Effective workouts are easy to devise, but to work well, they need to adhere to the rules of productive exercise. These rules are the subject of this post.

Diet and exercise are the two most important tools we have for slowing aging and living longer. In this post, I will define Planned Longevity™ exercise as distinct from simple exercise and give examples of each.

Before we get started, I’m assuming that you are not physically compromised and that you follow an adequate diet. Second, I will assume that your healthcare provider has given you the green light to engage in vigorous physical exercise.

To be clear, you should not start a fitness routine without the approval of a qualified medical expert. They should give you an all-clear or provisional approval with well-defined exceptions.

Let’s get started.

I will use the term OMYcise for exercise efforts I consider best for OMYS. Exercise for OMYs will not mean all forms of exercise as the word is typically used.

In common use, exercise is just about anything that involves movement. I’ve heard house cleaning, gardening, walking, shopping, and even sex referred to as exercise. While these things take physical effort and probably raise your heart rate and respiration, they do not fit my definition of exercises that qualify as OMYcise.

Let’s take a look:

Effective Workout and OMYcise:

  1. Is planned. I have a planned OMYcise regimen that I follow and am free to adjust as needed.
  2. Is timed. I might walk for an hour, or do weight-training circuits for an hour. Loaded carries for 20 minutes would work. Spending 1 hour at the gym doing banded resistance sets will do. All of these activities have a specific or minimum time component.
  3. Is segmented. She walks for an hour 4 days per week. He does circuits three days a week. Loaded carries happen every other day. They hit the gym Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. Irregular exercise sessions and “whenever I feel like it” workouts won’t qualify.
  4. Is adjustable. I change my time, days, and intervals at will and as needed for adjustment purposes.
  5. Is consistent. Significant time gaps in your OMYcise routines are self-defeating. Having a routine becomes a habit, and good habits are your friend.
  6. Is progressive. I increase my efforts as I gain strength or add additional OMYcises to get even stronger.
  7. Increases metabolism. Heartbeat and respiration increase. lymph circulation increases as well. Other important physiological activities are happening during and after OMYcise sessions.
  8. Increases joint strength and flexibility. Joints and connective tissues improve their quality and resilience as muscle strength increases.
  9. Balance improves. This is especially true as the muscles in your lower legs, feet, and ankles (that you didn’t even know you had) get stronger. Balance helps reduce falls, a major cause of disability and even death.

All of these things and more are good. Now we’ll look at a couple of scenarios…

Scenario 1 Walking

My OMY friend Maxine, “Max,” wakes up to a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining, and birds are singing – she feels great! Time to get the winter cobwebs out of her system and hit the streets for some exercise.

Out on the street, Max feels the sunshine on her face and a gentle breeze in her hair. It felt great to put on shorts and a tee shirt for a change instead of the winter “cocoons” she endured since the end of last year.

Ahhh, the feeling of freedom

She strolls along the street, high-fiving neighbors, stopping for an occasional chat. Nosy dogs bark at her – wanting to be petted – she obliges them as they wag their happy little tails.

A while later, as the sun rose higher in the sky, it got a little too warm, and Max was sweating. She decided to call it quits and headed for home. She stopped a couple of times on the way to visit with some new neighbors – just briefly, and before she knew it, she was at her door.

Once inside, she yawned and slowly stretched her back and shoulders as she did. She was so pleased to go outside and finally get some exercise.

Really?

Did Max actually get any exercise? No. It might have been a treat to get out on a spring day after the long winter. This was obviously a pleasure for Max. Pleasure itself has many healthful benefits, but strolling along and visiting with neighbors has almost no exercise value.

Nothing Max did fit even one of the eight qualifications for OMYcise. She had a good time, that’s all. As to exercise, many people would probably call this exercise. However, for walking to be exercise, it would have to fit at least two or three of the eight qualifications, even then, it’s iffy.

Let’s re-engineer Max’s walk to make it fit our definition of OMYcise:

Max sets out on the street for a walk. She has her phone’s timer set for thirty minutes. She walks briskly, and in no time, her heart rate goes up twenty points, and she is breathing heavier.

After about ten minutes, she decides to pick up the pace and jog for five minutes. At the end of her jog, she does ten deep squats and starts walking briskly again. She’s breathing harder, her heart is beating faster, and she is pleased.

