If that’s even a word – would mean exercising while playing arcade style games.

If the thought of another treadmill workout isn’t going to get you to the gym today, then consider these fun, interactive options. They’re also great to use as a family.

The Denver Athletic Club has an entire area dedicated to these toys – dedicated to the kid in all of us. Call today for more information: 303.534.1211.

The link is to an article in the American College of Sports Medicine. In summary, PLAN AHEAD! You do it at work; You set alarms every morning; You even plan your weekends. If your body and mind are worth as much to you as your Wednesday business meeting, then just do it!

1. Your heart rate may not respond as it did during a million workouts leading up to the race.  This is due to hydration levels, excitement, focus, and many other factors.  So, unless you’re cool like that, then leave the heart rate monitor on the shelf.

2. You probably won’t sleep well the night before the big race.  Don’t worry about it.  You probably slept well 2 nights before the race, which is more important.  As long as you’re laying down the whole time then you can consider yourself rested!

3. When the gun goes off, you will hopefully focus rightaway on swimming your pace.  Warning: your pace is going to feel slower than how it felt in the pool.  You’re amped with adrenaline, your wetsuit provides jet propulsion because of the buoyancy, and if you’re smart then you’re drafting off someone.  As a beginner, it is best to just sit back and enjoy what feels like a leisurely pace.

4. If you’re competing in an Olympic distance triathlon or beyond, then be cautious of the I-feel-so-good-I-don’t-need-to-eat-or-drink zone during the bike or run.  This would happen somewhere probably after the halfway point on the bike.  You feel good, everything seems to be clicking along, so you decide eating or drinking could mess up the flow.  It’s a trap set by the bear around the corner that’s about to jump on your back if you fall for it!  Eat.  Drink.  And continue to be merry.

5. No caffeine race morning.  I already know the arguments in favor of having caffeine race morning (fat oxidation, glycogen sparing, etc.).  I also know the risks (frequent bathroom breaks, dehydration, more energy than you know what to do with, etc.).  The risks outweigh the benefits.

6. Be normal (I know that’s asking a lot of some of you .  Race morning is not the time to dedicate 30 minutes (for the first time) to your very tight hamstrings; You should have tended to that a month ago… so it’s too late.  There is such thing as overstretching a muscle.  Don’t do it.

7. The day before the race you are likely going to have some anxiety in your legs, so-to-speak.  Meaning: your legs may feel tired, weak, or genarlly apathetic.  That’s just the nerves.  Some anxiety is fine, even good.  In the literature it’s referred to as optimal arousal.

It’s ok to be a newby… just don’t act like one.  I hope these tips help!

Why commit to something you disdain?  Think of your workday like a school day in third grade.  Cursive writing for 40 minutes, and then spelling, and then environment class, and then… Ever see a child get bored with recess?  Some of you have, yes, I know.  But most kids don’t.  You know why?  Because it’s the one time of day that they do whatever they want to do!  And do they play on the monkey bars the entire time!  NO!  They run constantly from 4-square, to tag, to the slide, back to 4-square, and they don’t stop, and they laugh the entire time!  Do that!

There’s one catch.  You have to go to the gym, even if you don’t want to.  But once you’re there, follow your instincts.  You’ll be surprised at how good of a workout you get in.  You may even go longer than you anticipated.  Soon enough, you will think of your workout more like recess, instead of study hall!

OK, so there’s two catches.  If you feel like running 10 miles and you’ve never even walked a mile, then maybe a few rules would do you some good.  Here are the basic rules of unruliness:

1. Warm up.  Even if it’s just for 5 minutes, it’ll help to prepare you for whatever craziness your subconscious has in store for you.
2. Ease into it.  The first few exercises should be a notch up from the warm up.  Consider it warm up part 2.
3. Use proper form.  Do pushups until you collapse if you like, but never compromise your posture.  Bad form = injury = detention.
4. Commit to at least 30 minutes of activity.  It’s a rule.  Even though you get to follow your folly, it must involve activity. 
5. Stretch when you’re done for at least 5 minutes.  You probably worked some muscles you forgot about; they’ll probably be sore and tight tomorrow; stretch.

Here’s an internal dialogue that goes through my mind during a typical strength workout:

I feel like doing pushups…9, 10, 11…I feel like stopping…on to a standing 1 arm chest press…8, 9, 10…feels pretty good, although the weight is a bit light, oh well…18, 19, 20…it’s starting to burn, I like this one…32, 33, 34…that’s enough…I think I’ll hop on an elliptical now…

That’s it.  Do what you want, have fun, play, and unleash your unruliness!

Beginning or getting back to an exercise routine involves more than just joining a gym.  Sticking to it requires a few tricks to help keep you moving, focused, and motivated.  Here are 10 ideas I came up with to help:

1.  Who are you? Determine what kind of workouts you dread the least and do them.  Forget about ROI, calorie burn, etc.  Whatever gets you to the gym is good enough.  Once you’ve established the habit, then, and only then, should you start critically looking at your routine.

2. Sign up for an organized event.  The DAC hosts 5k runs, free squash lessons, indoor rock climbing events, and more.  You can find something interesting in The Club!   Grab a friend and commit to one.  It’s a great motivator!

3. Planning, Planning, Planning.  There is more to working out than getting on the Elliptical and pressing the Quickstart button.  Do you have your workout clothes, shoes, water bottle, and pre-workout snack planned the day before?  What time are you going?  What time are you finishing?  Preparing ahead of time will help prevent you from falling off your routine.

4. Set daily goals. You might find it is easier to stay in the moment if you have specific daily goals (instead of just relying on a long-term goal to lose weight).  Make a list of what you want to accomplish today (e.g., eat fruit with every meal, a 30-minute workout, getting at least 8,000 steps on your pedometer, etc.) and check off each thing you accomplish. Makes you feel good, doesn’t it?

5. Relapse happens.  Not many people have iron wills, so you have to plan on and forgive yourself if you don’t reach one of your interim goals. Forgive yourself and get back on the horse.

6. Make a date. Make an appointment to workout with a friend, or call me to set up a free consultation with a personal trainer. Getting back into the exercise environment can be just the nudge you need.

7. Take it easy!  If you are just starting out in an exercise program, it is very easy to work too hard. Overtraining the first few days until you are so sore you can’t exercise is a great way to discourage yourself. A lot of people quit working the first time they can’t roll our of bed without groaning — figuring the pain isn’t worth it. Overtraining can also lead to real injury. So start slow!

8. Reward yourself. After setting and meeting your daily goals, plan a little something nice for yourself. Having something to look forward to always makes it easier to do the hard things (like exercise).

9. Keep it FUN! Boredom is the quickest and most common way to kill your goal of getting fit. So you may want to mix resistance training with walking and yoga, or racquetball with jogging and swimming. Choose a combination that will hold your interest and vary what you do periodically.

10. Change your workouts! Everyone likes a routine. We all want to feel comfortable in our workouts and have a sense of accomplishment afterwards.  If you feel as if you are not experiencing the changes that you expect, you probably have reached a physical or even mental plateau. The best way to avoid reaching or staying at a plateau is to change, change, change your routine.

Staying on track with your exercise program probably requires more mental work than physical work. It means checking in with yourself to see how you’re doing, how the routine is working and making whatever changes necessary to keep you moving. It means finding inspiration wherever you can and being willing to try new ideas if the old ones aren’t working. Most of all, it means not giving up.  Never give up!