On Health with Houston Methodist
On Health with Houston Methodist is for the health conscious, curious and even skeptics out there. Each week, our hosts are joined by a Houston Methodist expert to explore an everyday wellness trend or significant health topic.
For more than 100 years, Houston Methodist has provided the best — and safest — clinical care, advanced technology and patient experience. We are proud to be a top hospital in Texas and the nation.
For more health advice and tips from Houston Methodist experts, check out our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.
On Health with Houston Methodist
Exercise: How to (Re)Start the Habit
If you've ever Googled "How to start working out" and quickly abandoned the page, this episode is for you. Starting — or restarting — exercise can be as challenging mentally as it is physically. Our body and fitness levels may be different from what they were the last time we worked out regularly, and our goals may have changed, too. Instead of chasing the current trends in toned physiques, we may want to focus on working out for our overall health and longevity. Whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned pro who's been inactive for some time (who's counting?), we're sharing how to start a new workout routine and overcome the barriers to exercise that can help you make fitness a lasting habit.
Expert: Dr. Dominisha Felder, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Interviewer: Kim Rivera Huston-Weber
Notable topics covered:
- The absolute first step to make if you want to start (or restart) exercise
- Should your exercise goals be outcome- or process-driven?
- How to get started without overdoing it and causing injury
- Things to consider before starting an exercise plan if you’re living with a health condition or coming back from an injury or pregnancy
- What we can expect our bodies to feel like as we start moving regularly
- The importance of rest in a consistent routine
- Tips for addressing obstacles to exercise
- How to be mentally disciplined to exercise during every era of your life
If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.
♪ ♪
ZACH MOORE:Welcome to On Health with Houston Methodist. I'm Zach Moore. I'm a photographer and editor here, and I'm also a longtime podcaster.
KIM RIVERA HUSTON-WEBER:I'm Kim Rivera Huston-Weber and I'm a copywriter here at Houston Methodist.
ZACH:So Kim, what is your relationship with exercise?
KIM:You know, I think it's been on and off my whole life.
ZACH:Yeah.[Laughing] I'd say the same.[Laughing]
KIM:I think I've said in the past, I was really prone to get into whatever the workout fads were of the time. Remember when everybody was starting to run 5Ks and 10Ks really religiously, I feel like it really starts in your 30s and all of a sudden, everyone wants to run a marathon. ZACH: Mm-hmm. It's been off and on, but I think now, I feel committed to the long-term with exercise, if that makes sense.
ZACH:No, that makes sense to me. I'm always struggling to find that groove, you know? You get in a pattern for a while, you go to the gym, you work out, you start to feel good about yourself. But then you get busy, you get tired, you don't see the result you want. So, you're like,"Ah, is it really worth it?" So then you stop for a while. And then you feel extra guilty,"I don't like the way I look or the way I feel, but I haven't put in the work, and where do I start? And oh my goodness." It becomes a vicious cycle really, at least in my experience. KIM: Yes. So, I think a lot of us out there can relate to the question,"How do I get back into exercise? Or maybe start from scratch, really?
KIM:Yeah, and I think, you know, the longer you've been away from exercise the more daunting it can feel.
ZACH:It's intimidating, yeah. KIM: It is. And another thing is you might remember yourself when you were going to the gym or doing whatever exercise you were doing regularly. Or if you used to play sports, right? And you think about,"Oh, well I used to do X, Y, Z," and you quickly find out you can't anymore. So, that's a very -- there's so many barriers.
KIM:And it's emotional too, right? Because you wanna think of yourself of perhaps when you were an athlete, when you were very consistent with your exercise. But I think our expert today said it very well that meeting yourself where you are when you're getting started can help set you up for success. ZACH: Absolutely. And who did we talk to today about this, Kim? Of course. We spoke with Dr. Dominisha Felder. She's a Doctor of Physical Therapy here at Houston Methodist.♪ ♪So, my personal exercise regimen, it involves and at home spin bike and a digital platform. I'm sure people probably get what I'm speaking about. But there's an instructor on the platform that says something at the beginning of each of her workouts, and it's, "The hardest part of the workout is, check, done, you're here." And I never get tired of hearing it just because I hear it a lot, but it's because it's true. Being able to be consistent with movement is just as much a mental exercise as it is a physical one. So today, I'd love to learn more about how we can get started with movement or how we can return to exercise if we've been away from it for a while. So, to start, what do you think is the absolute first step for someone who wants to start or restart exercising? Especially if they've been inactive for a while.
