On April 19, 2010, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times published a story from Men’s Health ranking Corpus Christi as the fattest city in America. According to the article, each city was ranked by the percentage of people who were overweight, the percentage with type two diabetes, the percentage of people who haven’t left the couch in a month, the money spent on junk food and the number of people who ate fast food nine or more times a month. Regardless of how the magazine calculated the data, the fact remains that a problem has been identified.

A story like this is shocking. It often takes something bad to happen in our lives to get us to pay attention to what is happening to our bodies. A bad physical exam, blood work with unfavorable results, pain of an unknown origin in our body, clothes not fitting like they used to and just a poor feeling are a few of many reasons that can motivate us make some changes in our life. Maybe you’re fed up with being out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs or rushing to catch your flight at the airport. Whatever the reason, something needs to get our attention and make us want to make a change in our life.

When you examine the areas of your life where you have been successful, it is often in areas where you were intentional about your actions. You paid attention to what you were doing. You studied, asked questions, sought guidance and evaluated the outcome of your choices. Success in any area requires an intentional thought process. Your health is no different. Now, clearly there are medical issues beyond some of our control, but for the majority of us, eating healthy and exercising regularly is going to take some work in order for us to achieve success.

In a related article published in the Caller-Times on April 22, 2010, Dr. Stephen Ponder wrote, “real change comes from us, in our homes and personal lives, based on the choices we make each day with food and activity.” That is very true. We must all decide when it is time to make a change in our lives because it is only then that lasting change will likely occur.

Let’s suppose you are interested in increasing your activity level, but are uncertain where to begin. A sedentary lifestyle can cause back and joint problems, which make it difficult to start an exercise program. Some exercise routines can actually make your symptoms worse. What should you do?

To simply jump into an exercise routine doesn’t make sense. All individuals over the age of 30 should have a complete physical examination by their physician. This should also include a discussion of the proposed exercise program to determine if there are medical complications that would contradict the proposed activity. Another good idea is to ask your doctor for an evaluation by a physical therapist.

A physical therapist can determine your optimal choice of exercise. If you are experiencing pain or decreased mobility in some area of your body, that needs to be treated to ensure success in your exercise goals and plans. Areas of weakness also need to be addressed so that you select the proper exercises to maximize your fitness. Your physical therapist should also be able to determine the optimal frequency of participation in the exercise program that best fits your needs, the proper intensity of the exercise bout and the duration of each exercise period.

Making exercise a regular part of your lifestyle has many benefits. Regular exercise can improve your body composition by reducing your total body fat and increasing your lean muscle mass. Exercise will improve your coronary risk profile. It can also counteract age-related decreases in bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Selection of the right exercises can improve balance and coordination, thus reducing the risk of falls. Regular exercise and physical activity has also been linked to significant improvements in overall psychological well-being, thereby reducing the risk for clinical depression and anxiety.

Remember, to achieve success, you’re going to have to be intentional about your choices. That doesn’t mean you have to become an expert in the field of exercise and fitness, but it might mean you need to seek advice and an evaluation from a professional. Taking care of your health doesn’t have to be a burden. Sometimes you just need to be pointed in the right direction.

For more information, contact Russell Hanks, PT, COMT, at Humpal Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Centers by calling 361-854-2278, ext.124.