4 minute read
Fitness Forever
Why should you care about fitness? Why should you care about exercising?
We all know that living a lifestyle committed to incorporating physical activity is an option for all of us, but it can sometimes be intimidating or difficult to stick to a typical workout plan. You can probably think of a handful of people you know – whether that includes you or not – that do some form of regular physical activity. Their best effort to encourage you to be physically active may not be enough to convince you of its benefits.
Despite visits for an annual check-up at the doctor’s office or the fitness influencers on social media and YouTube, you may not be fully convinced it’s worth the effort because there’s nothing guaranteeing that the energy required to follow through will be worth the effort.
If at least three of the following reasons are important to you, it’s time to put any limiting beliefs you may be holding onto aside and get started on being a healthier you. “Regular exercise,” as listed here, constitutes 30 minutes of moderate activity three or more days per week. Moderate exercise is light to moderate resistance physical activity or walking.
1. Regular exercise results in an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis. What an amazing thing to know that you can avoid arthritis or even reduce your risk and severity.
2. Regular exercise results in a 68% lower risk of hip fracture. Over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury, most often because of a head injury or hip fracture.
3. Where there is a decrease in physical fitness, there is an increased risk of premature death.
4. Regular exercise improves mental health, especially helping to manage symptoms of anxiety, ADD/ADHD, and depression.
5. Regular exercise improves your overall mood, sleep, self-confidence, digestion, and even your memory.
6. Being active improves your body’s sensitivity to insulin and blood sugar levels.
Diet culture has done a great job convincing us that exercising is mainly correlated with reducing unwanted fat. For many people, exercising is directly associated with weight loss, muscle building, physical therapy or athletic conditioning.
Exercising regularly is so much more than what diet culture, and some popular fitness influencers, have made it out to be.
Unfortunately, that’s why most people who exercise in order to accomplish one of these goals often stop once their goal is reached, and those who stop tend to have a hard time getting started again when they need to reach a new goal, due to changes in their body.
Instead, wouldn’t it be beneficial to find an activity you enjoy doing that fills the gap between goal setting seasons? Just as you make plans for each season of your year – planning vacations, projects, education, and financial goals – you can plan physical activity that fits in your schedule and aligns with your energy level.
Exercise doesn’t fit into a one size fits all box. While many do enjoy running and lifting weights, exercise can be more spontaneous and adventurous like hiking, short or long distances, swimming, biking, yoga or even pickleball, just to name a few.
If you’re not sure what fits best for each season of your year, start by trying something new this week.
As your schedule and the seasons change, choose something that does not have a long term contract and is free or inexpensive. Commit to trying it out for six to twelve weeks to see how it goes. If you enjoy it, stick with it!
Being open to trying new things and establishing some activity “staples” will help reduce your resistance to exercise and increase your motivation–as well as your consistency!
Remember, your “why” matters and prevention is the BEST medicine. You can do whatever you set your mind to! Now go find YOUR fit!
