Seize Every Opportunity.....to get Healthy!
I HATE golf carts......
Why?
They have taken the place of what our body was literally made to do......
Move! Walk! Seriously, our bodies were put together with one thing in mind...locomotion.
On a side note.... golf carts have the habit of needing to use the same areas that pedestrians do.....and I can not tell you how many times I have had to get out of their way..... but I digress...
Too often we are in a hurry and let golf carts, cars, machines....do the work for us.
Granted America (that I love) is not set up to be pedestrian friendly. It is about getting there and getting there fast.
SLOW DOWN!
You want more valuable time with your kids? Well then walk to the local pool, club house, park, that is less than a half a mile away! You have things to bring with you? Great! Put those things in a wagon and pull it - this only gets you more exercise simply from moving from one place to another. On the way there will be no cell phones or TV, so guess what? You will have to talk to each other:).
There are literally a thousand reasons why we want to take the easy way ... and sometimes those reasons are totally valid. But ask yourself ......is it because you are in a hurry? If so what are you in such a hurry for?
When you go to a store do you circle looking for a great spot? Why? Because it is the best? I have seen with my own eyes a fellow athlete circle a parking lot in the gym for 5 minutes to find a space 10 feet closer....to go in and workout. (This makes me giggle so much! And they know it too - which makes it even funnier!)
Do you know the less you move now, the more it will affect you when you get older? Ever see anyone who had to rock to stand up? Know why? Because they stopped taking those little opportunities to move and gradually loss the strength in their quads so they can not stand up with out using momentum. And yes it can happen to you!
What to do? Yes, yes, I know we are all busy! But there are opportunities every day that we deprive ourselves of that would be so easy to fit in our day.
- walk from a far spot in the parking lot.....ends up I am usually in the store faster than my counter part who circled the lot - so basically I just saved time.
- walk to your neighbors house, the neighborhood pool or get together, you may have fun a long the way!
- play with your kids, mirror them- they love it and the positions that kids play in are great for core and balance (the two things that disappear on you without you even knowing it as you get older ).
- Stairs - oh shudder! Take the steps as much as possible, I promise if you do it the right way it will not injure your knees and it is great cardio.
- work at a desk? Make it a habit (which is good for your back health too) to get up every 15 minutes. This one is not hard for me to remember I usually start squirming at 10 minutes so I know it is time to get up. Take cues from your body - if you are getting fidgety, it is time to move.
There are so many more ways to incorporate movement in your day, these are only a few. Yes I know there are so many barriers that come up everyday, but make it a habit to find and take advantage of those "healthy moments". By choosing options that require you to move less it comes down to compromising your health in the end. A body not in motion breaks down because the "moving parts" are no longer needed.
Blessings to all! And yes I am totally guilty of taking the easy way too:).
April of Running Mom Photography