Page 22 - October 2022

THOUGHTS FROM THE SIDELINE
See You at the Gym
Eldred Brown, DTM, IPDD
For years, maybe even decades, I had always
been aware that I could improve my life by
restarting and maintaining a commitment
to regular exercise, but I could never find the
time to make that commitment. Most times
I had to try to fit thrice-weekly visits to the
gym around my 8-5 work schedule, which
proved rather difficult. In those years I spent
looking for work, I still had to work 40 hours
a week just to find work. Sometimes I had to
fit 20 hours-per-week of school or service to
Toastmasters around my full-time job, which
left me with neither the time nor the energy
for exercise. Often it was just lame excuses.
Things have changed a lot for me these past
few months, though. I’m working at home for
a manager who allows me to set my own hours
if I meet all my work objectives. I still have
work to do as your IPDD, but it’s not as heavy
a workload as I had last year as your District
Director. I now have more time to use that LA
Fitness gym membership I had been paying
for all these years, and I’m taking advantage
22 ONE COMMUNITY
of it with thrice-weekly, full-body strength
training workouts. For you, it doesn’t have to
be a gym membership, but from my recent
experience, I cannot recommend strongly
enough a consistent exercise routine that
mixes both strength training and strenuous
cardiovascular training.
Why is exercise important? You’ve probably
read a lot of the material on how regular
exercise can improve your cardiovascular
function, help you control your weight,
improve your balance of good cholesterol vs.
bad cholesterol, reduce your risk of diabetes
and other diseases, etc. I, therefore, won’t go
into a detailed textbook presentation of the
health benefits of regular exercise. I’ll speak
more on the benefits I have gained so far
from my recommitment to regular exercise.
I hope you can learn a few things from my
experience and commit to incorporating more
exercise into your life if you don’t already have
a consistent exercise regimen.
I have found that exercise is a good way