For at least a decade we’ve heard endless messages encouraging us to exercise more. Campaign after campaign we’ve been saturated in studies and statistics reinforcing our global lack of exercise and why we should be embarking in more of it.
Much of which has happened to no avail.
Evidence is still suggesting that only a small minority of us do tackle regular exercise. Why? A few possible explanations come to mind..
Firstly, the inception and popularity of exercise modalities like bootcamps and cross-fits, which fulfill a ‘hard-core, go hard or go home’ ethos, has possibly scared more than a few people away from considering embarking on an exercise journey. These exercise modalities can be awesome and energising, particularly when they’re taken by qualified and somewhat-compassionate trainers. But they’re not for everyone.
Secondly, many are immersed in their own world of busy-ness and quickly dismiss the idea that there is no time to exercise. They live on the premise that one day, soon enough, the perfect circumstances will be presented to them in which they are then able to prioritise some exercise. This is by all accounts a false assumption; life will never provide the perfect time. We, instead, need to make the time.
And finally, people don’t know where or how to start. It’s so hard to know how to go about making that first move or taking that first step – so to speak. There’s a certain pressure to abide by recommended guidelines – for example, 30 minutes a day for five days of the week. It’s easy to feel like we’ve failed before we’ve even begun! And we hate failing, and will avoid experiencing that feeling at any cost.
Regardless of why we don’t exercise, there is now an even bigger conundrum before us..
It’s no longer that we aren’t exercising enough. It’s worse than that. Now it’s that we’re not even moving enough. We have become docile, dozy, device-bound creatures succumbing to our own technological advancements. And it’s not good.
And it’s not just a lack of movement that should be worrying us! Studies are now suggesting that it’s the amount of time that we spend sitting down that is a major risk factor for lifestyle type disease and other conditions associated with lack of movement. One of the most interesting points to come out of these studies is that the amount of time sitting can influence your health even if you are somewhat active at other times. Yes, that’s right – you’re one hour workout at the end of a day where you’ve been sitting at your work station for 8 to 10 hours is not likely to counteract the ill effects of sitting.
Don’t get me wrong. That workout at the end of your day will have a positive effect on your health and wellbeing. But in order for us to supplement those positive effects we need to look at being more active and physical throughout the rest of our day too. We need to sit less and move more.
If regular exercise is out of the question for you then all I beg is that you focus on moving more. Don’t worry about the what or the how or the how long. Focus on the when (i.e. regularly throughout the day) and do anything you can to get you out of your chair, off your backside, and move. And if you can, get outside. The outdoors has a natural energy, will be an instant pick me up, and we are always more active outdoors than we are indoors. Nature and the natural elements of mother earth have a way of sparking us up, uplifting our mood, and boosting our energy.
For example, every 30 minutes you could walk up and down four flights of stairs, bend down and touch your toes twelve times, stretch your arms towards the sky and hold them there for thirty seconds, walk down the hall to see your colleague rather than emailing them. The opportunities are endless. And please don’t tell you don’t have time – because you do. And taking three or four minutes out every half an hour to move and be a little bit active, will actually clear your head, refocus your thoughts, energise you, and make you a whole lot more productive when you sit back down. Believe me, taking more time to be more active WILL make you more productive. Lack of time is not the issue – never has been, never will be. Your health is the issue, and when you’re health is concerned, nothing else can possibly override the importance of looking after your health.
Sit less, move more. Please.
- Corinne Austin
- Movement and Wellness Motivator
- corinne@fitfixnz.co.nz