There’s Something we Need to do…

There’s No Short Way to say the words that explain the Value of “Moving our Body”!

And WALKING is a simple, yet valuable way to get moving.

How Simple?

Consider these tips:

Think of a time of day that works best for you to walk (For health, morning is the best).  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Just something that fits you and your life!

Think of a place.  A relaxing peaceful setting is best.  Again, it doesn’t have to be a perfect place!  Anywhere (safe) will work.  You can enjoy a walk in most places.

Think of the number of days a week you plan to walk (or run, etc.).  Think how those days will fit into your regular schedule.  Can you do it?  If you think you might not be able to do it, relax your challenge a little bit.  You want to be able to succeed at this.

Think of how you can enjoy your walk (or run), or make it fun in some way.

Just take one step at a time.  Be patient with yourself.

As you meet your goals, you can always increase them.

Does that sound do-able?

Let’s see what value it really is…

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So how important is it, really, for us to move our bodies regularly?

Short answer: VERY important!

1.    Does it affect our mind? Our thinking? YESS!

a.    it lowers depression and anxiety better than any pills!

b.    it’s a scientifically proven mood-booster…(even just moderate exercise through the week)

2.    Does it affect our stress? 

a.     It works with our body’s sympathetic nervous systems, helping our different systems to communicate with each other,

b.    it strengthens the mind/body connection, which improves the body’s ability to respond to stress.

3.    Does it affect how well we think of ourselves?  Yes!

a.     it increases our self esteem and self confidence.

b.    it helps you increase muscle tone, and improves your endurance

c.     it helps you form an “I DID it!” Frame of mind.

d.    you will feel better about how your clothes fit

e.     you may look slimmer in the mirror

f.      you may be able to climb a hill easily.

4.    What about Better Sleep?  Yes!

a.     it works your muscles and your whole body so you can be more apt to relax at night (especially if you walk in the morning)

b.    it also helps regulate your circadian rhythm, which helps control when our body feels ready to sleep at night.

5.    Does it affect our brain? Yes!

a.     It absolutely boosts your brainpower. Cardiovascular exercise creates new brain cells!!!! (called Neurogenesis) and improves brain performance. 

b.    It prevents cognitive decline and memory loss. It strengthens the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning so you even learn better. 

c.     It also boosts creativity and mental energy.

This above information comes mainly from a study from Walden University.

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So, ok, “movement” is very important to our bodies.

But what about if we just don’t get regular exercise?

What does it do to our life?

If you don’t exercise regularly in some way, that puts you in the category of a “sedentary lifestyle”.

We can come up with all the real reasons why not to exercise.  But the result is: we’ve become a couch potato.

Your lungs know it.  Your skin knows it.  Your blood knows it.  Your nervous system knows it.  Your body and mind know the truth.  All the functions of your body already know your state of being.

But it’s the hardest thing, to convince ourselves, because we have all these “legitimate reasons”.

The cold, hard fact is:

The less you move regularly, the higher your risk of an earlier death.  You are losing years of your life, through one (or more) of these:

Cancer

Diabetes

Heart disease

Early Aging

Dementia/Alzheimer’s

Many other illnesses and diseases.

DR. HYMAN (Dr. Mark Hyman, Functional Medicine Doctor) Says:

If I could put something in a pill that would reverse almost every chronic disease, it would be EXERCISE!

If  EXERCISE could be put in a PILL, it would be the biggest blockbuster medication of all time!

88% of American population does not get enough exercise.

No wonder we have an epidemic of BROKEN BRAINS and BROKEN BODIES!

OUR BODIES ARE COMPLEX… A BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED SYSTEM…

          MADE TO BE OUR GREATEST TOOL

          TOWARD A HEALTHY AND HAPPY LIFE.

THE KEY IS… KEEPING IT STRONG AND ABLE!

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Which is more important for our health:

1.    Nutrition

2.    Sleep

3.    Exercise, or

4.    Stress Management

It just so happens, they all work together.  We need them all.  But if we have good nutrition, good quality sleep and manage our stress, and don’t exercise, we still can’t have the long term health benefits we want. 

Exercise is truly as important as good nutritious food.  It’s as important as managing our stress.  It’s as important as getting good sleep.  They just all work together to give us good physical and mental health.

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What about exercise for weight loss?

Well.  It’s not really that simple.

If you drink:

20 oz soda, you’d need to walk 4.5 miles to burn it off

If you eat:

One supersize fast food meal = RUN 4 miles a DAY, for a WEEK to burn those calories!

If you eat that EVERY DAY, you’d need to run a Marathon EVERY DAY to burn it off!

So…

You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet…

But…

If you combine your exercise with eating whole, UNprocessed food, and give yourself some relaxing down-time, it can do WONDERS for your weight!

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So, why is walking, or exercising at all, so hard to do??

