I believe in being healthy, fit, and leading an active life. I believe all people should live this way. I also believe it’s simple to do, but often becomes an overcomplicated mess creating frustration and leading to avoidance.
Humans need to be active. Our bodies are designed to move, and move, and move a heck of a lot more than most of us (myself included these days) do.
Let me let you in on a secret… When I say everyone needs to be active, I don’t mean you need to workout everyday.
Sayyy WHAT?
I workout most days with weight lifting, running, cycling, bodyweight exercises, plyometrics, etc. I enjoy the challenge, the routine, the ability to get lost for an hour or so, and the way my body feels during and after. I love the empowerment that I get from working out, the mood that follows, and especially the ability to realize more with each day what my body is capable of. Working out is also one of my avenues to pushing through mental blocks, which gives me another reason to like exercise even more.
So why, if I workout most days, am I saying you don’t need to?
A 1 hour workout is not going to combat all the crap in the other 23 hours. We’ll say 15 and assume you sleep 8ish hours a night. If you’re spending 15 hours of your day sitting, eating, and sitting some more… how much do you expect your 1 hour workout to gain you. Now, if you’ve got a workout routine or are trying to start one, please keep on. Don’t be discouraged by this post. Stick with me 🙂
Working out in the sense of doing strength training, bodyweight exercises, and all other formal methods of exercise you think of when I say workout, is so so so good for you. This shouldn’t be all you do in a day. It should supplement your day and be used to improve your fitness, not maintain, and to grow mentally.
Being active is a way of life. It’s the amount of time you spend moving throughout your day, workout included. You may think that 5 minute walk break isn’t doing much, but I promise you, it is. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Parking further away. Skipping from the car to the house. Jumping off the porch. These small acts are what keep us active. When is the last time you skipped? I bet the idea of skipping sounds tiring right now.
Have you ever watched a child go about their day? They take off running just because. Jump off of things because it’s fun to maybe almost fall. They can play and be physical for hours on end. Moving is fun to them and so they find all kinds of ways to move more. I’m going to avoid saying where this starts, but as we get older, we quit moving as much and moving becomes less fun.
Guess what? A body in motion wants to stay in motion. A body at rest, wants to stay there.
You’re probably thinking, moving isn’t fun for me and the more I move the more tired I get. I get it. I do. It’s because we quit moving that we feel this way, but you can get there again. You can enjoy moving more and be full of energy and always ready to skip, leap, and run whenever you feel like it. You will want to do it more.
You have to START. You have to stick with it even when you don’t feel like it. It’s going to take time to get to where you don’t hurt as much, you aren’t so stiff, and you start to like it. The changes will not happen without effort, real physical and mental effort, from you. Don’t give up after a day, a week, or even a month. Stick with it past the uncomfortableness. It is worth it.
So, how do you live an active life? My advice, quit caring what other people think, right now. Let go of the idea of how you should be and have fun! More specifically…
-Break into random runs/skips/hops/gallops. Seriously. Move quickly. Time’s a wastin’.
-Walk on curbs/raised perimeters/parking blocks. You know? Like you did when you were a kid. Only you’re not anymore.
-Play on a playground. Go down the slide and climb the ladder or steps a few times, swing, try the monkey bars, just PLAY.
-You’ve heard it a hundred times, do it. Park further away from the door and break into a skip on your way in! While you’re at it, ask someone if they want to join you for an afternoon skip.
-Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. Do it 3x fast to make up for the sitting you were just doing.
-Do you ride on a ferry? Walk around instead of sitting in your car.
-Waiting in your car? Dance in the car, or out of it. Get out and back in a few times, see how fast you can get around the whole car. Bodyweight exercises are always an option too.
-Waiting in the pick up line at school? Uh, get out and start a parent’s active time. No sweating required.
-Clean house like you’re Cinderella. On crack.
-Traveling a lot of hours? Stop often and walk around. I know I know, you really want to get there. So plan to move more when you are out of the car, using all the above and below methods.
-Kids in your life? Actively play with them. And keep playing. Follow them around and copy their every move.
-No kids in your life? Find some random ones. Don’t follow them around though.
-Drive the person next to you crazy and don’t sit still.
-Writing a paper? You probably aren’t typing the whole time so stand, sit, and repeat while you think.
-Jump with excitement
The possibilities are endless. You are your only limit. The trick is to always be thinking of how you can move more and faster.
As a bonus, if you’re looking for more ways to be active for longer durations that aren’t traditional workouts…
-Hike
-Bike
-Roller blade
-Skate
-Surf
-Play active games (ball games, tag games… hide and seek)
-Dance – Don’t know how? Youtube! Or take a class.
-Yard work counts
-Kayak/Canoe
-Rock Climb
-Anything you enjoy, duh!
I hope you’ll join me in this endeavor of moving more, and more, and more. Leave a comment with any ideas you have to live an active life. Don’t forget to share this with your friends, you know, so you won’t be the only weirdo galloping around everywhere.
Be active. Live free.
A fellow Cinderella on crack,
Olivia Leamons
fullheartgym.com 