Kinesio... what?!
Star Expert:
Bruce Zarosky, M. Ed, is Professor, Kinesiology/Employee Wellness Coordinator at Lone Star College–Tomball where he teaches credit and continuing education courses, including his popular wellness class "Fitness for Life".
What's the New Year outlook for the population "at large"
and growing more so?
Given the consistent increase in health insurance premiums, I think we will see an increase in encouragement from management — from the government and business leaders — to get people involved in fitness and health improvement activities.
Why haven't fitness initiatives been more successful over the years?
- Because of our present culture and daily practices, we focus only on results and not on process. We want results instantly. However, to focus only on results sets us up for failure. In other words, we want to be able to walk, cycle or jog a particular distance and see a pound of fat lost immediately. If this doesn't happen, we become discouraged and do not continue to participate for the other reasons and benefits. We want the quick fix because we are accustomed to having what we want instantaneously. Delayed gratification is something we need to teach.
- Too many of us still believe the old slogan, "No pain, no gain". So, we associate pain and sweat with progress. If I go outside, I may begin sweating. Does this mean that I am losing fat? If I exercise and hurt, will I continue to do this? No, because it hurts! So, if you want to sabotage your program, go out, exercise and measure the quality of your program by the amount of sweat and discomfort you experience. If you use common sense to guide your progress, always increase the time for exercise before increasing exercise intensity and allow for slower, easy days of exercise in between faster, more challenging days to accommodate the amount of exercise you have that particular day. Be honest with yourself and your efforts.
- We don't think we have time for fitness, but if we want to see a movie, we find time to do it. If we made time to remove ourselves from the onslaught of stimuli we receive day in and day out, we'd be a lot more effective in our relationships.
What about all that dust-gathering home exercise equipment?
We could prevent the death and burial of those exercise-related holiday purchases if people will simply do the following:
- Identify an activity that they enjoy
- Identify a reasonable goal for participation that does not reflect fat or weight loss as the "be all and end all" focus for participation. Goals could include: outdoor activity to enjoy the sun and solitude, to simply feel better, or to reduce one's stress level. If the focus is on health and renewal, other goals will take care of themselves.
- Recruit a "partner in crime" to participate with them in this activity
- Include a sensible reward system that reinforces this activity routine, but does not sabotage it.
What do you predict will be the "bad news" of exercise and how can we stay out of those stories?
- Diets: I see a continued push to embrace a "diet-only" approach to fat loss and the use of diets that may not provide the nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of our body. Attacking the problem by a focus on weight loss — and assuming that the lost weight is due to a loss of body fat only — is deceptive to the user. In some extreme cases, people can incur serious physical damage to themselves. Changes must be centered in one's lifestyle and must be permanent. The "yo-yo" approach to dieting can be dangerous and does not produce the healthy body composition changes we really desire.
- Car-pedestrian accidents: When exercising in one's neighborhood, always face oncoming traffic. If drivers don't see you, you will always see them and you can avoid an oncoming car by jumping out of the way, if necessary.
- Injuries: Recognize the hazards of misusing cardiovascular equipment. Incorporate the use of warm-up and cool-down phases into your workout routine. These phases allow the body to adjust to and from exercise in a gradual, safe way. If you suddenly get off the equipment with an elevated heart rate, you could faint and/or become nauseous. Never stop moving until your heart rate following exercise is around 100 beats per minute or lower.
- Heart attacks: Be aware of risk and benefit in early morning workouts. Early morning exercise is great to boost your metabolism for the remainder of the day. But if you put too abrupt a load on your heart, it can cause a problem. Statistics point to a higher chance of heart attacks early in the day. Whatever the hour, if you can't carry on a conversation, whether jogging or using equipment, you're exercising too intensively.
What's your recommended gift for self or others?
Invest in shoes that are appropriate for your chosen activity. If you are choosing between walking and jogging shoes, always choose the jogging shoe for the additional padding and comfort. Many people use their exercise shoes far too long and wonder why their feet hurt. Consistently used shoes will last three to six months before needing to be replaced. If in doubt, go to your favorite store and try on a pair of new shoes of the same brand and model. If you feel a significant difference, buy them!
What trends are your favorite good news?
I see a continued growth in Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates. In addition to the mental aspect of these programs, there is an improvement in the awareness of one's degree of flexibility. If my flexibility is impaired, I won't want to go and "play". Also, there is an increased emphasis to learn to play again — a renewal of people encouraging their employees and colleagues to get out of the house and away from the television or computer and recapture a part of their childhood. This is good news for those of us in kinesiology. Kinesiology is the antithesis of technology. We provide the balance for one's lifestyle and try to make it fun.
Learn more about courses and programs at Lone Star College–Tomball.