Move

Thus far I have given you information on the healing effects of nutrition.  That’s pretty brave for someone with an exercise background and considering I followed the same ill-advice you do regarding the calorie-in, calorie-out theory of weight loss and disease prevention.  Now let me (slightly) change your mind about exercise.  Do you know the medicinal power of physical activity?  Our body is designed to move!  You need to feed your body movement through work and play just as much as you provide it nutrients.  There is strong evidence that physical INactivity is detrimental to your health.  It is the 4th leading cause of death today.  Some say that the effects are similar to those from smoking.  Yikes!  When our bodies are sedentary our muscles become tighter, our heart and lungs weaker, and our brain less powerful.  Getting off the couch or pushing away from your desk can reduce your risk of many non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers as much as 10%.  That improvement increases when you add in fitness related exercise.  With movement comes increased blood flow.  With increased blood flow, more nutrients and oxygen reach our body for optimal function. 

Let’s break it down:

Bone – Bone loves to be stressed with impact (walking, running, jumping) and consistent resistance (lifting weights)

Muscle – Muscles are challenged to when you focus on bone strength.  Keeping muscles strong will help you increase metabolism (calorie burn)

Brain health – When moving your body, blood flow not only flows to the muscles, but the brain as well.  Have you ever noticed being more awake after taking a little break from riding in a car?  Our brain is more efficient, less foggy, when our body moves.

Senior independence – When the three areas (listed above) improve, so does your longevity and independence.  Who wants to live with in a nursing home?

Weight management – Yes, physical activity is part of weight management whether you want to lose, gain, or maintain.  Nutrition is key however.  (Yes, I said it; A hard thing for an exercise guru) Focusing on the benefits listed above, your weight will adjust.  Be patient.

So how do you get off the couch?  How do you push away from your desk?  With all the barriers you struggle with, time seems to be at the top of the list.  Start with 1 minute.  It generally takes about a minute to walk to the bathroom or water fountain.  Gradually increase that time with a trip around the office (or home) and so on. Build your stamina at your pace, but make sure you continue to progress.