Movement and exercise are important to lead a healthy lifestyle
Moving our bodies is so important for physical and mental health, longevity and to stave off illness.
Our bodies are not built to be stuck in one position for a long period of time. We have joints that can move in many planes and allow us to walk, run, jump, throw, kick, leap, squat, etc. In order to keep these joints supple and free moving we must move ourselves in all different ways. We don’t want to just sit, run or cycle or only move in one plane we want to move in many ways, we need to keep flexible and strong. Moving forward, backwards and side to side are important, challenging balance is good for our bodies as well as our minds. Steady state movement is needed as well as explosive high intensity movement as well. These are good for the body as well as the heart – cardiovascular strength, muscle strength and bone strength.
The way we live our lives has a massive impact on our health, if you want to stay away from your GP Surgery and ensure you won’t need to take medication (which most don’t they just need to change their lifestyle and be given the correct nutrition and exercise information) then movement is super important along with a nutritious diet. A lot of the time you will hear that your aliments are genetic, but this is a floored statement, if we look in to a lot of research that has been done to date, those that have the same ailments as their mother/father /grandmother/grandfather, are linked more to the fact that you will lead the same lifestyle – based on diet and exercise. Is it genetic or lifestyle related? I most definitely think it is the later as many ailments / autoimmune diseases can be rectified by changing your diet and lifestyle and also toxins/stress that you may be exposed to.
I speak with many men/women who state they have aliments the same as their mother/father and when we look into their movement, diet and lifestyle, and then change aspects of these we see the issues improve of disappear completely. We have the power and control to heal ourselves, our bodies are amazing robust creations and will always choose to be at their optimum and at homeostasis. No matter what you throw at your body it will always try to come back to a healthy balance, sometimes when we overload our bodies with a poor diet, no movement/exercise, toxins and stress, our systems struggle to keep our health where it needs to be. It is like a car engine, you cannot put in shitty vegetable/seed oil in the tank and expect it to run like a dream, we need to put the right fuel in/flush the car out with a good long run not just constant slow pootling around town, for it to run efficiently, our bodies are no different. Our bodies need a good diet, exercise/movement – heavy and steady, to remove toxins, reduce/lower stress, exposure to nature/sun/fresh air……….. It is quite simple, why wouldn’t we want to know how to control our own health and wellbeing.
What can you do to add movement and exercise to your lifestyle:
Walk more, either to and from work/school, to the shops, to see friends etc. Always try to walk to places rather than jump in the car. It will save you money on fuel and increase your health. Do head out for walks anyway even if it is not part of your commute. Get out at first thing in the morning for a walk in nature or at lunchtime and or the evening. I try to hit at least 10,000 steps a day. I look after dogs as well as being a Health Coach and they are great for getting you out at least 1-2 times a day. Plus dogs make you happier and less stressed, that is a fact. Plus dogs need to be exercised as much as we do and they need a good diet (raw meat/veg) and to fast to stay lean and strong.
Cycle, if you have the ability to cycle as a mode of transport then always cycle over driving, again it will save you money on fuel and depending where you live it can be quicker and a lot less stressful than jumping in the car and getting stuck in traffic. I feel super smug cycling past long queues of traffic (that is Cambridge for you, temporary traffic lights everywhere, you would think driving is being made more difficult on purpose……….did someone say 15 min cities??………I would recommend checking that out)
Play – if you have little ones get outside with them and play. This can be a great stress reliever and also allow you to have quality uninterrupted time with your offspring. Run around with them, get on their trampoline with them, play football, catch, go on the swing/slide at the playpark, go out cycling with them etc.
Dance – either at home or join a club. Play your music loud and shake your booty to it. Jump around and go nuts. There are lots of dance classes you can join should you wish to as well.
Yoga/Pilates – there are lots of online videos you can choose from, you have to find the one that you like and give it a whirl. I am not in to throwing your body in to crazy shapes and being hyper flexible, I do not see these as weight loss. at all They are for body maintenance, mindfulness, breathing, calming and mobility. Moving your body in different ways, relaxing in to positions using your breath to calm and release the tension. This can be great to get you moving in the morning or to relax you of evening. Restorative yoga/pilates or mindfulness/meditation for relaxing and more dynamic yoga/pilates to get you warmed up and going in the morning. One I have used and many do is Yoga with Adriene or search pilates for beginners for mindfulness yoga nidra (I love this for switching off, getting in the body out of the mind ready for bed) you also have the Calm and Headspace apps. There are lots of things out there to help.
HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – this is great if you have a little amount of time and want to get a sweat on. Start off very small if you are brand new to exercise or it has been a while. This is super good for your cardiovascular strength to and really gets your metabolism fired up. All this works perfectly with a well balanced diet which I have spoke about on previous blogs and also can support you with as a one to one Health Coach. Interval training is going hard and fast for a short period of time and then resting for a longer period ready to go hard again for a certain amount of rounds. For example you could sprint on the spot for 20sec and then rest for 1-2mins depending on your exercise level and complete this for 4-8 rounds. Again start small and build up. You can sprint on the spot, do jumping jacks, skip, bounce on a trampoline, run up and down the stairs, fast step ups on a low step. Even if you do not go to the gym you can train, either in the house or better still in the garden or park. There are many HIIT videos online but be mindful of where you are starting from and adjust to suit you. Start slow and build up gradually, there is no rush this is a lifestyle change. Also those on these videos are doing the whole lifestyle thing, exercise along will not get you healthy, all the other factors have to come in to play like diet, stress, toxic load, contentment in life etc.
Strength training – I love strength training, it is so super good for you, yet it can be looked over a lot, especially by women. Strength training does not mean having massive muscles, you will still be lean, just with strong bones, muscles and joints. This is also called resistance training – it is moving with force against the muscle to allow it to be broken down and built stronger. You can use your own body weight for resistance training to start before you start using bands and or weights. If you are already doing this then that is great, always make sure you have a professional to help you and show you how to safely do this with weights. Some videos online with home bodyweight movements- 10 min for beginners – 10 min for beginners
Gym goers – I love going to the gym and I have a Personal Trainer that plans my workouts, yes I am a Health Coach but when it comes to training I like to hand that over to others as I know I will go easy on myself, plus my interests are in diet/nutrition, movement, wellbeing, lifestyle, toxic load, stress management, sleep – I am more about a well rounded approach, not just training which is a small part of it you need to have your lifestyle right. I have trained for many years and I have progressed and changed as I have got older and my needs have adjusted. My 40 year old body needs different stuff to what my 20 year old body needed. I will always train with my cycle and listen my body at different times of the month. If I am tired I will go easy and do more restorative training to heavy training. Guys you too need to listen to energy and stressors, sometimes heavy sessions can do more damage than good depending on where we are physically and mentally. Yes, I think training is great but not at the expense of your mental health and physical health, too much training and training to be skinny is not good. Training is to keep your body strong, flexible, toned and supple, if you are looking at weight loss then comes from diet and lifestyle, hitting the gym hard will not help if you have not addressed other areas. Overtraining is very bad for our health and can lead to exhaustion which will have a negative effect on our mental/physical health. Training has its place but you must be sensible with it and mindful that it enriches and gives you energy not take it away. If you are unsure if you re being excessive or have a good balance then ask yourself, would you freak out if you missed a session, would you undereat if you did not go to the gym, do you feel exhausted all the time, do you lack energy and clarity – if you answer yes to this then maybe check your training amount and intensity. I train 4 times a week and walk/cycle most days but through the year my intensity of training will adapt depending on what I am training for. I am not always crawling out the gym – sometimes we are maintaining and sometimes we are increasing but not full throttle all the time at every session. If I want to maintain weight / mental / physical wellness – then this will come from my diet/nutrition/eating window/fasting, toxic load, hormone balance, lowering stress levels, sleep and being with my tribe. Join a gym, don’t join a gym, you do what you enjoy.
Running – I think it has its place but it is not the bee all and end all. I used to be a long distance runner when I was younger and I was good at it but I unfortunately was using running as a weight loss along with undereating which would lead to binge eating and sheer exhaustion. I have had an interesting relationship with food and exercise over the years and now I feel I have finally made my peace with it all and can maintain a healthy balance. Long distance running if you like it, crack on but be mindful of the impact on the body and you really need to do your flexibility and strength training with this. I feel short sprint bursts are more beneficial for your health, your body and aging. I do not feel any long distance runner looks fit and healthy, now look at the sprinters, woo hoo, now they are something. You want to be powerful and quick, shorter distances I believe for sure are better for you especially once you hit your 40’s. I also wouldn’t go running if I have never done any training and think this is the only way to lose weight/get fit. Do not run before you can walk. The HIIT training would be much more beneficial but again move generally first before you go straight into training. If you are sitting on your backside all day then just get up and move. If you want to join a running club that is going to progress you gently and you enjoy it, then by all means go for it but remember you need to do strength/flexibility and above all for health and weight loss, you need to address diet and lifestyle.
There are lots of options to introduce exercise into your life. The most important thing is to move, walk out in nature, reduce the amount of time you are sitting and always, always, always address your diet and lifestyle.
Small changes are better than none, if you need help and guidance please do sign up to my online coaching, it is great way to get you started and to have that support on your journey. We are looking a 1% wins, gradual change, knowledge and understanding of you and your body. You have to live in this body for a good many years so start to take care of it and love it.