We were made to move.
The human body is an amazing instrument. We can control and manipulate our bodies to do some incredible things. Crawling, walking, bending, twisting, jumping, climbing, running, dancing, fighting…we can do it all and then some. Getting out of bed, putting on clothes, going to work. We rely on our bodies to do a lot, so how much care should be put into keeping it strong, mobile, and healthy?
Answer: All the care.
Why do we need to take care of our bodies? Well, you don’t need to do anything. But wouldn’t life be that much better if your body (cause you’re stuck with the one you got) could help you do the things you’ve always wanted to do? Our body craves movement, and if we feed into our natural hunger and desire for physical activity, we begin to see just how beneficial it can be.
Scenario: I offer you a pill, and with this pill you become a real-life superhuman. You are stronger, more confident, have better self-awareness, and become less fatigued. Now, let’s pretend there is no pill, and you can still have the all the powers of the ‘super human’ version of yourself.
‘How do I become a superhuman?’
Answer: Move. More.
Sure, ‘move more’ doesn’t apply to anyone and everyone. A marathon runner experiencing overtraining doesn’t need to move more, but maybe less, for their body to be able to recover better. But not everyone is an overtrained marathon runner, and not everyone moves as much as they could or should. For those of us who are glued to our desk all day, the solution is simple: Move. More.
‘Solution to what? I don’t have any problems.’
Not problems, opportunities. If you had an opportunity to become an improved version of yourself, why wouldn’t you take it? We spend so much time and energy doing other things, why not spend some time taking care of our bodies?
The answers to these questions will differ across the board. We don’t like being told what to do, it’s been in our DNA since we were born. We’re not going to start exercising or moving more because someone tells us to do it. This has to be done on your terms.
Once we begin to incorporate more movement into our daily lives, everything else just seems to be better. Our attitudes change, our outlooks on life begin to change, and our bodies begin to change as well! And all for the better.
That magic fat loss pill on the informercial…garbage. The herbal skinny tea those Instagram models always shove in your face? Garbage.
We get a lot of trash thrown our way, and a lot of misinformed people get exploited by the media’s attempt to take advantage of the ongoing needs and wants of the consumer. Someone looking to lose a substantial amount of weight, or someone looking to become healthier, will often look for the easy way out. And the reality of the situation is that the magic pill and ’10 minute ab ripper’ don’t work. What does work is physical movement.
‘So how do I start?’
Answer: Get moving!
Don’t spend so much time dwelling on what you’re going to do. The idea is to take the initiative and just do something. Whether it’s walking, doing yoga, taking up a pilates class, going to the gym, getting a trainer…It doesn’t really matter what you do, it just matters that you do it.
Just a few of the proven benefits we get from exercise and including more movement into our routine are:
- New brain cell development (get smarter!)
- Reduced symptoms of depression
- Lower cholesterol
- Lower blood pressure
- Improved sex drive
- Muscle strength
- Bone strength
For the average person looking to lose some (or a lot of) weight, its easy to feel lost with so much information out there. Here are a few key points that, in my experience, have proven to work for individuals looking to make a change in their health and start exercising more regularly:
- In general, more movement is better for the body and mind. It just is. If you haven’t started moving more, you’re missing out (a lot).
- Prioritizing your time spent exercising will help keep you accountable to actually getting it done. Start planning your time around the time spent moving and bettering yourself.
- Don’t guess…If you need help, get help. If you feel lost when it comes to exercise, seek a professional. It can help make the transition a lot smoother and safer.
Exercise and movement should be a celebration, not a chore.
Here’s a healthy mindset: You don’t have to work out, you get to work out. Think of exercise as something that you are privileged to be able to do, and not something tedious that you dread even thinking of.
Boom.