DR. DOMINISHA FELDER:Yeah. I think as far as the absolute first step for someone, I think the most important part would be setting realistic and achievable goals. We all come from different backgrounds, we all want different things out of exercise. Some people wanna lose weight, some people want to improve their medical health, some people just wanna look better, some people wanna feel more energized. So I think establishing concrete, achievable, attainable, realistic goals are very important,'cause that helps you to, kinda, guide the rest of the journey from there. I think starting slowly is also very important 'cause some of us can, kinda, quickly jump into something, but that can also lead into injury or other problems that can impeach your progress. So, I think that slow progress can help you build in your stamina, build in your fitness level, build in just your tolerance of things, and help you progress from there. Finding things that you love to do, activities that make you feel good that you actually enjoy versus just lifting weights might not be your thing, I think it's also a great place to start as far as implementing something when you haven't really been doing much overall. And of course, as a PT, I think it's imperative that if we have medical conditions or prior medical history that may be affected by exercise, that we consult a healthcare provider to make sure that we're safe, understand our bounds and limitations, and be able to guide you more appropriately.
KIM:Yeah. So, you had mentioned it that when we're starting, we have these, kind of, big overarching goals, like you said. We wanna retool our body composition. We might want to work on our, say blood pressure, cholesterol. Talk to me about how we should be framing goals. Is this something that we should think of as like keeping that North Star goal always in mind, or should we be more focused on the process with exercise when we're first getting started?
DR. FELDER:You know, I think it's important to have both in a sense, right? I think it's good to have bigger outcome driven goals to where we're trying to lower our blood pressure, trying to get to this certain weight goal, or get to this, you know, maybe a particular competition, or activity, or sport per se, but I think that can be a little overwhelming for some people, especially if we don't have as much knowledge about where to start or what to do. So I think starting at a more process driven goal or a smaller type of goal would be better because then we can appreciate the little ones. We can slowly progress through those things. We can allow our bodies to adapt and adjust a little bit better, which also further helps us to prevent injury and make more sustainable goals.'Cause some of us will start something and then we stop. Or we get into a program and then we don't like it anymore. We burn ourselves out versus taking it a slower or more at the tree perspective versus looking at the whole forest, per se. KIM: Got it. And I think one of the most surprising things that we might encounter when we're first getting started or maybe we're returning to movement is that we might be surprised of what our actual fitness level is once we get started. I think we all would love to think of ourselves when we were in our early 20s and, like, at our most fit. So, how can we get started without overdoing it from the jump and potentially hurting ourselves? Yeah. I mean, mentioning kind of earlier about people that, you know, may have other or multiple comorbidities or health conditions, I think the first step is always consulting a healthcare provider. That's your PCP, your primary care physician, your GP, if that's a physical therapist, a personal trainer. Somebody that has more of a knowledge base on where your limitations may be, have a prescreening, understand where your limitations are so that you can appropriately guide yourself safely. Other things like we've talked about, going slowly, progressing yourself through different types of movements, finding things you enjoy, listening to your body. You know, we don't wanna be overdoing it, over pushing ourselves, which can lead to once again a lack of performance or an impeding in our progression overall, I think can be limiting too. I think incorporating warm up programs, or stretches, or cool down things are also important. You know, warm ups allow us to warm our muscles up, warm our joints up, prime them in a sense to be prepared to tolerate the loads we're gonna put on our bodies. But also with the cool down phase, I think it's also very important as well for the post recovery to allow your body to adequately cool down, adequately recover from the exercises or the stress that you're putting on your body. I think other things, like we were saying, setting realistic goals is always important 'cause if you don't have a goal in mind, you could be spinning yourself in circles in a sense, which I think can be frustrating and lead more into us not continuing the program or the journey we're trying to go down. And I think just enjoying things you love. If it's dancing, if it's going for a nice walk with your pet, or your animal, or your loved one, or joining a little local gym class. I think those are great places to start slowly, but allowing yourself to see where is my current fitness level and how could I progress from here?
KIM:You said something that really piqued my interest, and it's about listening to your body. And if we've been inactive for some time, maybe we're less attuned to those cues. So, when we're thinking about listening to our body, what should we be trying to hear?
DR. FELDER:I think things such as, like, muscle soreness is something that's rather normal when we're exercising, especially if we haven't been doing it in a while, or if we've been inactive for a while. You know, if you're going through body weight exercises, or you're walking or doing a more aerobically fit machine like an elliptical, you may feel general muscle soreness around the body or the muscles you're targeting. But, if we're feeling things such as, like, sharp pains, things that are not getting better with rest, you're not able to stretch it out, things that are consistently bugging you, that's a little too much. I think we should listen to those cues as like,"That's my body telling me that this is either too much load or I'm not ready for this right now." And maybe we just change up the intensity of what we're doing, or maybe we do need to seek out more guidance from a healthcare professional to see is there something more structurally wrong that needs to be fixed in another way?
KIM:Got it. You, kind of, spoke about folks that might be starting out with exercise that they have something else going on with their health history. Maybe we have higher blood pressure, or we've just come back from having a baby, or we're coming back from having a significant injury. What considerations should folks in that camp consider when they're first starting out?
