YES, we are meant to move...

Whether it’s walking, riding a bike, or strength training, we were made to move.  With Covid, it seems now it’s even easier to become more sedentary than ever before.  The benefits of just getting up to walk around are essential to our overall health and wellness including lowering the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, just to name a few.   Walking in its simplest terms, to start or even just improve your fitness journey, is a great place to begin.

Studies also found those folks who regularly walk significantly gained less weight.  You don’t need any fancy clothes, just wear whatever is comfortable.  Comfort trumps everything else in your walking endeavor.  However the most important thing is to wear at least a good fitness type shoe to protect your joints and you’ll be further encouraged to walk stronger and longer.

Adding a walk into our daily routines can be as easy as looking for the parking spaces furthest from the grocery store or the mall.  For those of us that now work from home full time it’s even more important that you intentionally set a time, or several times throughout your day to get up and move.  Just a few minutes outside in the fresh air, a change of scenery, will have impactful benefits in so many ways!

I am certainly not an exercise guru, however, I know too from my experiences of full time WFH, I must be even more intentional to get up and move.  Start small and journal each day when and how long you were up and at it!  That helps to hold you accountable to your daily walking plan.   Maybe even start a challenge with your other co-workers that you all get up and move together…although apart.

Here are a few tips someone suggested recently to help put your movement into simple action steps:

1. Set a reminder to walk…spread them throughout your day
2.  Walk and talk…every time you take a phone call get up and walk
3. Walk and listen…download a podcast or audiobook
4. Suggest a walking meeting
5. Walk wherever you can…taking the kids to school, running errands, or in place at your home office desk
6. Partner up…sharing your steps with someone else, kids, spouse, friend, or a new neighbor
7. Walk during commercials…get up and walk around the room
8. Walk while you wait…standing in line at the grocery store, the dentist the post office
9. Make things less convenient…park farther away, take the stairs, return those shopping carts, skip the drive through
10. Cook and clean….yard work, storage areas, take the groceries in one bag at a time

YES, even during this Covid thing….keep moving and take a few things off of your to-do list!

I am reminded of a simple bible verse:  Ecclesiastes 3:1….For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

HAPPY MOVING!