Many of us are embarking on new fitness and wellness routines in the New Year. Maybe you're just starting to pick up speed, or maybe you're already running out of gas. Regardless, we all know that movement is critical to overall health. In fact, it's one of the four aspects of wellness that I believe come together to make the best YOU!
Nourish
Move
Explore
Enhance
In a previous post I went into depth on what it means to nourish yourself. Today I'll talk more about how important it is for us to just MOVE! Human bodies are designed to move. We need to move in order to keep our circulation flowing and to bring critical nutrients to our joints. Movement allows us to keep our lungs strong and efficient. Without movement our muscles atrophy, our bones weaken, our skin sallows, and our mood plummets.
Often I hear clients talk about not being interested in "doing cardio." They have never had a "runner's high." They do not want to get dripping with sweat in the middle of the day. I get it!
Humans are not designed to "do cardio." We are designed to move with purpose.
Why we don't like to "exercise"
Until the last few decades of our existence, a job like a "personal trainer" didn't even exist! Why would it? It wasn't that long ago that we had do a lot of daily movement just to subsist. Chores used to actually entail much physical labor: cooking sans microwave, cleaning, gardening, etc.. Now we outsource almost all of that or have technology to fill in the gaps.
Even our downtime was full of activity and movement. When I was a kid there weren't video games (yes, I'm that old). In fact, there weren't even remote controls for the T.V.! If I wanted to be a couch potato, I'd still have to get off that couch to change the channel! So sitting around meant I had to be reading a physical book, or listening to music, or creating artwork.
When people feel like they shouldn't have to "exercise" to be healthy, they are partly right. The problem lies in the fact that they do need to MOVE.
Just Move
Since we are designed for daily physical movement and labor, we have to honor that need. We can get most of our nutrients from pills, but we still eat! Just like we can outsource most of our physical labor, we still need to move.
I don't much care (nor does your body) whether you have the "intention" of exercising or not. Just move. Whatever type of movement is fun and easy for you is the one you should do that day. Every day!! Regardless of how long you move, or how vigorously, just move. Here are a few examples of things you can do every day to honor your body's need for movement:
Walk. Dance (esp if noone is watching;). Play- w/ children, dogs. Garden. Clean. Hike. Bike. Tai Chi. Yoga. Take the stairs. Stretch.
You get the idea. It really doesn't matter what type of movement you do, as long as you move. Of course, if you have specific goals for your body composition, you'll have to be more selective with your movement choices. We are all in different places in this wellness journey of our lives. I'm here for you if you need a little guidance on finding the right movements for you.
What ideas do you have for easy daily movement?
What types of movement do you find to be the most restorative?
Are there movements you used to do that you miss?
I would love to hear your answers if you'd like to comment below. Or maybe you'd like to chat with me one-on-one? If so, I am happy to extend a free virtual meeting to discuss your own wellness journey. And if you'd like to join our forum where we discuss all kinds of information around nourishment, movement, exploring, and enhancements... click here. We'd love to have you join the conversation.
~ Yours in Health,
Daniella