“If a goal is worth having,
it’s worth blocking out the time in your day-to-day life necessary to achieve it.”
– Jill Koenig
There are so many health benefits in the consistent practice of daily exercise and movement. Scientific research has repeatedly demonstrated how active lifestyles result in a higher quality of life than sedentary ones. Today, excessive sitting is associated with similar adverse health effects to smoking. No doubt living an active lifestyle with the inclusion of a well-balanced, structured exercise program enhances the quality of our physical, mental, and emotional health.
Last month, in our tips to help you evaluate your exercise habits post, we reviewed the differences between daily activity and structured exercise. Today we will use this movement awareness to set specific exercise and movement goals that will improve the quality of your movement, strength, endurance, and metabolic function.
No matter where you are in your activity and exercise choices, there is always room for improvement. Whether you are active or sedentary, a daily gym-goer or couch potato, everyone can set movement goals and implement small changes that will lead to enormous payoffs over time!
Here are a few small ways to improve your physical health through movement.
If you are currently living a sedentary life and want to be more engaged and active, how can you add 5-10 minutes of activity into your day?
Get outside and walk up the street for 5-10 minutes every day.
Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to move for a few minutes when you have been sitting for about an hour or invest in a **Fitbit. When the alarm goes off, get up and move!
**Heads up! This is an affiliate link. This means if you purchase this item through the provided link, our company receives a small commission at no additional cost to you. We occasionally use affiliate links to make product recommendations easy for you to find and the small commission helps us help more people live happier, healthier, and purposeful lives! Now...back to the post.
Get off the couch and move around before the next show starts.
Find a walking buddy (accountability partner) to walk with.
You always want to start with something small that you will do. When you are just beginning to add more movement into an otherwise sedentary life, the best exercise to choose is ALWAYS the one you will do! Don’t worry about what to do at this point; start doing something and create the habit of movement through consistent action.
What if you are an avid gym rat and busting your butt with a six-day-a-week heavy lifting program or attending a high-intensity cycling class every morning? There is always room for improvement, and here and are a few exercise goals you may want to consider:
Do I have a sedentary job, and am I getting up and moving throughout my workday?
Do I only focus on strength training and do not include enough HIIT cardio for heart and lung endurance?
Do I only enjoy low-intensity cardio exercise (such as walking) and need to create balance with strength training exercises each week?
Does my exercise routine solely focus on building muscle or cardio and does not include any stretching or body care programs?
Am I suffering from a chronic ache, tightness, or pain in one area of my body that I have been ignoring for months or years?
Get specific and set a simple, minimally time-consuming addition to your current activity program that will begin to improve the quality of your physical health and movement. Remember to make this new action step small and easy to do to set yourself for success!
Simple inclusions you may consider adding into your activity habit:
Get off the couch between shows or during commercial breaks (if you still watch regular TV programming) to add more daily activity.
Walk up and down your street or halls at work for 5 minutes or take the stairs at work to add more cardio exercise.
Do a few bodyweight squats and push-ups before starting your walk to add more strength exercises.
Foam roll your legs and back during commercial breaks to add more body care and wellness.
Start a 30-day yoga, plank, or squat challenge to add some interest or something different than you usually do.
Do a series of stretches before getting into bed each night to include more flexibility and mobility in your program.
These additions may seem too small to matter, but they will add up to improved physical outcomes! It is always better to do something, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time than to do nothing and waiting for “the time” to do it. If something is important to you, you will make time for it. Make your health essential and set aside 10 minutes every day to do something active.
For more small actions to add to your daily activity, review our FREE two-week to COVID Re-Boot digital mini-course and download the FREE workbook! There are a variety of suggestions and a two-week tracker you can use to manage your consistency.
Spend a few minutes today and set a goal to improve your physical health through more daily activity and a better-balanced exercise program.
If you found this post helpful, please share it with your family and friends and help us help the ones you love live happier, healthier, and purposeful lives through better physical health.
Join us next Sunday when we set goals and take steps toward improving our attitude and mindset and begin to experience the benefits of happier and more enjoyable life experiences.
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