25 Aug 2013 Fitness truths
by Karl Lenser
What is the best workout? When do I replace my running shoes? Cardio or weights, which is better? What is the best time to exercise?
These are just a few of the many questions that are common among the masses that participate in an active lifestyle. Pursuing fitness is a journey that provides experiences and questions that everyone in the fitness world can relate to. I will share some of these truisms that many of us already know or will know as the fitness world within us continues to evolve, change and grow. Let’s see if these fitness truisms apply to your life:
The hardest part of every morning workout is pulling off the sheets and comforters and getting vertical.
The wise early birds have two alarm clocks.
Group exercise instructors can make or break a class.
The BEST workout . . . Is the activity that you enjoy.
Road races provide a ton of positive energy and are usually full of happy, positive and energetic people.
Fit people are movers and get things done because they have extra energy and endurance.
The wise will pack their exercise gear into their workout/gear bag the night before they work out.
No man is an island. Face it folks, workouts are much easier in a group. Workout buddies provide instant motivation and support — two key ingredients in a fitness recipe.
Weight room fact: Signage stating “Please re-rack your weights” is as ineffective as the “No Parking/Fire Zone” signs at Kroger.
Comedy/paradox hour: Watching people driving around and around fitness center parking lots seeking the closest parking spot to the front door.
Your body will tell you when you have pushed it too hard.
Most injuries are self-inflicted, not accidental. (Overuse syndrome, doing the same workout month after month, etc.)
Porta Potties, a smelly oasis for any runner.
Porta Potties at road races: You will rarely, if ever, find one without a line in front you. The ones with soap and built-in air fresheners are a true sign of an upscale race.
Most injuries respond favorably to the one treatment that you least want to employ: REST.
Pick-up/I am single night: Usually Friday evenings at most fitness centers.
Amazing transformation: Your mood and energy level after a workout as opposed to before the workout. Every workout is a Healthy Happy Hour.
Fitness physics: Bodies at rest (sedentary folks, or “non-movers”) tend to stay at rest (inactive), but bodies in motion (fitness enthusiasts/active ones) tend to stay in motion (keep moving/find ways to stay active).
No matter how fit you are, someone out there is faster than you or stronger than you.
As soon as you pay the entry fee, the “Fun Run” becomes a race, whether you know it or not.
In fitness, something is better than nothing. Even a 10-minute wal
k is beneficial.
Variety is the spice of workouts.
If you’d known when you were younger what you know now, you would have made different mistakes.
Non sum quails eram — “I am not what I once was.”
A Conway resident, Karl Lenser is the director of wellness programs at Hendrix College. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. An accomplished runner, he can be reached at [email protected].
