“Don’t just add physical activity to your life, add life to your physical activity.”
– Michelle May
Physical activity is one of the vital pillars of optimal health and wellness at Living LEAN. Like lifestyle and nutrition choices, exercise and movement preferences are as individual as we are people. Although there are best practices when developing a well-rounded exercise program that addresses mobility, flexibility, strength, and endurance, the most critical factor contributing to one’s overall well-being is living an active lifestyle.
If you are like so many New Year’s resolutioners, intending to adopt a “new workout plan” this year, let me provide some helpful advice that may assist you in getting past the first few weeks without giving up.
Be realistic about your current activity level and exercise consistency.
You must know where you are to plan where you want to go. Where are you on the road to an active lifestyle habit? Is your job active or passive? Do you move a lot at home or sit in front of the TV for hours? Do you regularly exercise each week? How much do you exercise, and what type of exercise do you do? How hard do you push yourself while exercising? Do you prefer to exercise alone, with friends or a workout buddy, or do you enjoy instructor-led group exercises class?
As you evaluate your current activity level and exercise habit, these are the questions you want to ask yourself and honestly answer without judgment, self-criticism, or guilt. Where you are today is nothing more than a starting point and hopefully will improve over the next 365 days of this year.
Choose an activity you would enjoy doing.
Now that you have a clear picture of where you are today, it’s time to decide where you want to be in the next 12 months. The best place to start adding more activity into your regular life habit, it to start with something you will do and enjoy.
Start by thinking about, visualizing, and determining what activities you like and how you can slowly add them into your daily life practice.
Ideas of daily activity would include gardening, woodworking, and cleaning the house (yes…some people actually like cleaning their house!). Other active lifestyle choices would involve taking the stairs, parking far from the store entrance, walking in, and walking to nearby shops and restaurants instead of driving.
Ideas of exercise activity would include Tai chi, dance classes, walking or jogging, group classes, weight lifting programs, swimming, Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Boot camps, and cycling indoors or outside, to name a few.
Have a conversation with yourself about what activities you enjoy doing and what gets you up and moving with ease? There is no right or wrong method of adding more movement and exercise into your daily life habit. Therefore, when beginning a goal of moving more, choosing something you enjoy doing will substantially increase your odds of continuing the practice.
Start small and do not give up, no matter what!!
Now that you’ve made a few decisions about what activities you want to include, let’s start planning them into your daily or weekly schedule. When planning time for your new action, you want to start small to ensure you will do it consistently throughout each month. Don’t commit to an overwhelming amount of time or difficulty level that exceeds your current physical state. Instead, start where you are, starting with one tiny action and expanding from there.
You also want to take your big goal, such as a one-year plan, and divide it into smaller chunks of focus, such as a smaller goal to achieve one month at a time.
Here are some small actions you can commit to and begin your lifelong journey of better health through regular exercise and an active lifestyle:
10-minute walk or yoga every day without fail
10-minute exercise class online or app subscription
Choosing to take the stairs, walking instead of driving, and getting outside more often.
Make a pact with yourself to “earn” your TV time with steps, a specific physical activity, or a minimal workout program (such as a 1-minute plank during commercials).
There is no magic formula to getting fit and experiencing optimal health and movement. The secret to all the success you see out there is nothing more than consistency. You can build this habit yourself by being realistic about what you can and want to do, setting a specific plan of action centered around small goals, and following through reliably.
If you need a bit of support, contact us and get the help of a certified personal trainer and health coach to help talk through your plan. We also have small group training classes that may be the perfect fit for you! Send us an email and let us know how we can help!
Please share this post with your loved ones or on social media if you found this post helpful. We look forward to hearing from you, so please comment with your success stories in the section below.
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