Many of us hear the word “exercise” or “workout”, and run for the hills. Drop the word “exercise,” and let’s talk “movement.” Our bodies are meant to move! What makes you move? Dancing? Walking? Swimming? Real physical and emotional well-being comes from finding healthful activities to get excited about. There are so many possibilities.
Give yourself permission to move every day. Somewhere between 20-30 minutes a day is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends. If you need to start with 10 minutes and work up from there, that’s fine too. Remember to stretch before or after, and add a minute a day as you work more movement into your life. For example, if on Monday you walk for 10 minutes, try for 11 minutes on Tuesday.
A good place to start is to try the activities you enjoyed as a kid — bike ride, jump robe, hula hoop, roller skate, swim. Some other tips include: put movement onto your calendar, take a walking lunch, meeting or phone call. Pay attention to your form while doing house and yard work — this is movement too.
Suck in those abs while you rake the leaves or take out the trash. Did you know that gardening, trimming shrubs and mowing the lawn can burn up to 330 calories an hour?
Find good music to move to, or listen to a podcast or audio book on a walk. Leave cues for yourself, such as setting your running gear right next to your bed so that you can’t miss it when you wake up in the morning. Ask a friend or family member to join you in a dance class or a daily walk.
Do you have old gym equipment collecting dust in the garage? Use that as motivation. Dust it off and get back into your routine. Working out at home can help you gain confidence before joining a gym, taking a class or joining a community group. There are so many free workout videos on YouTube, PopSugar Fitness and other sites. Just do a web search.
When you foster a healthy relationship with movement, there are tons of benefits in addition to the pure pleasure of doing an activity you enjoy. Daily movement can lower the risk of certain diseases and cancers, and can even be as effective in treating depression as prescription medication. Movement can boost energy and mood, help you sleep better, and enhance your overall quality of life.
For more movement inspiration, there is an online resource for all things healthy in Lake County at lakecountybewell.org. Here you will find walking, hiking and biking routes, community sports, movement classes, gyms and more.