DR. FELDER:I think that's a great question. Of course, it's gonna depend on the person. I get told that a lot and I tell my clients that a lot 'cause everybody's situation is gonna be unique. I think like we've been mentioning, it's imperative to know your limitations, and once again, understanding your goals because everybody may have different things that they're trying to attain too. I think for instance when you consult with a healthcare provider and they understand,"Okay, we have high blood pressure, we're trying to work towards lowering this." Maybe start with something a little bit more low impact, work with this particular provider or person, and then we'll work and check in as we go. Even with somebody that's recently had a baby, you know, we have services like pelvic floor physical therapy that can help to aid in pain reduction or soreness after pregnancy, or other types of conditions that come with those things. Holding your baby appropriately when we're breastfeeding, or carrying them or positioning them, that can aid in that progress to get them started and then build on top of that.'Cause sometimes, we don't know where to go. Sometimes you don't know how to push past those certain bounds or where to start that's safe for us.
KIM:Like with almost everything today, there's no shortage of advice that exists online for how we can get fit, how we can get an Instagram butt, how we can get whatever toned part of our body that we might want. But, I think when you're coming back to exercise, all of this information can be extremely overwhelming, and there's a routine for almost anything. So, when we're thinking about starting out, how should we think about planning our workouts in the beginning? Should we focus on aerobic exercise? Should we be focusing on strength? And can it be as easy as just putting on your walking shoes and going outside?
DR. FELDER:You know, I think the whole "depends" word again. I think it's good to have a mixture of both. Aerobic exercise has its benefits just as much as resistance training does. Aerobic exercise can help us improve cardiovascular fitness, help us just feel better, move better. Versus resistance training can actually help us to build muscle, improve our metabolism, improve joint health that I think is great to do in combination with each other to help us improve whatever goals we're trying to achieve. The American College of Sports Medicine advises us or has guidelines for us to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity of aerobic exercise a week. So, if you break that down including rest days and everything, that's about 30 minutes five days a week, which is not too, too bad, but can seem pretty lofty for some people. So, like you said, just putting on your walking shoes, going outside for a 15 minute walk may be a great place to start to start working towards that guideline. There are other things like resistance training that they recommend two to three times a week, allowing 48 hours of rest between those major muscle group days depending on which you're working on, that they also recommend. So, starting with one or two days a week of doing body weight exercise may be a great place to start. Chair yoga and things of that sort I think are great places to target first or start small and then build from there. So yeah, I think it can be pretty simple just as doing a little bit here and there, and seeing those shorter wins and those small wins as a stepping stone to achieving those bigger goals. KIM: Got it. So, we kind of spoke about how we listen to our body. And what can we expect it to feel like when we're first getting started? So, what's normal and then what is maybe some of the natural discomfort that we might experience that is safe to push through, and what is something that should prompt us to maybe rest or maybe seek care with a professional? You know, I think things such as like muscle soreness, or tightness, or maybe a little bit of achiness is completely normal, especially if you're doing like a squat for instance. If you're feeling a burn in the glute muscles or the thigh muscles, totally normal. Those are the guys you're targeting. I think things such as, like, numbness, tingling, or sharper pains, or pins and needles, or things that are not able to be mitigated with stopping the exercise or the movement you're performing is something to be a little bit more of a red flag. I think at that point, consulting somebody like a personal trainer, or a physical therapist, or somebody that's in that kind of fitness world would be great to see if this is -- okay, maybe our form was off. Maybe we can move a little bit differently or not go too far into that motion to be able to still get the benefit of it but not reproduce that particular symptom. Or is it something that we need to be considering an orthopedic surgeon, or our primary care physician because this is something that's on a deeper level or can't be modulated with exercise or some form of another type of movement or rest?
KIM:And then, and this is just me asking for myself. So, what if -- you mentioned a squat. What if you feel yourself, like, shaking in a movement? Is that good, is that bad? Because you know, you'll be doing a workout, and they'll just be like,"Push through it," or whatever. But is that good or bad?
DR. FELDER:I love the question because I get this a lot from my clients. We'll be doing an exercise or like,"Okay, why is my leg shaking? Or, you know, why is my arm tremoring? Or what's going on? Why are my muscles flickering? Or why do they feel like they're spasming?" And it's a spectrum. I feel like there's a certain level of that's okay and safe to be at, but if for instance we are overloading our body and our body's responding in that way for us to,"Hey, put that weight down or me may further injure ourselves," I think that's where it's important to have a good level of education when it comes to those things to make sure that we don't overdo it. So, I think a certain level of the shakies, or the trembling, or the burning, or the sweats and things of that sort is okay. But if it's getting to the point where you rest and it's not stopping, or you try to move a little differently, or you increase weight and it's more painful, sharp in nature, I think that's a little too much.
KIM:Yeah. It's like if you're shaking enough you're gonna drop the weight, maybe don't do that.
DR. FELDER:Right, right. And to be fair, I think there's a concept of exercise where we increase time under tension where we do pauses, or holds, or we eccentrically in a sense slowly move through the moment that's imperative to build better strain, but there's a ceiling to that, right? We don't wanna over do that or overload that area 'cause then it can lead to injury.
