EPTLike many people, I have trouble doing enough exercise in my life. I'm not overweight, or concerned about my looks, but I do want to be physically fit. In every field there are clear benefits to being in good shape, and I feel like any disciplined adult should be able to achieve that.
I've tried a lot of things to stay fit: going to the gym, multiple martial arts, weight training, and daily jogging. All have helped - for a while. Then I stop. I get sick, or I have some killer deadline, or I'm trying to achieve my goals in another area, and I just can't find the motivation to keep exercising. I simply don't enjoy it enough, and all the time I've spent working hard is wasted, as my fitness fades.
Some people argue that the only significant changes you can make in your life are the changes you can commit to doing every day. People who eat terribly then diet and then eat terribly never break the cycle. It's those who commit to eating a little better every day who actually get somewhere.
For me at least, I think this is true. So I've decided to step back from the grander prospects of super fitness which I can't stick to, and try and make 5BX part of my life, for the rest of my life. If it's good enough for the Canadian RAF, it's good enough for me.
5BX (what is it?)
5BX is an exercise programme developed by the Canadian RAF, in which you exercise for 11 minutes a day, gradually increasing the difficulty, until you are doing a huge amount in that time. When you've reached the recommended amount for your age, you can drop to 3 days a week, and simply maintain it. However hard you are working, you still only do 11 minutes a day, and that's apparently enough for an adult to stay physically fit.
Links
Wikipedia Link
Complete 5BX Programme (free)
5BX Chart 3 (which I am just about to start)
But it's a little outdated
As reading the wikipedia page shows, and random google searches suggest, the programme is a bit outdated. It's no longer used because of health risks in unsupervised exercise, and there are questions to be asked about the safety of some of the exercises.
I know there are a lot of TL fitness gurus, so if you could take a quick look at the stage I've got up to, and recommend anything I should not do/do differently, it would be incredibly helpful. In particular, tell me what exercises to change, or if you feel the programme as a whole is still viable.
I've tried looking online, but have either found conflicting advice, or modern alternatives which require sending off for flashcards and look like a scam.
I'm at stage 3: Chart 3 Link
Thanks very much, and I hope this is interesting for anyone else trying to fit exercise into a busy life.
