I would say that the biggest exercise myth is that you have to do aerobic exercise 5 times a week for an hour at a time.

I’ve been using my life experiences to tell stories to empower readers to embark on their own self-improvement projects.

This blog entry will talk about my own fitness odyssey.

I used to do Zumba and then I stopped.

In 2011 when I turned 46 I started lifting weights at the gym. Before that I hadn’t lifted one 5 pound dumbbell. In January 2014 three years later I could dead lift 205 pounds with the trap bar.

Since 2011 I’ve been lifting weights. Since June 2019 I’ve been doing the workout routines on the hardwood floor in my living room.

I’ve had 4 personal trainers at the gym so far. The last two have been phenomenal. The trainer I have now is just as great as the one before him who left the gym.

My M.O.: I meet with the trainer. He writes on a sheet of paper two exercise routines: an Upper Body at the top and a Lower Body at the bottom. At the end of each routine is core and cardio work.

For 8 to 10 weeks I do the workouts on my own alternating the UB and LB sessions.

Then I return to the gym so the trainer can write out a new routine. I do this routine. And then he gives me another new routine. And so on.

I’ve been fortunate that the trainers at my gym are impressed with my determination to lift weights on my own consistently with their ongoing help.

Right now for the last 2 years I’ve lifted weights mostly 2x per week for 30 to 45 minutes in each session.

In 2011 through 2017 I lifted weights at the gym 3x per week for close to an hour in each session.

I’m 55 today and act as a caregiver for my mother. Thus the need to change up my workout routines. My old trainer who left understood that it was okay to base the length of a session and the number of sets and reps on how much time I had that day to exercise.

This is why it’s a myth that you need to exercise 5 times a week for an hour at a time. Most people try to do this fail and give up totally.

I say: exercise 1x per week for a half hour when you can’t do anything else. It’s far better to continue to exercise in a modified way than to stop altogether. It’s harder to get back into exercise after you’ve halted doing it.

Folks: I haven’t ever exercised 5 times a week. And I don’t consider myself to be a magically “skinny” person.

It takes hard work for me to maintain my current fighting weight of 115 pounds. I’m only 5 feet tall too.

What I’ve found is that continuing to exercise and changing your M.O. as you go along and get older is the key to maintaining your fitness.

Have no fear of working hard to reap the rewards. Click on my home gym category to find my workout sheets for sample exercises you can do in your apartment or house.

A better day lies ahead. This day isn’t coming soon. Yet when the COVID-19 outbreak ends we will have the perfect opportunity to recommit to our health.

Be patient. This day is coming. I hope you are empowered by what I’m writing to consider creating your own tactics for health and wellness.