Staying Fit May Just Mean Losing the Excuses
Every morning I give myself the same lecture. Do mid- day yoga. Don’t forget Tai Chi in the park at 6, Remember to walk at 4. It’s almost like a chant. But the truth is all of those little reminders do not make everything happen.
Often life intervenes. Someone calls with a wonderful idea for lunch and there goes the mid-day yoga session. Work runs late and something has to be done about supper. There goes Tai Chi in the park at 6.
Keep Your Health with Daily Exercise
But Care2 pinned it when they flatly said no matter what your age or fitness level, exercise needs to be part of your daily schedule. Perhaps just as important, they point out it does not have to be championship level exercise to be healthy.
Starting with a no excuse attitude and then staying flexible so it really can happen could be the way to make it work. If I miss the yoga noon routine, an evening yoga session could replace it. If I don’t make Tai Chi at 6, an early morning online Tai Chi session the next day could work.
Just believing the idea that movement should happen, rather than endless sitting in the office, or slumping on the couch, could make the difference. All of the health experts have made it clear. When muscles are not used, they shrink. When sitting takes over, the body ages rapidly, and depression often sneaks in, quickly followed by a greater risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes. We have all seen seniors fall into this trap, as their world gets smaller and their days become grayer.
Best advice: When one session drops out, plug in 15 minutes somewhere else. Walk, do at home exercises, join a gym class, learn a new sport. Just keep looking for ways to move that work for you.
Care2 also reminds us to make it fun, which I think may be one of the most critical keys to staying active. If you really love running in the park, you will figure a way to be out there.
If those brisk walks around your neighborhood keep you informed about what’s going on in your community, and shed a lot of stress, you will probably make sure they happen again and again.
Take a minute to think about the active things that please you and never use time as an easy out. Workouts can slide right in to any available spot, filling up 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes of your day. Use what you have, and when they work you will probably find more time to keep them. Include your family too. They will be great reminders to keep moving as they catch the habit.
We all have parts of our day that we would not think of giving up. With a little bit of effort we could make exercise one of them.
As always, when you consider new exercise routines, see your doctor first if you have health issues.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of ActiveSteve
