It’s that time of year again! Once we sleep off our New Years Eve festivities, pour some coffee, and tune in to watch the Rose Parade, our minds may wander and begin to think about new years resolutions. I know for myself, I like to write them in my journal when an idea inspires me. For many of us, resolutions generally revolve around health and fitness. So, we take the first step assess our current health and fitness. As for me, that means that I have to step on the scale and get some sort of baseline. But, that usually results in me crying and comforting myself with a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos!
Some of us join a new gym, pay for a membership for personal training, or visit a dietician. Sometimes our goals can be for financial fitness (i.e. getting out of debt, getting on a budget to save for a house, or start a college fund). But, once we return to work after the holidays, many of us find that the days of our early January enthusiasm and resolve get lost in the mundane day-to-day obligations. We don’t go to the gym today because it’s too cold, we have other obligations in the evening, or we’re just plain exhausted after the work day. Maybe we started using our credit card again right after we paid it off. Often times, our well-intended resolutions, well, dissolve.
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CHANGE?
You may have heard the saying, “A body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest, stays at rest”. I think I recall hearing it a couple of years ago from a pharmaceutical commercial, actually. But, did you know that those quotes are based on Issac Newton’s laws of motion?
THE LAWS OF MOTION
Newton discovered that there are three physical laws that together formed the foundation of what we now know as classical mechanics. The main idea is that there is a relationship between a body and the forces that act upon it, and its motion is the response of those forces.
The first law, is that an object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a force.
Consequently,
- An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless a force acts upon it.
- An object that is in motion will not change its velocity unless a force acts upon it.
The second law states that in an inertial reference frame, the vector sum of the forces on an object is equal to the mass of that object multiplied by the acceleration. (Don’t ask me to translate that one!)
The third law states that when one body exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction of the first body. (Ok, this one I understand). For example, if you imagine two ice skaters that are extending both hands to one another, and pushing against one another, one skater will veer left, while the other will veer right. Another way to conceptualize this is, to think of when a person walks: they push against the floor, and the floor pushes against the person. Similarly, the tires of a car push against the road while the road pushes back on the tires—the tires and road simultaneously push against each other. In swimming, a person interacts with the water, pushing the water backward, while the water simultaneously pushes the person forward—both the person and the water push against each other. The reaction forces account for the motion in these examples. These forces depend on friction; a person or car on ice, for example, may be unable to exert the action force to produce the needed reaction force.
A fourth law states that forces add up like vectors, that is, that forces obey the principle of supposition. (I don’t understand this one as well!)
The three laws of motion were first compiled by Issac Newton in his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), first published in 1687. Newton used them to explain and investigate the motion of many physical objects and systems. For example, in the third volume of the text, Newton showed that these laws of motion, combined with his law of universal gravitation, explained Kepler’s law of planetary motion (Basically, dear reader, I defer you to my dad to explain everything)
SHEILA, PLEASE STOP TALKING ABOUT PHYSICS
The reason I am bringing up Issac Newton, is because we are subject to the laws of the universe! Now, I look at the world from the lens of a Catholic, but even my Atheist or Agnostic friends and I can agree – some sort of Intelligence designed our universe to have order and precision. We mere mortals are subject to these laws, and it trickles down to our everyday lives and habits. If our habit is to flop our work bag on the floor, lay down on the bed after work, and veg out to Netflix all evening (reluctantly raises hand), then Newton’s first law applies to us – a body at rest will stay at rest. But, if we decide to pack our gym bag the night before in the car, leave work and head to the gym, Newton’s law applies here as well – a body in motion stays in motion.
OK, SO HOW DO I GET STARTED?
The most important thing to do is to visit your doctor for a physical. I recently wanted to embark on a fitness journey, so I went to my General Practitioner for a physical. I told her that when I looked at my FitBit, my heart rate seemed a little fast. She explained that when this happens, it basically means my heart has to pump more often to efficiently supply my body with blood. If someone is an athlete, or in really good cardiovascular condition, their heart rate is most likely much lower, as the heart can pump less but more efficiently. One way to lower your heart rate, she explained, is to do at least 10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (Cardio, as the cool kids call it) where your heart rate reaches 140 beats per minute. Over time, this will strengthen your heart, and you will find that you aren’t as winded while going up the stairs, doing household chores, etc.
The next step, once you have the approval of your doctor, is to start an exercise regimen. This could be perhaps joining a gym, paying for individual personal training, joining a yoga studio, or joining a boot camp or something more intense, like CrossFit. (Again, your doctor can help you learn what program is best). Then, as the Nike slogan says, Just do it!
Lastly, really examine your diet. Are you eating out too much? Are you eating a lot of processed foods? Can you pronounce the ingredients on the back of the product you’re eating? Are most of your lunches microwavable? If you can find a way to make small changes, they add up to a big difference over time. For breakfast, if you tend to drive through Pepe’s for a breakfast burrito (guilty!), instead, try some turkey bacon with eggs and some blueberries or a banana. In between meals, the next time you want to reach for a bag of Doritos (guilty, again) – reach for an apple with almond butter. Make your lunch something to look forward to at work! A colorful leafy salad with yummy vegetables and some sort of protein will keep you going the rest of your day. And for dinner, resist the urge to order In n Out! Go to your local health food store, grill up some chicken, fish or a steak. Add some fresh vegetables and a carbohydrate (i.e. sweet potatoes). Try to make sure that your amount of carbohydrates are not overpowering the meal, and that you have enough protein to balance it out.
SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
Once you have committed to an exercise regimen, start out slow. Don’t overdo it on the first day. Remember, if you’ve been “a body at rest” for a long time, you need to take it slow. Start by just doing 5 minutes on the treadmill. Then, maybe the next week, try for 10 minutes. Soon enough, you’ll be up to 30 minutes. But, don’t go from 0-60 on the first time. If you make these small changes, over time they will become noticeable changes!
At the end of the day, that’s what a resolution is – a resolve to make a change. But, change doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you fall or slip up. Just get back on your feet and try to do better the next day.
I think that’s a resolution we can all do!
Happy New Year, dear readers!
Until next time,
Sheila