Getting Started

Teddy Roosevelt, that manliest of presidents, used to preach what he called the doctrine of the strenuous life—a doctrine defined not so much by what it was as by what Roosevelt said it was the opposite of: a life of "ignoble ease."

None of us likes being called ignoble, even if we have to look the word up. But the wise man knows that jumping suddenly from the sofa to a strenuous life can lead to injury, not to mention ignominy, another two-dollar word you want to avoid.

From the last several chapters, you know what''s involved with living a peak lifestyle. In the next section, you''ll learn how to achieve it. But between the knowing and the doing, we need to say a few words about getting started. Triathlon legend and three-time Ironman champion Scott Tinley sums it up: "Do nothing you''re not prepared for," he says.

We''ll be brief, but it''s worth knowing the following tips.

Get an inspection. You wouldn''t take your car on a road trip without checking under the hood for loose belts or leaking fluids. Likewise, if you''re taking your body on a high-intensity trip to peak performance, it''s worth making sure that there''s nothing wrong with the machinery that could cause an unpleasant breakdown. If you''re young and healthy, there may be no reason to see a doctor (although a routine preventive visit with your physician every three to five years is a good idea), says Morris Mellion, M.D., clinical associate professor of family practice and orthopedic surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and medical director of the Sports Medicine Center in Omaha, Nebraska. You should, however, seek a medical stamp of approval if:

* You''re over 40. You may be in fine shape, but there''s no escaping the fact that your odometer has turned over; you can expect a few problems to start showing up. If nothing else, visiting your doctor periodically for a preventive evaluation gives him a baseline against which to measure the payoff of exercise in subsequent exams.

* You''re at risk for heart disease. Exercise improves the heart, but if it''s vulnerable to heart attack, overstressing the cardiovascular system is potentially disastrous. Heart patients need to proceed under a doctor''s guidance. Major risk factors are if any parents or siblings developed heart disease before age 50, a total cholesterol level of 200 or more, and having diabetes or a blood pressure of 140 over 85 or more. Other signs to have checked out include shortness of breath with mild exertion, dizziness, palpitations or a known heart murmur.

Start low, go slow. "Guys like to hammer themselves when they do something," says Alan Mikesky, Ph.D., director of the Human Performance Lab and associate professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. It feels great immediately afterward. But then you get sore. "Most people can''t stand hammering themselves every workout," Dr. Mikesky says. "After a few times, you lose your enthusiasm—or you get injured." If you''re just beginning or have laid off a regular program for more than six months, start by doing less than you think you can. Slowly raise the demands you make on yourself, increasing the intensity, duration or frequency of your exercise no more than 10 to 15 percent per week.

Seek expert guidance. Even if you''re armed with the best of knowledge and intentions, it''s a good idea to have your program designed by someone else. A gym staffer or personal trainer can tell you if your goals are unrealistic, guide you on proper form and tailor your program to your needs. Don''t worry that you''re signing on to a long-term dependency. "Even if you buy just one session with a personal trainer, it will be 25 to 50 bucks well-spent," says Dr. Mikesky.

Make an investment. Any money you spend on your fitness program will increase the value of what you''re doing, providing a strong (but not fail-safe) motivation to keep active. Beyond trainers and gym memberships, it''s hard to resist the allure of cool, expensive equipment. (See Setting Up a Home Gym on page 312.)

There''s a dilemma here, however: If you''re new to something, how do you know you''ll like it? If you''re taking up biking, should you immediately blow as much as you can afford on a new steed? It''s a tough call that''s ultimately yours to make, but here are some thoughts to guide you.

* Rent first. It''s probably not a good idea to spend gobs of dough on big-ticket items without a few trial runs. Start with day-long excursions with a bike (or kayak or snowboard or skis) from a local outfitter. If you enjoy your experience, you''ll keep coming back for more, and the financial advantage of owning your own gear will quickly become apparent.

* Get good gear. When you do buy, invest in quality that''s appropriate for what you intend to do, advises Kate Hays, Ph.D., a sport psychologist and founder of The Performing Edge, a performance enhancement training company for athletes, performing artists and business people in Concord, New Hampshire. "You won''t get full value out of equipment without a certain investment," she says. If you take up running but start with inferior shoes ("just until I know I like it"), you''ll feel lead-footed and possibly pained. That won''t be encouraging. "A moderately priced pair of shoes can make all the difference," Dr. Hays explains. "You need good-enough stuff, but it doesn''t have to be top of the line." If you''re buying a bike, don''t spend $2,000 on an elaborate rig, but don''t spend $200 on a discount department store special either.

* Consider buying used. Stores that sell pre-owned gear are becoming more common. Or check the classifieds for people who bought more hardware than they were ready for—and are now ready to sell.

Include your friends. You''re not in this exercise thing alone. It helps to have someone around with whom you can share your progress, enthusiasm and disappointments. Part of this involves what sport psychologists call values clarification. "If you tell someone, ''This is what I''m planning,'' you''re more likely to actually do it," Dr. Hays says. And who should this someone be? "A friend—it might be your wife or girlfriend—who will be interested in your plans or reasons for exercise. Sometimes guys get so competitive with each other that exercise becomes a contest instead of a process," she says.

Choose workout partners carefully. Having a male workout partner can help foster motivation, but, again, make sure competitiveness doesn''t end up making the whole experience unpleasant or tougher than you really want. Remember, exercising should be fun.

Fortify against intimidation. Starting a new sport, joining a gym for the first time, trying a new activity—all can be intimidating initially. You may only be paying attention to the people who seem to be able to do what you''re doing so much better than you. There''s a certain dork factor, which is determined by how you feel and think about yourself. To feel more comfortable, work on listening to the negative things you tell yourself and substitute some internal cheerleading, says Dr. Hays. Instead of saying, "I''ll never be able to do that," say, "In a week, I''ll be doing better than I am now." Anticipate the times and places where you feel the most self-conscious and think of positive words to tell yourself ahead of time.

Build armchair enthusiasm. One way to feel more at ease with a new sport is to learn more about it. Read magazines or books. Talk to people at shops that sell gear. You can build a sense of knowing the ins and outs of an activity without committing your ego to actually doing it in public until you''re ready.

Mark your calendar. You''re psyched, you''re pumped, you''re ready to go. At least now you are. But two to four months from now, it will be a different story. Count on it. In fact, plan for it. Studies find that half the time, regular exercise programs fizzle after six months, with most of those people dropping out after four to six weeks.

This isn''t necessarily bad: Incredible gains can be made in six weeks, and it''s possible to hit many of your goals in that amount of time. Figure you''ll eventually get bored and apathetic, but take it not as a sign to bail out, but as a sign to set new goals and do something more interesting—and demanding. Persistent progress requires persistent effort. "Nothing''s for free," Tinley says. "If there''s no sacrifice, there''s no reward."