The older we get, the more important it becomes to keep our bodies moving. The recommendation to “Move More” is a common and rather simple message we hear about how to improve our health and manage weight. However, when just about everyone has had a much more sedentary lifestyle imposed on them by a pandemic, there’s a resulting dissonance between “knowing” and “doing”!
If you’re feeling out of shape and frustrated yet looking ahead to brighter days of spring when you know you can commit to “moving more” and don’t know where to start, here are some helpful ways to now refocus on becoming more active:
If you are just starting to exercise, build up slowly. This will help to prevent injury. After a few weeks, increase how often and how long you are active.
For health benefits, do at least 2 ½ hours each week of physical activity that requires medium effort. A few examples include brisk walking, biking, swimming, dancing, martial arts, playing ball, skating, and gardening. Spread activities over the week and do them at least 10 minutes at a time.
Do strength exercise twice a week. Strength building exercises include lifting weights, doing push-ups and sit-ups, working with resistance, or heavy gardening.
Every little bit of activity can add up and doing something is better than nothing. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for a 10-minute walk on your lunch break, or park further away from work and walk.
Once you get used to regular activity, try to increase your weekly active time. Also, add more intense activities. You can do this by turning a brisk walk into a jog, adding stairs into your exercise, swimming or biking faster, playing tennis, and participating in aerobic dance of any kind. The more time and effort you spend being physically active, the more health benefits you will receive.
Choose activities that you enjoy and that fit your lifestyle. It can help you feel better about yourself and the way you live your life, so do the activities you have fun doing!
These tips are shared from Avidon Health.