We all know movement is beneficial-for our bodies, our brains, our hearts and our souls.
Thinking about increasing our physical activity may be exhausting.
Managing our exercising, let alone actually working out, involves a lot of mental effort.
You may ask:
*where to find accurate and useful information on exercising?
*exercise at home or at the gym?
*find a group fitness app or rent a Peloton?
*how do I adapt exercises for my body?
Ugh, too many decisions, staying on the couch looks pretty good right now.
Rather than be overwhelmed with all the information available about exercise, did you ever think about how you used your body during a typical day pre-pandemic?
Some of your daily activities might include:
walking
carrying groceries
reaching for something and staying upright as you do that (not falling)
climbing stairs
pushing open a heavy door
unscrewing the cover of a jar
getting in & out of a car easily
turn your head easily to look both ways while driving
The list goes on……
If you think about how you use your body throughout the day, practicing foundational movements directly related to these activities will create more ease in your life.
Squatting properly helps you get in and out of a car & up and down from a chair better. Targeted dynamic stretches help with turning your head smoothly to check both ways in a car. A simple yoga practice might improve your sleep or decrease worry. Walking outside is a wonderful way to move which benefits many aspects of your life-your body, your mind, your heart and your soul.
These are just a few suggestions.
Keep it simple. Start with whatever feels good to you. Even 5-10 minutes of any kind of movement is beneficial if you are doing no structured exercising now. Be consistent with your routine and be patient. We’ve been in very challenging circumstances for over 18 months. Your body needs time to respond.
Check with your doctor if you have existing health issues or pain.
Once you find yourself breezing through your daily life activities, consider new challenges.
The body adapts to intelligent work load. As you get stronger and more limber, you will need to change up your exercises. Movement is life. Don’t you want yours to be as effort-less as possible?