Move your body, girl!
I don’t know about you, but in this work from home environment it is easy to forget to MOVE! There have been days when I have been glued to my desk for countless hours without any attempt to move…even getting an attitude with my Apple Watch when it reminds me to move! In fact, that is how I spent the majority of 2021…either sitting or lying down, with minimal movement, and my body paid the price!
Moving less impacted my mental wellbeing. It was literally like life stopped, until I finally snapped out of it and began to refocus on self-care. I have often said in the past that exercise is the best antidepressant, and the most underutilized drug; but during that time of my life I forgot to heed my own advice. Just like breathing and drinking water are super easy and fundamental to our health, so is movement. We were designed to move, not sit/lay all day. God gave us all of these joints and muscles for a reason, and we cannot properly care for ourselves without putting them to work.
Exercise doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, the easier you make it for yourself, the more likely you are to do it. It's all about finding your magical formula that works for YOU!
When I wanted to increase my daily exercise, I first began to think of what types of movement felt good to me and brought me joy. Right away I remembered how much walking brought me so much happiness when I was in middle school…it was my escape from the world, and I went on long walks almost everyday. So I began walking, and then invited others to come join me to build community while moving (exercise is always more fun with others!). Dance is another form of exercise that I have always loved (you should have seen me in the clubs in the 90s dancing the night away on the dance floor while sweating out my fresh from the salon hairdo lol), so I enrolled in belly dance classes for some fun, and I take a dance fitness class at my gym every week (I probably look like I am back in the clubs, but don’t judge me!). Yoga was my other movement of choice because of how good my body feels after my practice. I began practicing at home following along with the amazing instructors on Peloton (Chelsea Jackson Roberts is my absolute favorite instructor there…her playlists will have you singing your heart out while in your down dog), and now I am deeply in love with hot yoga offered at my gym. And then there’s strength training that makes me feel like a badass! As we age we naturally lose muscle, so I wanted to combat that by lifting heavy weights twice per week. I hired a personal trainer at my gym to show me how to properly use the equipment at the gym for functional strength training. I stress my muscles on Mondays and Thursdays by lifting heavy, and allow them to rest on the other days when I am doing yoga, dance, or other forms of cardio.
What about you? What types of movement bring you joy? What can you do to start an exercise routine that you love and enjoy? Can you commit to moving for at least 30 minutes per day? I would love to hear all about it, so please share your favorite exercises/workout routine so we can keep each other inspired!
If you need support with getting started, let’s connect to see if coaching may be a good fit for getting you on the right path!
Cheers to moving our bodies today, and everyday!
With Love,
Joy