KIM:So, when we're first starting a new habit, we're bound to be, like, rip raring to go, and we are so motivated. Maybe a bit too motivated. And we're not giving ourselves enough time to rest because we just -- we wanna get all five of those workouts done, Monday through Friday. We're just -- we're pushing ourselves. So, I'd love to know what role rest has in any kind of exercise routine, especially when you're getting started. And is it fair to say that it's a tool that can help us stick with exercise in the long-term?
DR. FELDER:I think rest is a very crucial component, actually, in any exercise routine or program, or any type of activity level. And I think the importance can't be overstated in a sense. I have some highlight points on why I feel like that's very, very important. I think the first one, especially coming from a PT background, is the muscle recovery component. I think it's a big misconception that people think when we're actually exercising and when we're actually loading our body, that that's the part where we're getting stronger. And it's actually not. When we're exercising, we're creating microscopic stress and tears in the muscles, and the joints, and all that sort. And that time of rest actually allows our body to heal, repair, and actually build more tolerance, more ability to be able to improve our performance, and just basically be stronger in a sense, have a better overall fitness level. And I think some people don't understand that. That can be hard for them'cause they're like,"No, no rest days," right? Or one rest day a week, and they don't allow their bodies to actually go through that adaptation and to heal itself in a sense. So I think it's very understated but very, very important that we allow our bodies to go through that process. I think it also helps us to prevent over training like you said. We can be gung-ho, we can feel like "no rest days" or "I'll not be able to keep up with this," or "I won't be able to reach that big goal that I have," but it actually helps us to modulate and manage more in the long-term, so we can stick with it, we don't burn ourselves out, we don't overdo it and cause other medical conditions or risk injury a lot more as well. I think it helps us to innately stay motivated. When you're able to appreciate those days of rest and understand how that helps you truly build better strength or truly build better fitness, I think it's eye opening for the most part.
KIM:Yeah, interesting. And you know, because allowing yourself the time to rest, to repair those muscles like you said, is there such a thing as too much rest when we're thinking about it? So, say you take a week long vacation and you say,"You know what?""I'm wherever," I'm in Florida let's say. And "I'm not -- if it's walking on the beach, it's walking on the beach. But other than that, I'm not gonna see the hotel gym." When we come back, is that a good thing to do or have we made it harder for ourselves to get back into it?
DR. FELDER:I think everybody is different. You know, I think going back full circle with what we mentioned, I feel like is important at first to do with writing down and establishing those goals. Everybody's gonna be different. I mean, if you're a senior in high school and you're trying to get on a good college team, that may be different. The week off break may be more detrimental to you than somebody that's just trying to improve their overall health. You know, I think taking extended breaks in a sense is okay. It may be a little bit harder to get back into the routine depending on your motivation level. Some people, they bounce back real quick, and they have that discipline to be able to understand that yes, I'm just giving myself this time, I'll do a more low impact, keep my blood flowing, keep my muscles loose, my joints going, versus some people like an athlete, that may be harder for them. They may be impeding themselves from achieving those hard goals like building strength because we have to be consistent with those things. As I mentioned with the American College of Sports Medicine, they do have guidelines for us to maintain a good, healthy lifestyle, and if we can't maintain that, that can be harder, especially at a higher level of activity.♪ ♪
KIM:Up after the break, Dr. Felder talks about how to overcome common barriers to getting started with exercise.
<i>ANNOUNCER:From annual checkups</i><i>to managing chronic conditions,</i><i>your healthcare should</i><i>be personalized to you.</i><i>At Houston Methodist,</i><i>our primary care doctors</i><i>provide customized care for you</i><i>and your family with more</i><i>than 40 convenient locations</i><i>across Greater Houston.</i><i>We offer a variety</i><i>of ways to get care,</i><i>from in-person and virtual</i><i>appointments to same-day visits</i><i>when you're sick.</i><i>Choose your doctor</i><i>and schedule online at</i><i>Houstonmethodist.org/stayhealthy</i><i>Houston Methodist</i><i>leading medicine.</i>♪ ♪
KIM:I'll go ahead and admit it. One of the kind of annoys me about fitness or exercise culture is this very, kind of, shaming concept of excuses, just because it probably doesn't take into consideration people's individual needs or their experiences, and it makes it seem as if the only thing holding people back is will power, which I think can lead to a lot of shame, it can lead to a lot of self-criticism, and it think all of that is probably not healthy or conducive to us reaching those goals that we want to achieve, so, I'd like to walk through some of the actual obstacles people may have to exercise that are often labeled as excuses and I'd love to know how you would counsel one of your patients experiencing one of these road blocks, so. And this is probably one you hear quit a bit. But what would you say to someone who says,"I just don't have any time. I'm too busy to make time for exercise."
