“I Just Don’t Have Time to Exercise”
I had a few friends check in with me recently after seeing me announce my business and my new website. “You look so well!” They proclaimed, and went on to talk about my photos and living life at the beach. I told them about my walks, my biking, and how nice it was that it was pretty much still warm here all the time. Then, they admitted that they “had to do something” because COVID restrictions had led them to become out of shape and not feeling their best. “I don’t feel safe at my gym” one said, as the other person spoke of feeling unmotivated and down. Another simply said, “I just don’t have time to workout.” Welcome to life in 2020, where just about everything seems harder than it should be. But, it doesn’t have to be that way!
The benefits of exercise are enormous-and many of those benefits can be a real game changer to “life in 2020”. Feeling depressed and unfocused? Exercise can help with that! Feeling as though you’ve lost muscle or strength? Feeling tired and run down? Not able to sleep as soundly as you did in 2019? The answer, my friends, is EXERCISE!
Now, I know, I know…if you’re tired and depressed, or not sleeping well, thinking about exercise just make you more tired and more depressed. But if you can get your mind moving in the right direction, and just take a little bit of motivation from this blog post, maybe taking a few small steps towards the goal of more movement is just the way to get you headed in the right direction.
SEX….Ok, now I may have your attention!!!! Did you know that regular exercise helps boost and improve your sex life?? Exercise gets your cardiovascular system going, pumps more blood to the “important” areas of your body, tones your muscles, increases your flexibility, and increases your stamina and drive. Exercise helps with erectile dysfunction, and can increase libido no matter your age. Maybe THAT’S the benefit that may appeal to many of my readers the most!!;) So, get moving you hottie!
Most of us associate working out to diet and weight goals, whether it’s to lose weight, or gain muscle mass. Exercise, of course, is a major factor in changing our bodies and becoming healthier. Aerobic (cardio) exercise increases our calorie burn, making weight loss a bit easier, and works even better when paired with some resistance or weight training. Adding this type of movement to your life a few times a week can also help burn that stubborn belly fat that seems to sneak on after a certain age. And, the best part? Each time you get some regular exercise, you boost your energy level just a bit more-giving you more energy for the next workout and for life in general!
Other benefits of regular exercise are: better sleep, more enjoyable rest days, decreased anxiety and depression, a reduced risk of chronic illness, better brain function, stronger bones and muscles (especially as we age), and healthier, less aged, skin. The hormones released during exercise increase wellness throughout the ENTIRE body system! So, let’s do this!!
As for the part about not having “time to exercise”…For most of us, especially in 2020, there IS time to exercise! I can write two words right now in this blog that will make MANY of you take a look inward….
”BINGE WATCH”
I’ll wait…..
The New York Times reported that the average American was streaming EIGHT hours of content daily in April 2020, and prior to pandemic times, the average American spent 5 hours a day in front of the television. On top of that, studies showed that the average US adult spent 3 hours a day on their smart phone in 2019, and while I could not find a study on 2020, I can pretty much guarantee that there was a huge increase during pandemic. So, where is your time really going? Isn’t your health, both physical and mental, more important? I think it IS! So let’s explore some ways to get exercise and movement easily back into your life!!
The “Let’s Move” List!!
~Turn your errands into a time of movement. If you can walk, bike, even skateboard to the store, the post office, a friend’s house, or even work, do it. I bike to the grocery store often…if you do this-remember to only buy what you can comfortably carry on your bike.!!!
~Make it a family/friend affair! Get those you love involved and enjoy doing it together. Go for a family walk of bike ride, take a hike through the fall leaves, explore your town, go skating, play football, kick a ball around. Get everyone moving and laughing and make exercise part of your family’s memories.
~If you work from home, as many of us do for now, consider a standing desk so that you can march while working, or a stability ball to help keep your core engaged. Take short breaks while you’re on the phone or on Zoom and pace your house. All of that adds up to increased heart rate.
~Keep small weights in your (home) office, and pull out some reps a few times a day to tone up those muscles and get your heart pumping.
~Put on some music and dance! Dance after dinner while cleaning up, dance if you feel stressed, dance with your spouse and feel young again, and dance with your children! Don’t worry about how you look, just DANCE.
~Throw in some movement while “waiting”. Waiting for someone to get ready?? Do some lunges. Waiting for your groceries or dinner to be delivered? Do some marching in place or try some pushups. Get creative with it. Have a contest; challenge one of your kids…
~And, for those of you that just HAVE to binge watch, (I get it!!) Multitask!!! Turn your binge watch into a time for BOTH watching and movement. Promise yourself that you will spend one hour a day binging your show WHILE moving. Watch from a treadmill, or simply march in place while watching your favorite series. (I often rack up 10,000 steps watching football and marching on Sunday!) Do some small weight reps; try simple yoga stretches, all while watching your favorite shows.
Exercise is one of those challenging things to get started with, but with some routine and a little bit of motivation, it will become addictive, you will feel so much better, you won’t want to miss a day. The benefits are HUGE, and come pretty quickly, and in the end it’s worth it. YOU ARE WORTH IT!