Although I typically write about exercise issues that affect mainly women, this piece speaks to anyone trying to stay fit and stick to a work out routine. Recently, I stumbled upon new and exciting research* about exercise intensity and its implications for sticking with a fitness routine. (I’m a Ph.D., we tend to find new studies fascinating). These curious researchers wanted to know why people who start to exercise, and often say that exercising makes them feel better, still drop out within only a few months.

(more…)

Yesterday, we began by asking some question regarding exercise, specifically, “How much is enough?” “Do I need 20 consecutive minutes? Or 30 or 40?” “What if I don’t have a full half-hour to spare that day?” From a motivational perspective, there are compelling reasons to tell Americans, especially women, that in actuality, “everything counts.” We live extremely busy lives, often with back-to-back appointments. On top of that, women often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Even in dual income homes, women are still primarily responsible for home-related tasks. So, in general, women have even less leisure time than men. (more…)

The fitness industry and exercise “experts” have given us very different, and often conflicting, messages about how often and how intensely we need to workout. “At least 20 minutes of cardio, 3x /week for cardio vascular health,” or “Four times a week for an hour to maintain your weight, five times/week to loose.” So, it is no wonder that I’m frequently asked by many women, “how much is exercise is enough?”

Years ago, the prevailing belief about exercise was that we had to “do it ’til it burns” and “no pain, no gain”.
(more…)

Please welcome Dr. Michelle Segar to the beYOU.tv family. Michelle is America’s leading expert on exercise motivation for women over 40. Her passion has been helping women learn to sustain physically active lives and prioritize their own health and well-being. A researcher at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan, she holds a Ph.D in Psychology and  Master’s Degrees in Health Behavior, Health Education and in Kinesiology. She is also the Founder of EssentialSteps, Coaching for Women. Michelle will be checking in with us regularly, but if you have questions for her, please leave a comment for her or visit her at EssentialSteps.

If you, like most women, lack the on-going motivation to exercise and feel like you don’t have time for it, this article is for you! But in order to understand how to find that inspiration, it is important to first understand what is often the real, but hidden, reason we say “I simply don’t have time to exercise.”

True, time is a rare commodity these days. But, do women who are regularly physically active have more time than those who aren’t?

(more…)