DR. FELDER:For one, I think it's a very common thing, right? You know, I think it's very overwhelming to feel like"I just don't have time. I work so much. My kids, you know, I gotta pick them up, I gotta make dinner." We are all involved in different things in our lives that can pull us in many directions. Encouraging an individual to look for smaller pockets of time throughout their day I think is a lot more attainable. If it's standing up and doing ten squats, if it's stretching while you're taking a lunch break, if it's getting up every 30 minutes and walking around your home if you work from home or walk around the office. Go to the restroom, take a sip of water, whatever that case may be, I think that will help one feel like they can achieve those goals a little bit more versus trying to find a block of 30 minutes to an hour to sit and do an exercise program. So, very much so a valid reason to feel like,"Hey, I just can't do it, I just don't have the time." But allowing them to see how that can still be beneficial I feel like is a great way to encourage someone.
KIM:Yeah. I think we would all like to believe that we have the same time in the day as Beyoncé does, but I think we all know we don't. So, here's another one."I'm intimidated by the gym equipment."
DR. FELDER:I think a great response to that one, there's so many resources out there. A lot of local gyms or most gyms I've ever been into will usually do, like, a gym tour with you, right? Show you around, maybe show you how to get on and off a few of the equipments, how to adjust them. A lot of the equipment will have information on top of them as well to kind of show you what muscles you're working, how to adjust things, or maybe things to avoid per se, precautions. So, I think not necessarily feeling comfortable with the equipment is a very valid concern but there are resources there. The personal trainer, if you have a physical therapist, maybe taking a gym buddy with you that -- or meeting a gym buddy there that maybe already is well knowledgeable about the equipment would be something great to, you know, seek out.
KIM:"I don't know how to work out."
DR. FELDER:Not knowing where to workout can be daunting for sure. You feel like you're in a black hole. Like, "Where do I even begin?" But this is where I usually will tell people to begin with something that's, like, a beginner friendly activity. If that's YouTube videos, if that's going to the local gym or your work that may have classes that are beginner friendly. I go to this yoga studio that has beginner yoga. I think that's a great thing to, maybe seek out, because they'll have the atmosphere, and they'll be more supportive, and they'll be more willing to show you one-on-one guidance more or less through those things. Of course, if you're in a more flow class or advanced class, it may be like, "Okay, how do I keep up with this?" Per se.
KIM:And this is one I think most of us can relate to a time or two. Going into a gym, especially for the first time,"I feel self-conscious." DR. FELDER: Yes. Like you were saying, I feel like there's a lot of body shaming that goes on, or just shaming in general on social media or in our day-to-day lives. You know, we may see people that are like,"Hey, I wanna look like that person," or, "Hey I wanna be able to do that particular task." And I think that can be very hard for us to deal with when we don't know where to maybe start either. But I usually -- I was like I get this comment a lot from people, especially when one is injured, right? And they're trying to get back to whatever they were maybe doing beforehand, is that everybody's starting somewhere. We're all in the gym or exercising for a reason, if that's to lower our blood pressure, if that's to feel better in our own body, if that's to feel more energized, and be able to hang out with my kids more, be able to go run with my friends or play pickleball'cause I wanna be in a tournament. We all are coming from different backgrounds and understanding that aspect is relieving. It kinda takes a weight off your shoulder in a sense because it's not just like,"They're all staring at me. Oh my gosh what's going on?" But we're all here for a reason, we're all going through our own journey. KIM: This is another one. Now more than ever, we might be thinking about,"I can't afford it."
DR. FELDER:Gyms can be expensive, yes. Trainers can be expensive. Health costs with physical therapy can be expensive sometimes. But once again, there's so many free resources out there, YouTube videos. I follow a girl on YouTube that does yoga in different places, ways, small, big environments, groups, small one-on-one sessions that I think are great to be able to address those kind of things.'Cause yeah, not everybody has money to put towards things like that. They have to pay their bills, they may have to pay for a kid's medical conditions. It just depends on what's going on, but there are so many free resource community classes. I know in a lot of community centers, Mary Jo Peckham Park, they tend to have a lot of free services for people to try. And I mean, there are things that you can just go for a walk, that's free. Going on a bike ride, unless you don't have a bike. But I think that's a great thing to go, and you don't need a lot of equipment or you don't need a lot of money to be able to do those things.
