humpty Dumpty . They don ’ t think they ’ ll ever feel better and thus never try . Health doesn ’ t mean there is a lack of disease . Health means the body and mind are in balance and optimized despite the presence of disease or dysfunction . A study presented
in the January 2018 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology found that leisure-time physical activity and its related benefits are independent predictors of heart-related death in patients with known coronary heart disease . Even small amounts of habitual motion made a difference in survival and heart-related events . Exercise is a treatment with minimal downside . Lack of exercise is the pill with the most side effects and slowly destroys our mind and body .
Forget making New Year resolutions or waiting until you get motivated or some salesperson inspires you . We know that doesn ’ t work . If you wake up and ask yourself if you ’ ll have time to exercise , then you probably won ’ t exercise . Make it automatic and repetitive behavior . Wake up , hydrate , get dressed and put on your walking shoes and head out the door . The toughest part is starting and action will tend to keep you moving forward . Have an accountability buddy or coach and only focus on the present . Life , like good health , is all about balancing distraction and discipline . The goal , or the focus , should be getting to the best possible you , improving your quality of life and thriving . You cannot wait for motivation to drive you to do the right thing . Get in motion now !