Darryl Pace’s blog

welcome Kevin!

Hello, Kevin and all web course participants!

Darryl Pace
http://www.darrylpace.com

Once we make a decision to workout, we must decide what type of workouts we will do and where we will do them.  When I turned 19, my Dad got me a membership at a health club for my birthday.  Since then, I've been partial to health clubs, or, as I call them, "gyms".  Here are some plusses and minuses of working out at a gym facility versus working out at home.

The Plusses of a Gym:

  1. Provides a motivating atmosphere.  Hey, there are other people working out, so once you get there you don't just want to stand around, you'll want to workout.  This is in contrast to the home atmosphere, which many people associate with relaxation, and thus desire to relax when there.

  2. There is a great deal of equipment variety.  There are tons (literally) of weights.  There are all sorts of machines.  Depending on the health club, there may be a swimming pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, aerobic rooms, racketball courts, personal trainers, a masseur and/or masseuse, facilities for child care, and more.  So, the variety at a health club cannot be matched at home...unless you have, and are willing to spend, a great deal of money for it.

  3. Because of the equipment variety, you are unlimited in how far you want to take your level of fitness.  It is possible to get into elite condition at a gym.  It may be difficult to do this at home simply because the equipment necessary to do so may not be available.

  4. There are people at a gym that will assist you while you workout if you ask.  This way you won't get stuck under a weight.

The Minuses of a Gym:

  1. You have to travel to get there.  This is perhaps the greatest minus -- the extra time involved in going to and from a gym.

  2. The people.  Above, I mentioned the people as being a plus.  Well, they can be a minus if you want privacy while you workout.  In addition, if a gym has a large clientelle, then it is possible for one or more of them to be obnoxious.

 3. The germs.  I'm a germaphobe, so I think about these things.  There are a lot of people handling the equipment at a gym.  A lot of people, including me, sweat as well.  I always make sure I wipe down the padding on a piece of equipment before and after I use it.  It is proper gym etiquette to wipe off the padding after you use it.  Not all people exercise this etiquette, thus the necessity of wiping equipment before using it.  Also, you don't want to carry the microbes from a few hundred people home with you after you leave the gym, do you?  Then be sure that the last exercise you do before leaving the gym is a good hand washing.

These are just some of the considerations to ponder when making a decision about working out at a gym or at home.

Happy exercising!

Darryl Pace

I just read Rob's post on "H" for "habits", and was motivated by it.  If you've not read it, I recommend it highly.

Regarding habits, they are the key to getting in shape and staying in shape.  Many good habits are difficult to establish and easy to relinquish.  I have found that, for myself and others, the exercise habit is one that can be challenging to start.  However, it seems that exercise is one habit that can be rather addictive, and thus difficult to halt.  It seems that the key to getting to the stage where regular exercise is automatic is progressing to the point where you have worked for and achieved significant results.  Once those significant changes and/or significant progress has been made, it's tough to just stop and surrender all that you've worked for.

So, let's all take Rob's advice.  If there are habits that you'd like to get going, start now, today.  In particular, if you would like to begin exercising, as Nike would say, just do it!

Darryl Pace

Often, people set "resolutions" for the new year.  The most popular resolution is to "lose weight".  When Americans say they want to "lose weight", most often what they are referring to is losing "fat".  If this is your resolution, the following information may prove useful.

Hello, everyone!  Hopefully this blog post finds each of you doing well.  I apologize for my absence over the last week.  I was wrapping up a couple of projects in my other line of work (computer consulting).  Now that those are complete, I will be reading and commenting on your posts more regularly, and I'll be updating this post more frequently as well.

For today, let's discuss, briefly, the subject of habits.

The merriam-webster online dictionary lists, among others, the following definitions for the noun version of the word, "habit":

5: the prevailing disposition or character of a person's thoughts and feelings : mental makeup
6: a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior <her habit of taking a morning walk>
7 a: a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance b: an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary <got up early from force of habit>

Habits can be quite powerful in that once they have been established, they will tend to be repeated without thought.  For example, we have habitual ways of getting ready for bed (brush teeth, floss teeth, wash face), relating to our spouse or significant other (friendly, romantically, or confrontational), and thinking (positively, negatively, and/or inquisitively).  In fact, much, and quite possibly most of what we do on a daily basis is governed by our habits.

It has been said that a habit can be established by repeating an action for 21 days.  We can use this bit of information to our advantage.  If we can discipline ourselves to repeat an exercise habit, or eating habit, for 21 days, that habit will start to become an accepted part of our psyche.

Are there any new habits you would like to form?  Are you in the process of setting goals for 2009?  Use the 21 day habit formation idea to your advantage.  If needed, use it to start a new exercise and/or eating habit.  Information regarding effective exercise and eating routines will be covered in future posts.

Darryl Pace

Regular aerobic exercise causes several effects on the body.  Here's one.

If you exhale all of air you possibly can out of your lungs, there will still be some air left in your lungs.  This amount of remaining air is called the "residual lung volume".  As we get older, our residual lung volume increases, probably because of a decrease in the elasticity of our lung tissue components.  The decrease in elasticity causes us to breathe in less air when we inhale, and to breathe out less air when we exhale.  Thus, more air remains in in the lungs (the residual lung capacity) of an elderly person when he/she forces an exhale from his/her less flexible lungs.  This decrease in lung elasticity is not entirely age related though.  Why?  Because regular aerobic exercise diminishes the typical age-relate decrease in lung elasticity.

Just one interesting effect of aerobic exercise.

Darryl Pace

Have you used an elliptical machine for cardio work?  If so, do you like using it?  I like the elliptical machine because it is easy on the joints, i.e. it doesn't bang your body like running does.  In addition, it is fairly easy to get a pretty good workout on the elliptical machine.  You can get your heart rate up and keep it up, or take it easy and make your heart rate go down very easily.  If you've used the elliptical in the past, or you use this machine on a regular basis, let me know what you think of it and your reasons for using it.

Thanks!

Darryl Pace

This blog is a departure from my regular blogs concerning fitness.  During the Christmas season, it is very important that men be careful.  Please watch the video at the following link, and men, take heed!

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/videoPage.aspx

Darryl Pace