KIM:And this is something that I think most of us in Houston, will -- it'll resonate with us."It's too hot…" DR. FELDER: Oh yes."Or cold." But I don't think that applies much to us in Houston. Yeah.[Laughter]
DR. FELDER:In Houston, it's like mood swings. Depends on the day, depending on the weather, but I usually will tell people,"Hey, think about maybe getting up 30 minutes early when the sun's maybe still down or just coming up when it's maybe a little bit cooler. Or waiting till the evening time when the sun is going down just to be able to kinda modulate that a little bit more." There are other things that I hear my patients all the time going to Katy Mills Mall to walk around just to stay in the AC, or the grocery store, they get their exercise in while they're there where it's nice and air conditioned. Of course, gyms are there available as well, even though there's a cost associated with that. But I think definitely taking out that weather component, it's a valid reason to impede one's want or motivation or drive to exercise 'cause this Houston heat is hot, yes. For sure, yes. KIM: That makes me think. So, I was in a Big Box hardware store, and we had walked a couple of aisles because we were looking for random things. And the person working there was like, "Are y'all walking today?" And I was like, "No, nope. We're just shopping mindlessly."[Laughing] But it is probably a good way to get in from the heat'cause he was like,"The entire store is two miles," or something. That's how Katy Mills is. I think, like, a lap around is a full mile. Which is awesome for people'cause then it gives them a landmark, it gives them a goal to reach toward so.
KIM:Yeah. DR. FELDER: It's awesome. And this is probably another common one."I don't have enough space."
DR. FELDER:Fair. That's where, kind of, mixing things up I feel like is fun to try. Things like chair yoga, you only need a chair. You sit in one place, you move in different directions. Or if it's maybe riding a stationary bike. They're kind of pre-planned, not necessarily taking up the whole room, but gives you still something to be able to move your body, even though it may be a more crowded area. I think body weight exercise is also something great to do. You can do standing squats, you can do heel raises, you can do things in place that doesn't necessarily require a lot of open area, or if you're doing something at work, or you're in your home office and you don't have a lot of space to move around, you can definitely still get some movement in.
KIM:And this is probably one that may wanna go in a little bit deeper."I'm in pain or I have chronic pain."
DR. FELDER:I think first, trailing back around with making sure we first have consulted with some kind of healthcare provider to ensure that this is something that's stable enough that is able to be worked through with exercise is important first. Because, for instance, uncontrolled hypertension may be something that we can significantly worsen or have more cardiac events if we're not cleared to do things of that sort. But for instance, there are a lot of people walking around that have chronic pain. And physical therapy is a great way, or just fitness, movement is a great way to help manage those things. So, I think understanding and working with somebody that could help build out a program and help guide you appropriately is something very important with those things to teach you ways to understand,"Okay this is normal," or "I will expect this," or "This is how we'll progress through," or "This is how we'll regress through this," if something is worsening or intolerable to them. So, I think it's important in that aspect to have a buddy or somebody to help really guide you that's knowledgeable about what you're trying to achieve.
KIM:And then this one is probably very amorphous. But what if someone just doesn't like the gym or they just don't like working out?
DR. FELDER:You know, this is where I love to promote Zumba, right?'Cause it's something that when you're doing it, I mean if you're not a dancer, fine. You know there are other things like pickleball. I feel like it's becoming a very big thing in the U.S. Finding things that are not necessarily making you feel like you're exercising, you know? If that's going on a walk with a friend, you know? Going out with your kids to the playground. Other things are out there that you don't have to be in the gym, or lifting weights, or running on the treadmill to achieve what you're trying to achieve. I think finding something you enjoy that truly makes you happy is important in that aspect.
KIM:And then, would it be fair to say that we could maybe give ourselves a little bit more credit? So, if we're mowing our grass or if, you know, we're taking care of our garden, can that be exercise?
DR. FELDER:I feel like it depends on how strenuous it is, of course, 'cause one just maybe sprinkling some seeds out, or you know, one that's just maybe walking around their backyard may not be as intense on the body. But if you're mowing your lawn and you're weed eating, and you're raking leaves, and you're taking the bags out to the front, that can very much so be moderate intensity or vigorous intensity that will count towards those 150 minutes we were talking about earlier. I think it depends, like I mentioned. But even, for instance, in my clinic here, it's a big space. We tend to walk around a whole lot, and I do wear a fitness watch that tracks my steps. And so, I do think that's something that will overall count towards that goal. And that's where it's good to have that appreciation of self-care where celebrating those smaller wins is important to use as a stepping stone towards those bigger goals.
KIM:I read a statistic that as many as 65% of all people who begin an exercise program end up dropping out in three to six months. But I think intrinsically, we all know that we need to stay active throughout our lifetime to be as strong and healthy as we possibly can as we age. So, what can we do to stay motivated and exercise for the long-term so we don't short ourselves on those health benefits?
DR. FELDER:I think circling back to the setting expectations or goals, per se, not only just short-term, but the long-term. I feel like it helps us to keep our eye on the prize but still respect that this is a journey, it's a process, it's not just getting to this end goal. But I think it's a great way to keep ourselves motivated. But in a sense, I tell my patients a lot, we're not always gonna feel motivated. There's an aspect of discipline that we need to have for ourselves. If that's where you establish a routine if we find things that we actually enjoy doing that may not be just lifting weights, that I think really help us to stay on that pathway.'Cause it can be very easy to veer or to get down on yourself or, "Hey, I didn't go five days a week. Now, I'm just gonna stop." Or, "You know, I'm not eating healthy so I'm not gonna go." Or -- I think those things, we can -- not necessarily excuses, but those things can pop up in our head and slow us down in a sense, it can discourage us from those things. But when you have a discipline in the knowledge that,"Hey, if I do this, I know I'm gonna feel better or I know I'll be closer to my goal," it helps us to stay on that pathway and stay motivated.
