As Dom Lassonde felt the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis creep into his body, the 40-year-old Vancouver Islander knew he needed a different way to stay fit. The autoimmune disease inflamed his synovial membranes-a connective tissue in joints that produces lubricating fluid for smooth movement-so much it felt like shards of glass were lining his joints. Ultimate Frisbee and hockey, two of his regular activities, were no longer feasible.
After beginning a new medication regime about a year after his diagnosis, Lassonde could cycle and swim-activities that put less stress on his joints. He was right to keep moving: according to the American College of Rheumatology, regular aerobic exercise, especially when combined with strength training, can reduce joint pain.
Lassonde is one of many Canadians living with a physical limitation that makes exercise difficult. Two common issues, chronic pain and heart disease-which affect 3.9 million and 1.3 million Canadians, respectively-make it challenging for individuals to achieve the 150 minutes of weekly moderate aerobic exercise, or cardio, recommended by the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (CPAG).
But the benefits of regular exercise are too important to pass up. Aerobics-any continuous activity that raises your heart rate and has you breathing rapidly-can lead to a longer life and prevention of Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease.
Physical limitations needn’t prevent you from working out regularly-it’s just a matter of knowing which exercises to do.
Pushing back against pain
Approach new exercise regimes cautiously. “People should never use mobility impairment as a reason not to participate, but they should definitely seek guidance from a professional to make sure they’re doing it safely,” says Audrey Hicks, a professor of kinesiology at Hamilton’s McMaster University. She advises those experiencing chronic pain to seek out certified physiologists and personal trainers before beginning a new fitness routine.
Instead of jogging, Hicks recommends that people with joint pain or injuries try swimming or water aerobics, or use recumbent elliptical trainers-activities that reduce strain on joints. “You don’t want to do anything that’s going to make your pain worse,” she says.
Exercising with caution
Those living with heart disease should be especially prudent in their efforts to meet the national CPAG recommendations.
The guidelines weren’t designed for people with chronic medical conditions, says Dr. Darren Warburton, a specialist in cardiology and exercise rehabilitation at University of British Columbia. Warburton was one of the creators of the guidelines. “We never prescribe 150 minutes of physical activity to someone who has just had a heart attack,” he says.
Warburton doesn’t restrict himself to a “magic number” or a certain type of exercise when prescribing fitness routines. “We advocate that individuals start early on at a very light to moderate intensity and progress toward higher levels of activity,” he says.
This might mean beginning with two weekly 20-minute sessions, doing activities like gardening or brisk walking. To be effective, your workout should reach a moderate level of intensity-that is, you should be able to feel your heart rate increase and have enough breath to talk, but not sing. This, of course, should only be done after consultation with a health professional.
Don’t deprive yourself of the benefits of the small efforts. McMaster University research has shown that short intervals of physician-monitored high-intensity workouts are just as effective as longer sessions of moderate-intensity workouts for the rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease.
When the stakes are low, saying sorry is easy. Accidentally bump a stranger on the way into the elevator, and words of apology tumble out reflexively. But in instances of actual wrongdoing-when we divulge an important secret or speak harshly to a loved one-a shift occurs. Suddenly, guilt and shame take over.
We deflect responsibility and fumble to justify our actions. For many of us, “sorry” really is the hardest word.
The appeal of avoidance
Why is this simple exercise so difficult? Our defensive reflexes may be partly to blame. Karina Schumann, a post-doctoral research fellow in psychology at Stanford University, has studied the act of saying sorry for nine years. She says that our desire to see ourselves in a positive light often prevents us from being accountable.
“Committing an offence can threaten your identity as a good and respectable person,” Schumann explains. And a genuine apology, which involves admitting fault and acknowledging the harm we’ve caused, requires us to confront the fact that we’ve done something wrong.
On top of that, research has shown that refusing to apologize can actually make us feel better about ourselves. A 2013 study from the University of Queensland Business School in Australia found that transgressors who wilfully avoided saying sorry experienced a sense of power and elevated self-worth because they felt as though they were sticking to their guns.
Even when we do consider apologizing, we frequently overestimate how unpleasant the experience will be. A 2014 study published in Social Justice Research revealed that participants often anticipated that saying sorry would be more humiliating and stressful than it actually was.
Long-term gains
Despite the discomfort, being accountable benefits us in the long run. Acknowledging our wrongdoing can save us a lot of loss, says Tyler Okimoto, the lead researcher on the University of Queensland study.
“If we refuse [to apologize], we are likely to undermine trust and damage relationships,” he says, noting that the potential benefits of not making amends don’t stand up to the negative outcomes.
A sincere apology can even help salvage a strained relationship: in a 2014 study that analyzed interviews and questionnaire responses from 337 people who had recently been harmed by a partner, researchers from Atlanta’s Emory University found that conciliatory actions reduced anger and sped up forgiveness in participants.
On an individual level, Schumann says, apologies lower the guilt transgressors feel, which can lead to a more positive sense of self over time. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology found that people are consistently more likely to regret not saying sorry than making amends.
