Exercise as a Supplement

Ron's Blog

You undoubtedly have heard that “Exercise is Medicine”. This phrase is copyrighted by ACSM for a health initiative to promote exercise worldwide.

To say “exercise is medicine” implies that it can heal what ails you – and it can. But it is the lack of activity that is causing many of the healthy problems in the U.S. today. Up to about 50 years ago, Americans were fairly active. Now, not so much, so we need exercise.

Being active is important for longevity and overall health. Exercise is just a part of the activity in your life.

Exercise is not so much medicine as it is a SUPPLEMENT to activity. It’s analogous to taking vitamins because the nutritional value of the food we eat has declined.

Just like we supplement our diet with shakes, pills and bars, we supplement our activity with exercise.

Being Active is Paramount

I was at a local restaurant that a high school classmate runs. She was running around serving customers, cleaning tables, and pulling together take-out orders. She moved quickly and efficiently through the establishment.

When she delivered my order, I leaned over and said to her “We’re in our 60’s and we’re awesome!”

“We ARE awesome!” she replied.

She may exercise or not, but I can tell you one of her secrets to being energized is her high level of activity. She’s an Energizer Bunny and puts the 20 somethings that work with her to shame.

Being active is the best way to “get your steps in”. Moving around with purpose while working or playing is the activity we were intended for.The reason we move around and stay active is so we can keep moving around! Move it or lose it!

Even if you’re active, you still need to exercise.

Being busy all day isn’t enough for optimum health.

  • With any type of physical job, there is a chance of overuse injuries. Too much of the same motion – walking, hammering, climbing, pulling – can cause imbalances, particularly in the back, knees, shoulders, and elbow joint. Physical Therapists prescribe exercises for the core, shoulders, hips etc. to counteract and avoid these injuries.
  • Very few active jobs – unless you operate a rickshaw – develop your cardiovascular system. You need higher intensity cardio exercise to do that. Interval cardio is the perfect solution for those that are short on time.
  • As Alex Korb points out in Upward Spiral, exercise is effective at making your brain stronger. Intense exercise, like running or HIIT, is particularly effective.
  • The CDC recommends 150 minutes of cardio per week and two 30 minute, full-body strength training days. If you are generally active, this is a good guideline, but for an active individual, exercise should be very targeted.
  • Mobility exercises – ones that enhance your overall flexibility and range of motion – are critical for EVERYONE. Active people are prone to locking up in limited range of motion which makes them injury prone. Yoga is a great means to keep your mobility.

Those with more sedentary lifestyles need exercise more as a main course than a supplement. The CDC and AHA guidelines are not enough to keep a sedentary individual in good health.

If you’re using exercise to replace a busy lifestyle, then you need to get busy with exercise.

I believe a sedentary person should DOUBLE the CDC’s guidelines AS A MINIMUM to keep in decent shape: 300 minutes of cardio per week, 2 hours of strength training, and then the mobility training. It could look as simple as this:

Sedentary Person Exercise Routine

  • Monday, Thursday:
    • 30 minute walk in the AM,
    • Hour in the gym:
      • 30 minutes strength (Back, Biceps, Shoulders, Core)
      • 30 minutes Interval Cardio on E-Trainer
  • Tuesday, Friday:
    • 30 minute walk in AM
    • 30 minutes in gym, strength (Legs, Chest, Core)
  • Wednesday: One hour walk, Yoga (mobility)
  • Saturday, Sunday: 30 minute walk

Ron’s Workout

I am very active. I easily put in 15-20,000 steps a day. Working construction and as a mechanic, I get a lot of functional training – twisting, turning, squatting.

Where I am short in my activity is with cardio. I try to run 2 miles a couple times per week and do interval training 2 more times for cardio health.

I workout 2 times per week to maintain my strength. For my age, I have a significant amount of upper body muscle. I want to keep this, as it adds to my metabolism and it has always been part of my identity. It really doesn’t do much for my overall health, but it’s important to me.

I work my legs and lower back at least one time per week – because my daughter told me too. This has come in extremely handy with this last 2-story siding job I took on.

I also do yoga. I’m not religious about it, but the goal is one 30 minute session per week. That’s impossible in the summer, but in the winter I’m much more regular.

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The result for me has been awesome. Most construction workers are pretty worn out by the time they’re 62 years-old. Fortunately for me, I’ve only done serious construction work in my later years.

Not sure what exercise you need?

You know who to call.

Ron