KIM:And there's probably seasons to it, right? Because our bodies are ever-changing. So, the bootcamp workouts I was doing in my late 20s, early 30s, I'm -- I mean, I'll still do a bootcamp here or there, but listen, I'm not lifting a tire that's bigger than me anymore. But I think it's finding exercise that engages you no matter where you are. And it's gonna look different, and embracing that it's gonna be different. DR. FELDER: Yes. That's what's awesome about all the different types of exercise that there are out there. I mean, from F45, to cycle classes, to pilates, and yoga, I mean, strength training programs. There's something out there for everybody, it just depends on what you want. And the great things is, you can try 'em all, right? I mean, there's no, like, stopping or limitations on what you can go out there and explore. I usually tell people this and to, kinda, go off my point, mixing it up is great. I think it's very important, and I encourage it a lot because you may not like that. You may start it for three months and be like,"Okay, I'm gonna do something different." And that's the luxury about fitness is that you can mix it up, you can try so many different things. As long as we're moving our bodies and challenging ourselves, we'll see those results. I think when somebody is getting started again, there's probably a lot of allure in plans. So, do this on Monday, do this on Wednesday, do this on Friday, do this on Sunday. That kind of deal. What are some of the limitations of when you're first getting started using a plan like that. What are some considerations someone should make if they wanna start a plan, and how do you know if one is necessarily right for you?
DR. FELDER:Great question. I think it's gonna -- it just depends. The reason I say this is I've seen so many different types of plans that are out there. You know, building your glutes or strengthening your hips, or building bulletproof shoulders, or increasing the chest size or the back. I think they're guidelines, right? They're somewhere to start but they're not for everybody. I've seen a few where everything says,"Three sets of ten," and they may be too much for somebody to start with. I think understanding what your goal is and seeing where this person's maybe knowledge or background may be, or seeing how this fits into your overall fitness journey is important to make sure that you're looking for it. And hey, if that's -- you see this program and you ask other people that may have done it,"Hey, how did you benefit from this?" Or, "Why did you do this?" Or maybe even contacting the person that created the plan and say, "Hey, is there any modifications I should be making? Or what are some other things I should be aware of? Because not everything's for everybody. Some people have medical issues that they maybe can't tolerate that type of movement or it may cause pain. Some people just keep pushing through but that's your body's way of being able to modulate what we're doing or not overloading ourselves per se, or going past that tolerance that we can maintain or do.
KIM:I think, kind of, what I spoke about at the top of the episode, the idea of doing the thing being really the most important thing. And there really is a mental component to exercise that we probably don't acknowledge or speak about a lot. So, could you talk about how we can talk to ourselves, or maybe get some of that self-motivation. What does that look like?
DR. FELDER:Allowing ourselves to focus on the benefits and rewarding ourselves, right? Because we can be very hard on ourselves sometimes that, as I mentioned earlier, if we don't go to the gym, those five days a week, we completely stop or we're more down on ourselves or we feel like now we gotta go work 6 days out of the week, or no rest days for the following week just to catch up. But I think it's imperative to celebrate the little wins, right? You know, "Hey, you're here, check, right? You've arrived, you brought your gym bag, you went for a 15 minute walk." I think those things are very -- even though some may tell you or make you feel like those are not great achievements or that that wasn't a success or that doesn't count, I feel like it's something to really make sure that we do that self-talk and really appreciate us for even showing up and for even wanting to make a change, wanting to improve our health, wanting to be a little bit more physically active. It's a great journey to go down, but it can be very hard to continue down it. So, being there for yourself, and motivating yourself, and saying those positive affirmations to yourself I think is imperative when it comes to starting any kind of fitness journey or any kind of change in our lives.
KIM:To stay committed for the long haul, I think that that really is what it takes.
DR. FELDER:Staying motivated can be very hard, and our self-talk is so important. We can be -- some can be very negative on ourselves. We can look in the mirror and say bad things about ourselves or how we look or how we feel. But I think changing that tone and being more positive, if that's looking up positive affirmations and reciting them in the mornings or whenever you have time, if that's doing daily journaling to where you can track and go back and see where I've started from here and how this is affecting you mentally and physically. If that's talking with a counselor, if that's talking with a family member or friend, I think it's important to make sure we acknowledge that and see how mental health is so important when it comes to our fitness levels. And how different factors can be impacted by those things. You know sometimes we may physically be healthy, but if we don't have a certain look, we may be more down on ourselves, we may not appreciate those wins or the progress we have made because we haven't achieved that big goal yet. So, I think it's important on so many different levels from your self-talk to having a good support group around you, and seeking out help if you feel like you truly need that or can't do it yourself to get that guidance 'cause it can be very impactful and is important to make sure we're addressing and feeding into.
