You Can't Always Get What You Want...

I recently saw the new Woody Allen movie, Whatever Works, and although there is nothing in the film remotely related to exercise and fitness, the sentiments expressed refer to the philosophy of the main character, Boris. Namely that if you happen to find something that you like, go with it—regardless if it’s not the same thing everyone else is doing. That whatever works to get through your life (or your fitness routine) is just fine.
We’re often told about the BEST workout; Like the one that burns more calories or builds the most muscle or strengthens our abs or helps our flexibility. But no matter how much of this is true, it’s not going to help us unless we actually DO the work, and we’re not going to continue doing it if we don’t like it!
So, although I’m in the business of helping guide people toward achieving their fitness goals, there are those who just are not going to listen to me! And for those individuals, I say, do “whatever works” to help you get fit. Let me qualify this by saying, playing video games while sedentary or getting in and out of a car daily, doesn’t work. However, if you can find a heart-pumping activity that you actually enjoy or can make part of your routine, use it to your advantage.
The basics that most anyone can manage, walking and running, have many advantages. You can open your door, bypass your car and be on your way. 10 minutes? 1 hour? You get to choose, and you don’t have to worry about broken equipment (barring injuries or arthritis). The pace and calorie burn are up to you. Turn the walk into a hike (think hills and varied terrain) and you’ve bumped up the calorie count and worked your core. For a chart showing calories burned while walking, go to: http://preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/while_walking.html
The bike in your garage probably worked well once, and with a little tuning can take you back again with calorie burns anywhere from 250 to 800 calories per hour. In the same way, a tennis game on the neighborhood courts usually takes only a little bit of advance planning and maybe some wait time (use it to warm up). No partner? Just hit the balls against a wall and run after them. In 1 hour of tennis, a 140 lbs man can burn about 336 calories playing doubles and 396 calories playing singles.
My only experience with kayaking was when my husband and I flipped over three times in the ocean and had to be pulled back to shore by our guide. But, two of my college roommates live by rivers (one in Vermont; one in Tennessee), so they go kayaking on a regular basis. It didn’t work for me, but they love it, and an hour of moderate whitewater kayaking will burn somewhere around 300-450 calories
Sadly, for me (and my parents), golf is another activity I never quite got. I played 18 holes at the age of 13 and after 6 hours on the course, I was done. But my other college roomie loves the game, playing wherever and whenever she can, burning up to 350 calories an hour walking the course.
Even activities like gardening (ugh, bugs!) and cleaning (enough said!) can work to pump up your heart rate burning up to 275 calories per hour. And taking care of kids, especially running after toddlers and pushing a stroller, can wear you out. For a complete list of calorie burns, check out: http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm
What keeps us young and vital is movement and once we stop moving , we may never get back up. So keep the motor running in both conventional and unconventional ways. Maybe you don’t own a treadmill or have a gym membership, but if something works for you, it works!