The secret of “sorry”
Because so much anxiety is associated with the act, crafting an effective apology is a skill few people possess, according to New York-based psychologist Guy Winch, who has written extensively about relationships and guilt.
A successful effort requires multiple elements: there should be a clear declaration of “sorry,” an expression of regret and a request for forgiveness. Most people try to cover those three points, Winch says, but many fail to include an empathy statement, which acknowledges how the transgression made the victim feel. “An empathy statement shows the apology is not about us, it’s about the other person,” he says.
To that end, “I’m sorry I didn’t show up to your party” doesn’t pass muster. A more effective attempt would be something like this: “I’m sorry I didn’t show up yesterday without calling. That must have made you feel bad. I hope it didn’t put a damper on your night. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
According to Winch, the most common mistake people make is to offer excuses. In focusing on how you’ve hurt another person, avoid trying to justify your behaviour. If you snap at your partner at the end of a frustrating day, it’s fair to explain what caused your short temper-but save your complaints for another conversation.
Strategic self-affirmation
Schumann’s latest research uncovered a simple trick for those who struggle with apologies. Since the need to preserve a positive self-image is often what makes saying sorry difficult, she believes that taking the time to affirm important personal values before offering restitution can help make the experience less painful and ultimately lead to a more sincere resolution.
One strategy is to think about our own goals, values or the people in our lives who are important. This, Schumann says, restores self-worth by helping us see the bigger picture and making that one instance of bad behaviour seem less threatening to our self-image. “Once the need to defend yourself is weakened,” she explains, “you can focus on offering a better apology.”
You’ve been at work for five hours straight. Your mind is wandering, your shoulders are slumped, and your eyelids are heavy. You know you need to get back on track. Surprisingly, your best strategy might be to slack off.
“If you run and don’t fuel your body, you eventually collapse,” says Karen Turner, the CEO of Calgary-based Turner Efficiency Coaching, a company that helps businesses improve employee productivity. “The same thing happens with work. If you don’t rest, you’ll crash.”
It may seem counterintuitive, but taking a break from the task at hand can jump-start your brain, boost your motivation and improve your focus. And as recent research shows, more inane distractions can have especially positive effects on your powers of concentration.
Take a nap
Most of us ditched our daily naps after preschool, but recent experiments suggest that was likely a mistake. Having a snooze-even one as short as 10 minutes-can improve alertness, memory and cognitive performance.
It might also help you organize your thoughts. In a study presented at a 2012 neuroscience conference, researchers at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., observed 15 people at rest. While subjects dozed, the right hemispheres of their brains-the area associated with creativity-were more active than the left hemispheres. Andrei Medvedev, a scientist involved with the study, speculates that this activity might indicate that the brain is doing some useful housecleaning during its downtime, like classifying data and consolidating memories.
Experts say that between noon and 4 p.m. is the ideal time for napping. Some recommend taking a “caffeine nap”-drinking a cup of coffee, then snoozing for 15 minutes or less. The combo can boost energy and leave you feeling sharper.
The power of cute
Scrolling through galleries of baby animals is good for the soul, but it might benefit your performance, too. In a 2012 study conducted at Japan’s Hiroshima University, subjects were asked to play a version of the board game Operation, which involves precise motor skills. During a short break, one group was shown photos of puppies and kittens, while the other viewed pictures of older animals.
When the groups resumed the game, participants who had viewed snaps of younger animals improved their scores by 34 per cent. Their counterparts showed only a nine per cent improvement. So the next time you encounter a slide show of the “15 Cutest Piglets Wearing Boots” online, consider clicking through as an investment in your mental acuity.
Just browsing
The funny article your friend posted on Facebook may seem like a waste of time, but taking a few minutes to check your social media feeds can help you focus. In 2009, researchers at Australia’s University of Melbourne found that workers who spent up to 20 per cent of their time during the day surfing the Internet were nine per cent more productive than peers who avoided cyberloafing altogether. However, this approach has its limits: productivity levels were shown to dip when subjects spent more than 20 per cent of their day online.
To maximize the effectiveness of mini browsing breaks, Brent Coker, the study’s lead researcher, suggests workers visit the sites that make them the happiest. “The more enjoyable the break, the better it was in terms of boosting productivity,” he says.
Coker also advises dividing your time into chunks. “After about 40 to 60 minutes, people’s attention starts to wane,” he says. “Work for that stretch, then set aside five to 10 minutes for a break.”
Let your mind wander
Because all brain activity burns glucose, even something as simple as multi-tasking can take a toll on your mental energy. You can help replenish those stores by taking a few moments to “reset” your brain. Daydreaming is one method-when you let your mind wander, you’re allowing it to cool down.
“You’re detaching from the cognitive demands of constantly switching between tasks,” says Vinod Menon, a professor at California’s Stanford University who discovered a brain network involved in daydreaming. Moderation is key. While daydreaming can be a great restorative tool, Menon says, it should be kept in check. Nevertheless, whether you’re planning dinner or musing about your next trip, it pays to temporarily have your head in the clouds.
