Why Moving Your Body Matters
Exercise isn’t just a tool for achieving a killer beach body. Physical activity is something every single person needs to stay physically and mentally healthy. Moving your body keeps it working properly, so you can move through life with ease and keep serious lifestyle diseases at bay.
People who don’t get enough physical activity are at an increased risk of illnesses ranging from the common cold to osteoporosis to cancer.
Have you ever been to the doctor and they suggest to start walking or moving? It's because it does matter to your health!
If that’s not motivation enough, consider exercise’s mental health benefits. There are sooooo many! When you bring movement into your routine it will help relieve bad moods and stress, thanks to its effects on brain chemistry. Exercise is so powerful that it can aid in the treatment of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, grief and even drug and alcohol addiction. Getting active can improve your mood, increase your energy, reduce your stress, boost your focus, and help you relax.
This is so important!
You just START.
One foot in front of the other.
Find an exercise regime that fits your needs and lifestyle. The best workout is the one you can stick with. Once you've started, you might ask how do I develop a well-rounded fitness regimen? I personally would love to see you step into a mixture of these activity types listed below to create your success going forward:
Aerobic activity: Aerobic activity, also known as cardio, is an exercise that increases your heart rate and breathing. Examples include walking, hiking, running, swimming, cycling, and dancing.
Strength training: Strength training improves functional fitness and promotes strong bones. Strength training includes weight lifting, resistance band workouts, and body-weight exercises including push-ups, pull-ups and squats. Incorporate exercises that target different muscle groups to prevent strength imbalances.
Core exercises: Core exercise focuses on muscles in the pelvis, hips, lower back and abdomen to improve balance and posture. Building a strong core requires more than crunches. Cue planks here!
Balance training: Balance training improves coordination, which is especially important for older adults. Many strength and core training exercises also improve balance. For a more focused training, consider yoga, tai chi and other balance exercise classes.
Stretching: Stretching promotes flexibility and prevents injury. Stretch after warming up and as part of your cool-down, and use yoga to improve your range of motion. Don't skip this! I did for years, and it has taken me years to recover my uneven biomechanics!
With the New Year here, how are you doing maintaining your fitness regimen? As I've mentioned numerous times to my private coaching clients, starting a new fitness regimen is easy, but sticking with it is hard.
You've got to want it and build the muscle of FOLLOW through.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating your new habit of exercise:
Make time: Schedule exercise at regular days and times, so it becomes part of your lifestyle, not an afterthought. Start with short sessions and build up as your strength and endurance grow. You will soon be stronger and leaner as a result and sleep better, who wouldn't want to experience that?!
Have the right gear: Dressing appropriately for exercise keeps you safe and comfortable. In addition to comfortable clothing and properly fitted sneakers, choose quality exercise equipment or join a gym!
Create active habits: Increase the amount of exercise you get in an average day by taking the stairs, parking at the far end of the lot, choosing walking and biking over driving, and moving during commercial breaks and throughout the workday. I personally like to walk my neighborhood in between coaching clients to get some extra blood flow!
Track progress: Tracking physical activity in a notebook lets you see your progress and provides subtle motivation to get moving.
Choose fun activities: Working out doesn’t have to be a chore. Find something that calls you. Find activities you enjoy, like running, group exercise, cycling, hiking, bowling, rock climbing, dancing, team sports, strength training (another favorite), sailing, spinning (my favorite!), skiing, skating, hiking, boxing, polo, yoga or tai chi...
It's important to find movement that brings you joy. That joy drives everything else. It gets you out of bed for the run, keeps you fueled during it, and keeps you wanting more after it.
Movement is in our bones, in our genes. The idea of sitting still inside closed-off buildings is a relatively new one, and while I like a nice warm cozy office as much as the next person, a lifestyle based around sitting is suffocating a part of you.
The movement that brings me the most joy is strength training, functional training or spinning! I can't imagine my life without all three modalities in my life, and it is a major habit for me now. Years ago, I'd do certain workouts to burn the most amount of calories, but rarely did they bring me joy. Now, I make sure I'm clear with my intentions and choose the workout(s) that make me happy and FEEL MOST ALIVE. Cue deep breathing of heavy spin intervals to wake us up! No more doing just to burn a certain amount of calories and with that I have found an incredible amount of balance, strength, joy and grace. Here is a favorite workout I'm loving doing right now!
Remember that exercise isn’t just for people who are already physically fit. We've all been beginners at one point and every single person, whether young or old, overweight or in-shape, benefits from an active lifestyle. Whether you want to lose weight, gain strength, overcome aches and pains, or improve your heart health, stepping in to a fitness habit will help you reach your goals.
Be realistic and set realistic exercise goals. I would encourage you to reward yourself when you achieve your goals.
The truth is that taking responsibility for your health and fitness is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself and those around you.
Don't believe me?
I dare you to START.
TODAY.
GO.
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