My personal experience with exercise dates back to high school when I became enthralled with working out.
This is when I discovered there is no quick fix, but consistency is the key to exercise results.
In my younger years, my goal was to build as much muscle as possible and be as strong as I possibly could. As a young man, I had excess time on my hands and was able to spend hours in the gym working out.
As I entered college, my energy levels were abundant, but the time available to workout began to diminish as the demands of work, college and my social life crowded out my previously vacant schedule. With less time to devote to working out, I began to look for exercise routines that maximized my time in the gym.
As I progressed through my master's degree, subsequent career development, marriage and starting a family, I continued to strive to maintain the balance of life with the desire to be physically fit. I also began to need to accommodate my occasional injuries. While my intensity level, free time and physical ability may have fluctuated through the stages of life, the constant was my inclination to continue to exercise.
It is my belief that consistency is the key, but the intensity may vary over the years.
Exercise has a place in your life no matter your age, stage of life or level of conditioning. Often, you will be confronted with challenges in life that will make maintaining your exercise goals difficult. These challenges can be addressed by adapting your exercise program, not stopping it. Occasionally, you may need to put your usual routine on hold, but more often, the practice of exercise can be continued through adaptation.
Consulting with professionals in the field of exercise can give you answers to the exercise dilemma that you may be facing. For example, you may have had surgery on one knee and feel that you are sidelined from working out. During recovery, many other exercises can be incorporated, such as using your arms, abdomen and the other leg.
Perhaps you are a new mom, trying to balance a career and family you may need to make your time in the gym short and effective. Exercise professionals are trained to develop a workout suitable for your goals while adapting to your needs.
My hope for you is you don't abandon your exercise program when life throws you a curve, but instead, remember that consistency of exercise over the long haul is what yields long term health results. Life's obstacles are inevitable but don't give up. If you are confused with exercise challenges, consult a professional in the field who can help you thought the tough times.
Exercise is a lifetime commitment and the more time you invest in that commitment, the more you will reap the rewards.
Larsen Daehnick is a personal trainer at Capital Region Medical Center's Sam B. Cook Healthplex. He has a master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Missouri Columbia and has practiced in the field of health and fitness for the last 20 years.