The word 'exercise' has a bad rap. There is so much baggage wrapped around it. Are we doing enough of it, are we doing it the right way. I heard muscle weighs more than fat... You should measure inches and not weigh yourself. Yoga, running, strength training... I need different shoes for each - or none in some cases. Do I have the right equipment, the right gym, the right trainer? Do I hire a trainer?How about these for excuses... I'm too busy. My foot hurts. My priority is the family and I can't fit it into my day. I need special shoes for that. The gym membership is too much. It's too hot. It's too cold. It's too dark. It's too sunny. I know you have a list a mile long. And there is always one more to add to it!
Are your excuses helping or hurting you? It doesn't really matter what you do or when you do it if you are already riding the couch. You have shoes, there's the door, go outside and walk.
Just start walking. Eventually, the walking will get easier and you'll go longer distances. Pay attention to your body. It wants to move and needs time to acclimate. If it hurts, stop. If you walk 5 or 10 minutes and you usually don't walk, that is a HUGE accomplishment.
Just 30 minutes everyday will do wonders for your health. "From the perspective of prevention, it appears that the 30 minutes per day will keep most people from gaining the additional weight associated with inactivity," said Cris Slentz, Ph.D of the Duke University research team in a news release. It reduces cancer risks, helps you sleep better and improves your mood. Check out this article through CNN.
A pill isn't going to fix your life forever. You have to do it. You CAN do it!
The best solutions are simple:
1. Drink water (and lots of it).
2. Eat real, whole food (and not too much of it.)
3. Get up and move - as much as your body lets you.
4. Sleep
Here are some of my tips for exercising while taking care of a family:
1. Put the big kids on bikes and the little one(s) in a stroller.
2. Get up earlier than everyone else and walk. You'll get home before they wake up.
3. Walk by yourself after dinner if a spouse is home.
4. Walk around the playground while they play.
5. Walk up and down the street in front of the house while they nap.
I've walked in the wee hours of the morning with crying children who couldn't be comforted. I've walked late at night when my husband was working 24 hr shifts with 2 children asleep in a stroller. They were bundled with blankets and hats in the cold winter. I've walked at 5 am on hot summer days before they all wake up. I've walked barefoot, with running shoes and crocs. I've walked alone, with company, pregnant, sick, hurt, depressed, angry, happy, fat, thin, grieving and under any other circumstance that came my way. Be grateful for the gift of legs that work and the ability to walk.
If I can do it, so can you. Stop with the excuses and start moving in any way your body will let you.
(As always, check with a medical professional before starting an exercise routine. But don't use this as a cop-out!)
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