1.    Too Busy?  It’s easy to blow it off for that reason…oh, how many times I’ve used that exact excuse!

2.    Too Tired? 

3.    Or…I just don’t like it… it’s boring!!

Getting out the door is the hardest part.  After that, it’s a breeze!

Just about any excuse you can think of can be the thing that makes walking (or exercising in any way) hard.

So, with all the good that EXERCISE does…. AGAIN,

          Why don’t we do it???

The American Psychological Association says one reason is

          Most people Start out too hard or too fast.

Also, if you go too fast so that it’s hard to talk while you’re walking, it doesn’t give you your immediate “mood boost” that you would normally get.  It does come, about 30 minutes later, but you don’t feel it at the time. 

The IMMEDIATE mood boost gives immediate gratification.

Some people (even some physicians) say to exercise to lose weight; it doesn’t work that way, so one reason could be not seeing those quick results.  ….Sometimes it takes months to see lower lab numbers, or any weight loss (without diet changes).

Some people, when they feel tired, don’t exercise.  When they don’t exercise at THOSE times, they lose the opportunity to get that BOOST that would almost positively help them feel better. 

(Actually, that’s the perfect time to get the pay-off for your work.) 

Then once they miss, then if  they go ahead and miss again, their chances are good they will stop.

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SO.

HOW TO BEGIN??

BEGIN WITH A COMMITMENT.   For EVERY DAY.

A SIMPLE COMMITMENT.

Could you commit to 5 minutes? 15 minutes?

          Early morning?

          Outside?

          Brisk Walking? Slow Walking? It’s ALL good…Regularly!

Don’t be afraid to start small…and

If it’s 5 - 10 minutes, then GRADUALLY INCREASE.

Work up your time as quick as you can.  Starting small will help you start the habit.

As you get stronger, you can get more intense, or add on more activities.

And…

If you miss early morning, have a Plan B.

If it’s raining, can’t go outside, have a Plan B.

Early morning

jump-starts your metabolic engine,

balances your brain chemistry,

blood sugar and

hormones (so you will make good decisions during the day)

Does exercising REGULARLY Really Matter? … Yes…

IT REALLY MATTERS!

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EVEN A HECTIC SCHEDULE WILL ALLOW THIS…

1.       Make it a Priority.  Plan Ahead.

          How?  Get your sneakers & clothes out the night before. (One obstacle GONE!

          Plan any eating/drinking AROUND this time…

2.       Make it FUN!        If you HATE Exercise, you can STILL LOVE to Play, or Dance… 

          Or think about fun things you like to do, and see if you can make exercise out of it.

Play a Game

          Find a Friend to walk, bike, run, hike or dance with.

          Take a Yoga class

          Garden

          Keep it varied… do something different each day, or each week…

          Also, it helps to park away from where you need to shop…

          Take a walk on your lunch break…

          Outdoor activities

3.       Prepare for setbacks; plan for it.  If you skip one day, don’t quit.  Just try again the next day.  And stick with it.

4.       THEN…Give yourself a Day off…REST.

(not lay around and eat junk food… but do light walking or light stretching.

          If you don’t enjoy it at all, you will NOT stick with it.

So. Make a Plan to Enjoy it!

And it you do this…

YOU WILL BE AMAZED at your changes!

30 minutes, 3-5 days/wk, improves depression & anxiety

And Yet…10-15 minutes still makes a big difference.

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IF YOU DON’T DO THIS… WHAT WILL BE YOUR FUTURE…?

          You won’t feel GREAT!

          START WHERE YOU ARE…

          MAKE IT FUN!!!

          DON’T HAVE ENERGY…???

                    DISCIPLINE YOURSELF for few days.

                              Slow…. But Every Day…

So you can:

          Feel better right away, AND

          You’ll probably begin to enjoy it!

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Institute for Functional Medicine says:

Physical Activity may delay brain aging, degenerative pathologies, improve cognitive processes and memory, and promote a sense of well being.

One of the brain health benefits is, it optimizes our mitochondrial function and is anti-inflammatory.

It Improves neuroplasticity in various brain regions.

It May impact the quality and physical amount of brain matter!!

It Improves cognitive functions, slows brain degeneration and enhances our quality of life.

It also Improves both motor disorders, including balance and risk of falls, and non-motor disorders, such as cognitive functions and quality of life.

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You can choose to live a longer, happier and healthier life…

So, if you:

Have the Courage, and

Have the Desire…

Get rid of the FEAR, and the

”I can’t”

Get rid of ANYTHING your mind tells you about how you might fail…

Fill those thoughts with… “Yes. I can.”

And you WILL.

You will have a longer life, more energetic life, more pain free life, and a more peaceful and enjoyable life.

So, let’s do it.

I’d like to know if you make these changes, and how it helps you.

Thanks for reading.

If I can help you in any way, please let me know.

Sharon