Time To Exercise Some Discipline

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday April 24, 2008

Words Lissa Christopher

Turning your lounge into a gym requires more than the latest gizmo - staying motivated is the big hurdle.

THERE are any number of reasons to exercise in the privacy of your own home. There's the time you save on travel. All you have to do is roll off the edge of the Posturepedic and you can start.

There's the privacy, too. The opaque walls of home can be a real godsend if stretchwear makes you look like a barbecued sausage under threat of rupture.

Home exercise equipment has moved well beyond those cheap, dial 1800-byebyebelly devices advertised on TV. There are cool cardio gyms that combine a recumbent bike and a system of pulleys and weights and fold away into their own Tardis-like cupboards; treadmills that rival the wired-for-sound industrial-strength ones you get in gyms; even Nintendo is getting in on the action with the release of its Wii Fit next month (see sidebar).

But here's the rub. Outrageous as it may seem, merely bringing an exercise machine into the house won't improve your health. You've actually got to use the damn thing. Consistently. And long term.

Martha Lourey-Bird, lecturer in exercise science at UNSW and adviser to Weight Watchers, says: "The biggest issue with buying your own equipment is you can't buy the motivation to go with it. I think sometimes people feel fitter just making the purchase. They don't really think about having to use it over time and the novelty can wear off very quickly.

"You've really got to ask yourself some questions first. For example, if you want to buy a treadmill but you don't already walk around outside, then what would make you use that treadmill inside?"

Dr Paul Batman, director of the Fitness Institute of Australia, has similar concerns. "The biggest problem with exercising at home is maintaining it," he says. "Most people need to be motivated externally, they need outside support and encouragement."

However, Lourey-Bird says, "any exercise is better than no exercise" and if having a gadget at home means you do even a small amount of exercise you wouldn't otherwise do, then she's for it - with some caveats.

Without good supervision "you can pick up really bad habits," she says. "Our bodies are very efficient at doing things the wrong way. Exercising correctly is much harder and requires more muscle involvement."

Batman says: "If you're serious, go ahead and buy the equipment but contact a trainer and at least get them to show you how to use it." He suggests employing a trainer to devise a program for you and keeping in touch with him or her by phone. A small amount of regular communication can help, he says.

Lourey-Bird says you might also need to spend a fair amount of money to get equipment that is safe and ergonomically right for you. "With some of the cheaper treadmills, for example, you can't even take a decent stride," she says.

Consider renting the equipment first. If, for example, you've seen exercise bikes used only in a gym, she says, you might not realise how noisy they can be, which could be a real drag if you want to use it while a baby sleeps.

Ultimately, you don't need to spend a fortune on equipment or indeed buy any equipment at all to increase your level of activity at home and reap the rewards.

"You might start with a rubber resistance band and practise the exercises in the instructions," she says.

"Then you might be motivated to try small hand weights, then some heavier ones or perhaps a fitball. You can build up, inexpensively and gradually, knowing you really are able to incorporate it into your life, rather than making some huge purchase."

Push-ups against the kitchen bench are free, as are crunches during ad breaks on TV. And these small things "can really add up ... exercise doesn't have to be a form of punishment to do you some good", she says.

Beginners' guide to motivation

1 Distract yourself with music.

2 Set attainable and measurable short- and long-term goals.

3 Celebrate your successes and achievements with others.

4 Use calendars, training diaries or graphs so you can see your progress.

5 Choose the time and place you exercise wisely so you can do it at the same time and build a solid habit.

6 Don't be too ambitious or go too hard in the early stages; pain can put you off.

7 Lay out your gear the night before.

8 Reward yourself for persistence with clothes, massages etc.

9 Don't compare yourself to others.

10 Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy, at least a bit.

Source: Dr Paul Batman, Fitness Institute of Australia

Balancing act

Nintendo's Wii Fit is being marketed as "a fun way to help improve your health in the comfort of your own home".

There are about 40 different programs included in the system - including a yoga sequence complete with virtual instructor, a soccer game in which you play goalie, a hula hoop session, a tightrope walk and a ski run - most of which rely on a motion-sensitive balance board that looks a bit like a set of bathroom scales. You might stand, kneel or adopt a push-up position on it, depending on the program chosen.

The programs place a lot of emphasis on core stability, balance and posture. With some of them, every wiggle you make is represented onscreen to help you correct yourself. The system also measures weight, calculates BMI and records progress.

You wouldn't train for a marathon on the Wii Fit but it's a novel way to increase physical activity.

Whether it will appeal to every member of the family, however, and whether it will inspire sustained commitment remain to be seen.

The Wii Fit costs $149.95 but requires a base Wii console, which costs $400.