KIM:Of course, and acknowledging, if you packed your gym bag and you went, or if you opened up YouTube and you did the workout, that counts for something. DR. FELDER: It does. Even reaching your 5,000 step goal or 10,000 step goal for the day. I love how sometimes your watch or tracker will celebrate or do little positive messages'cause it's something that one can feel like,"Man, that didn't count," but that just gives you that little spark and keeps you going. Those little nuggets of motivation throughout the whole journey.'Cause it is a journey, it's a process. It's not something we will get to tomorrow, or maybe not even next week. But when you appreciate that process and appreciate the, in a sense, some people say the grind, I feel like it's great. It's way more rewarding at the end of the day. Yeah, because it's not necessarily like, you know, you think about a professional athlete who's training for the finals or training for whatever big game it is. It's you and you, kinda, have to fall in love with the process of it to be able to see those long-term goals. Thank you so much for being with us. This has been so great. DR. FELDER: No, thank you. This has truly been a pleasure and I'm so excited just to be able to share some wisdom and some knowledge about getting back into exercising and moving our bodies safely.♪ ♪
ZACH:So Kim, have you been needing to get back into exercise or are you already back into exercise or -- where are you coming out of this conversation?
KIM:Sure. So, I loved how she went -- we went through some of the common barriers or, you know, what fitness influencers might call excuses. I found it very helpful for me when I'm --'cause I feel like I've been working out a lot more consistently the past couple of years. But, you know, whenever you have a break, or you have visitors come into town, or you go on vacation, it's really hard to get started back up. Because I'm the person when I'm on vacation, I don't want to see the inside of a hotel gym. I'm on vacation. Being able to be gentle with yourself and get back into a routine. I thought she had a lot of great things to say about how we can get back both mentally and physically.
ZACH:Yeah. I liked how you guys touched on beyond just the physical aspect as well, right? Because there is that mentality you have to have that, you know, that thinking. You can get worn down or discouraged, you know? And overcoming that is just as important as overcoming any physical barriers you might have.
KIM:Exactly. And I think that's one of the things when you start building up a habit and you maybe experience some kind of setback, you get busy at work, you have a lot of family obligations, and then you can't be consistent. I think that's where most people fall off.
ZACH:Well, it's -- at least for me, if it's already something you're not really looking forward to doing or looking to find excuses to get out of, it's the first thing you drop."Well, I was busy so that's going out the window or that's going out the window." And just having to, you know -- everybody uses the term"Lock in" these days. You gotta lock in for this stuff.
KIM:Yeah. And one of the other things that I really loved is to your point about locking in, and maybe staying consistent, maybe falling in love with the process of working out a little bit more. Finding things you actually like to do. So, if you're not a gym rat, maybe you should go outside and hike, or maybe, you know, take a dance class if you're into dance. Finding movement that will be fun for you I think is really important. ZACH: Oh absolutely. You have to make it not feel like a chore. Yeah.
ZACH:Which, it's not gonna feel great every time. I mean, for some people, actually it is. Some people are like,"Look forward to my gym day." You know, some people it works for them. But I feel like, and I can't speak for everyone, but the people who are looking to get back into exercise, and have these gaps, these ups and downs, at least I can relate to that, it's not gonna be a celebration every day when you go to the gym, right? But you're gonna feel better about the consistency, you know, you sticking to these goals that you made for yourself, you're gonna start to see results, you just gotta keep chipping away at it. And eventually, you're gonna feel accomplished.
KIM:Oh yeah. And I think more that you stay committed to whatever routine or whatever exercise or movement that you're doing, it's only going to benefit you. And there's going to be -- to your point, there is going to be a sense of accomplishment because you're staying consistent. And with consistency does come change, and it kinda sucks that it -- it's very -- it's lot slower than what people online want to peddle you…
ZACH:Mm-hmm.
KIM:When they're, you know, also trying to sell you on shakes or whatever it is. But I think it was one of our former experts that we had on the podcast, Dr. Wooldridge, she said something about, you know, when she doesn't wanna go to the gym, she just, kinda, makes herself go, and promises if she's not having a good time or if she's not into it after, like, that first five minutes, she'll leave. And she said she rarely leaves.[Laughter]
ZACH:Yeah. It makes it less intimidating to know,"Hey, I'm in control here. I can quit anytime I want," right?
KIM:Yeah. And I think sometimes too, with this whole process it is about getting comfortable with being a little bit uncomfortable. Because especially when you get back into it and you're feeling sore, maybe you're feeling a couple of the aches and pains, it's not always enjoyable but with consistency, you can see results.
ZACH:Absolutely. Well, that's gonna do it for this episode of On Health with Houston Methodist. Be sure to share, like, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We drop episodes Tuesday mornings. So, until next time, stay tuned and stay healthy.♪ ♪