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Exercise Time Management

We all know that five 30-minute sessions of vigorous exercise each week is necessary for obtaining and maintaining high levels of health and well-being. The type of exercise doesn't matter, although a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training provides optimal benefit. However, what many people don't seem to know is that their exercise time needs to be focused, that is, mentally focused. Without such specific attention, you may not derive the benefits you're seeking. Importantly, your exercise time is not just another way to spend time.1,2

If you visit a fitness center as an observer, you may see a lot of people wearing exercise gear who are doing many things, none of which is exercising. You'll see people doing a set with weights and then spending the next few minutes scrolling through their text messages, responding to a phone call, or fooling around with the playlist on their portable music device.

You'll see people who are presumably exercising, but what they're really doing is carrying on an extended conversation with their "personal trainer" throughout their entire set of 12 bench presses or 12 dumbbell squats. You'll see acquaintances meet by chance, as each one is on his or her way to another piece of equipment. They stop and chat for 10 minutes before moving on to where they were going and resuming their exercise session.

The same kinds of non-exercise activities occur in the stationary bike/elliptical machine/treadmill area, where people are consistently interacting with their electronic devices or talking with neighbors or passers-by while simultaneously striding, stepping, or pedaling, furiously or otherwise.

What's wrong with this picture? None of these texting-phoning-and-socializing-while-exercising persons seems to have been informed that exercise time is for exercise. But that's a critical message to have missed. When exercising, concentration is key.3 When you exercise, you're training entire physiological systems to respond to mechanical loads and ever-changing weight-bearing stresses. Deep structures involved in this training include muscles and ligaments attached to your spine and the long bones of your legs and arms, as well as the electrical control centers in your heart. These deep structures must be able to respond instantaneously, receiving and sending accurate information on the fly from and to your brain and your cardiorespiratory and endocrine systems.

Any other input and output, such as talking to friends or manipulating an electronic playlist, will act as noise and seriously interfere with gaining any lasting benefit from your exercise activities. Also, distractions lead to injury. When you're distracted, your body is cooling down. The back strain or hamstring pull you've experienced may, in fact, be accurately attributed to a failure of focus.

The takeaway is that interruptions should be brief. You can certainly chat with a friend for 30 seconds or a minute. You can very quickly page through your text messages, if that's what you feel you need to do. But your focus should immediately snap back to your exercise. By fully focusing on what you're doing, the valuable time you spend exercising will result in appropriate long-term benefits.

1Weng TB, et al: Differential Effects of Acute Exercise on Distinct Aspects of Executive Function. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2014 Oct 9. [Epub ahead of print]
2Voss MW, et al: The influence of aerobic fitness on cerebral white matter integrity and cognitive function in older adults: results of a one-year exercise intervention. Hum Brain Mapp 34(11):2972-2985, 2013
3Raine LB, et al: The influence of childhood aerobic fitness on learning and memory. PLoS One 2013 Sep 11;8(9):e72666. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072666. eCollection 2013

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  • "I love it there so polite and right to the point never pushy or rude vet respectful. I wouldn’t go anyplace else. Love them all!!"
    Kandice Desalvo V.
  • "Dr. Ho and Dr. Q are caring and compassionate doctors. Their goal is to make you feel great. They take the time to listen to your concerns and address them. I would definitely recommend these doctors!"
    Sandra E.
  • "I got refer from a Dear good friend Jennifer which ive been having problems with my neck n knees. I would definitely recommend Pinnacle Wellness they have a great friendly staff n Doctors are great! I've learned a lot about our bodies n etc. I will continue seeing them again !!! My adjustments are great!"
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  • "We have been going to Pinnacle Wellness for over 3 months now, back pain has stopped 100%. We are still blown away by how amazing Dr. Q and Dr. Ho are. We are blessed they came into our lives and have truly added so much to our knowledge about our bodies and even personal growth and development. Pinnacle Wellness is nothing short of a breath of fresh air. Isabelle at the front desk always makes our day. If you are looking for a chiropractor that truly cares for your well being, my family would definitely recommend you to look no further and make Pinnacle Wellness your destination. I had just learned to live with and accept my daily back pain. Thanks to Pinnacle Wellness our lives have been forever changed and look forward to seeing the happy faces of the staff and will be enjoying a pain free life thanks to our journey with Pinnacle Wellness."
    Cara C.
  • "If you have back and/or neck trouble and have never been to a chiropractor before, then this is the place for you. I was referred here by my wife who has been seeing the doctors for several years. Since starting my adjustments I sleep better and feel better all around, and no it doesn't hurt. Currently I am recovering from tennis elbow and bursitis which the doctors are helping me recover by using a massager on my arm when I visit, even my physical therapist was glad they were helping out."
    Royce S.
  • "I have been a patient of Pinnacle Wellness for many years. They have a great, friendly staff and Doctors who truly care about there patients. I would recommend this place to anyone with back or neck pain."
    James S.
  • "The staff is extremely friendly and personable when you enter the facility. They make you feel like you are a part of the family. Our kiddos get adjusted too and for our infant it helped him to crawl properly when he was having difficulties or crawling abnormally. It is a vital part of our healthiness and we would recommend them to everyone!"
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