Daily Healthy Habits: Movement {Part 3 of 4}
I used to think that exercise had to be hard, intense, and a full on grind. No pain, no gain. Work until you drop. While that still serves me occasionally, it’s not everyday and ultimately, it’s not for everyone. I love a good sweat session but I also realize that constantly pushing my body to the extreme isn’t healthy. I asked myself a question…what if working out could not only serve my health but also be something I enjoy doing?
In the first two parts to this series of blog posts, I touched upon both supplementation and nutrition. Each of these habits - and the fourth part of self care - are instrumental in being healthy. My fundamental belief is that we need to take passionate responsibility for our health. Without our health, how we live our life will be significantly impacted.
Healthier people live healthier, more vibrant lives!
My experience has been that when I commit to up-levelling my health in one area, I find myself wanting to expand into other areas of your life. When I eat better, I want to exercise. When I exercise, I want to stretch. When I stretch, I want to commit to better self care. When I have better self care…well, you get the point. One healthier choice begins a cascade of other better choices over time.
The Benefits of Movement
Daily movement has multiple benefits. It helps wth our cardiovascular system, our immune system, our emotional health, muscular health and strength, memory, skin health, digestion, weight management respiratory function, sleep, and so much more. These are all markers to whether we are healthy or unhealthy.
We all KNOW that regular daily movement is good for you. And yet over 80% of North Americans do not get the recommended daily average of just 20-30 minutes a day.
“20-30 minutes of exercise a day is only 1.4%-2.1% of your day.”
Yup, just 2% of our day needs to be devoted to movement! When you look at it that way, it doesn’t seem too overwhelming. The key though is finding something you love to do. If you don’t love to run, don’t! If you don’t love to do classes, don’t! Find a form of exercise you love because you have a much stronger likelihood of sticking with your new routine.
I think we can agree that if you hate working out, you won’t do it. Here are a few other important elements you can look at.
Depending on your age and physical ability, start off where you are comfortable. I used to teach my patients that if (for example) they want to take up running but have never run a day in their life….start off with the baby steps. Begin with walking, then a light jog, then a slow run, then a full out run.
Vary your routine. Sticking with the same thing every single day will get boring really quickly. If we are sticking with the running example, vary your route, speed, distance, and terrain.
Vary your workouts. Once you find something you love, you may stick with it so much that you forget to try new things. Trying new activities and workouts will keep your interest high and also help you balance out your physical abilities. Sticking with only ONE form of movement isn’t ideal long term. So, once you’ve gotten into a routine, shuffle things up a bit and add in something new!
Focus on mobility. Stretching isn’t sexy but it is necessary. You have to work on your mobility. Add in 15 minutes a day of mobility work to stretch and support the muscles you work daily. I will often stretch while reading or if I’m watching a show or movie with my family.
My Routine
My relationship with exercise has had it’s ups and downs. I swam competitively in high school. I took up running in college and continued into my 20s. I even completed a marathon when our first baby was 15 months old. I moved onto CrossFit for five years until I injured my wrist. Then I cycled through a series of gyms and programs including kickboxing, cardio/strength mix, and barre. I couldn’t stick with something though because I was following trends instead of focusing exactly on what i wanted.
I made a list of what I wanted to get out of my workout routine.
30-40 minutes a day
a focus on strength and functional movements (movements I do every day in life that I can recreate in a work out - lifting over head, squatting, twisting, etc.)
flexibility/mobility each day
intermittent training with speed (sprints) and be able to run 3-5 km without stopping (but not be focused on running at all times)
I didn’t want to be in pain after each work out but wanted to feel accomplished
home based (I no longer wanted to spend 20-30 minutes a day in my car getting to/from a gym)
not dependant on expensive equipment
I found an online program that fit my wants and guess what - it’s been 7 months and I’m still sticking with it 4-5 days a week. I mix in seasonal movements outside. At the time of writing this blog post, it’s winter in 2021. We skate as a family, snowshoe, hike in the woods, go for morning walks, and hopefully we’ll get back on skis (I love to cross country ski) this winter at some point.
In conclusion, find something you love to do and commit to it for 20-30 minutes a day. Add in mobility or flexibility for 10-15 minutes a day. See how simply adding exercise to your routine changes your health in other areas. Are you sleeping better? Do you drink more water? Is your mood improved? Take a mental note of all the good that comes out of one choice. It may just inspire you to do even more in the future!