When finished

Max vows to repeat her walking routine four days each week. She will also increase the length of each walk by five minutes a week until she gets to one hour. In addition, she will add five push-ups at the end of each walk till she works up to ten.

So now, did Max get any OMYcise?

Well, clearly, she met the requirements of all eight definitions. She is still delighted it’s spring, but she still needs a plan to deal with the winter weather.

Scenario 2 Circuits

Our OMY friend Albert, “Al,” Is headed to the gym to do his circuit workout. He’s committed to doing this twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday. He’s missed a couple of days, so he really needs to get in a workout.

His workout consists of three circuits done in succession, with minimal breaks in between.

Al’s circuit:

  • 25 push-ups
  • 10 pull-downs
  • 10 rows
  • 30 squats
  • 10 overhead presses

Al does three circuits, spends 30 minutes on the treadmill, and is done.

Pressed for time, Al shows up late.

Al gets to the gym later than he planned, but he gets started right away. He makes it through two circuits and gets started on his third. He gets his push-ups done, then completes his pull-downs.

After the pull-downs, Al’s heart rate is up, and he’s huffing and puffing. Al’s feeling good and less guilty now. Just then, a friend walks into the gym and engages Al in a conversation. This is a brief conversation – about ten minutes – and Al gets back to work.

But…

The trouble is, someone is using the rowing machine, and Al has to wait a few minutes. By the time Al starts rowing, his heart rate is almost back to normal, and so is his respiration. When Al finishes his rowing, he feels weak and is dreading the squats.

He does the squats and barely makes it through. The last five were killers. Al’s had enough. He skips the overhead presses, buys a sports drink, and sits down to drink it.

Al gets into another conversation, and before he knows it, he has to go.

Well, thought Al, he didn’t quite finish his workout, but at least he got something done and promised himself he’ll do “extra” next time. His legs shake as he limps out the gym door.

So did Al get any exercise?

Well, kind of – according to the list. A better question, though, is, did Al make any progress (#5)?

Al lacks focus. He wants to do the right thing but needs help thinking it through and putting it into a routine. Al’s issues are a little more complex than Max’s, so let’s break them down into steps.

Al needs to set aside definite times to go to the gym and do his circuits. This doesn’t mean Wednesday and Saturday. It means Wednesday at 2:00 PM, and Saturday at noon. Be specific. Nebulous goals never happen.

Use specific routines when scheduling OMYcise times.

Getting ready and getting there is a part of your exercise routine. Many times people are late because they don’t allow time to get ready and for getting there. This isn’t about doing a single thing in the gym – this is about arriving on time and starting your workout on time. Al was late because he didn’t allow for “get there” time.

How long does it take Al to do three circuits (not allowing for interruptions)? Maybe it takes five minutes per exercise. Well, if this is true, the entire circuit takes 30 minutes, and the whole workout takes one and a half hours—plan for it.

Measure times and plan accordingly

Interruptions – Al stood around and waited when another person was using the rowing machine. This break in his routine caused him to lose energy and dread his squats. Maybe he should have hopped on a treadmill to keep his metabolism and circulation running high.

When someone wants to talk, be courteous and brief. Breaking your momentum is self-defeating once you’ve built a “head of steam.” Al needs to learn the art of short but courteous conversation. It’s “gym etiquette.”

Don’t mix OMYcise and casual conversation.

Although Al has the right idea and a solid workout program, he needs to be more committed to keeping fit. Things can happen, but consistently missing workouts is a sign of half-baked commitment.

Poor planning and weak commitment are Al’s problems. It’s easy to deal with the planning by timing your steps and acting accordingly. Commitment is more difficult. Al must find a way to translate his desires into action and do it consistently (#5).

If nothing else, exercise should be regular. Routine is your friend.

SUMMING UP

I’ve laid out the requirements for OMYcise. I have also given two examples of behavior that many people would consider exercise. Even though she felt great, Max didn’t get any exercise. Al got some exercise, but its benefit was questionable.

As I said in my opening paragraph, diet, and exercise are your best tools to stay young and live longer. I haven’t talked about diet yet, but I will. I will also talk more about exercise and discuss my own routine.

In this post, I wanted to establish what OMYcise is and is not.

See my most recommended workout plan, the one I use myself, here.

OMY1

Note: this article will appear in my “ExerciseToolbox” inside my Planned Longevity™ Master Toolbox.

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