How many times have you found an excuse to get out of doing exercise this week? It’s easy to create a plan to exercise several times a week. But life can get in the way, and before you know it, you are sitting on the sofa with your feet up. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there, and it doesn’t matter if you do this. However, you let yourself and your body down over the long term when you do it repeatedly. Physical exercise is essential for everyone. You don’t have to bust your gut, but you do need to take the time to do something every week.
When we get older, it is more important than ever to keep ourselves mobile. We all want to live to a great old age. If you want to achieve this, you need to get serious about you currently live your life. Is exercise an important part of your daily life? If it isn’t, then now is the time to make the change. It is easy to do and can make you feel better physically and mentally. No more excuses! It is time to make the change. Get ready to find out why it is important and three simple things to exercise more. 1, 2, 3….stretch!
The WHO defines physical activity as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure”. You need to move. It’s so easy when you come home from work to start winding down. Thoughts of exercising might fleetingly enter your mind. But the thoughts might to thinking about dinner, a nice bath, or binge-watch the next series on Netflix.
You could change your routine and start exercising more regularly.
You could nip all those distracting thoughts by creating a plan. Get yourself so organised so that when you do come home, you are ready to exercise. Put your workout clothes out in the morning, so you are prepared to change into them when you get home. You could prepare your dinner the night before, so you have no excuses. You could restrict yourself to the number of episodes you will watch on Netflix.
The exciting thing is if you start working out how it will help you live longer. Anything that can help you live longer is worth doing. Recent research by Dr Paluch from the Institute for Applied Sciences found that adults who did 7,000 + steps of exercise per day had a 50%-70% lower mortality risk.
#1 Walk the Walk
Walking is free, easy to do, and gets you outside (unless you prefer a treadmill in the gym or at home). I would recommend going outside. You can breathe in the fresh air and check out your surroundings. We are so busy caught up in our lives we sometimes forget what is on our doorstep. Step outside, go for that walk and enjoy the adventure.
Start off walking for 15 minutes and slowly lengthen the time.
You don’t need to feel awkward if you have never walked before. There is always a first time for everything. You can push yourself to get outside and start walking. You can come home later feeling accomplished. After your shower, you will feel happy that you made that extra effort to go for a walk. Keep doing it, and after a few weeks, it will be like second nature.
#2 Go For A Splash!
Swimming is great on holiday. You are soaking up the sun and splashing around. You might think you can’t do it all year. But what about your local swimming pool? Most public swimming pools have different times suitable for exactly what you need. Doing lengths is a great way to build up your stamina and shake off some cobwebs from the day.
Motivate yourself by doing more lengths every time you go swimming.
There is a startling statistic from a long term study by the Indiana University Centre for the Science of Swimming. It found that swimmers over 35 years old, who swam 3,200m to 4,500m, 3-5 times a week, postponed the ageing process. The good news is you don’t have to stick to those distances. The research also shows that regular swimming without lengths can also give you young. Yay!
#3 Shake it off!
Taylor Swift is full of energy and doesn’t look like she will age quickly at all. Is it because she knows about the secret of dancing? Research published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience has found that regular dancing as you get older can slow down the ageing process. With this in mind, why not “shake it off” when you get home from work.
Click on the video above and let your hair down right now.
Dancing is a great way to destress and get that body moving. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what music rocks your body. You can start by dancing at the weekend and then try it one midweek night as well. Plus, you can also grab your partner and have a boogie together. What’s not to love about dancing the night away?
Physical Exercise Is Important – Takeaways
Physical exercise is essential if you want to grow old with fewer health problems. Try to incorporate some movement into your day or night and see how it makes you feel. It only needs to be a minimum of 15 minutes, and you can build the length of exercise up over time. Whether it is walking, swimming or dancing, try one this week and feel the difference. Your future self will love you for it!
Sally Leslie is a motivational coach and optimist. She helps freelancers and entrepreneurs create balance in their lives and work towards their personal and professional goals. Sally is also a B2B freelance writer for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and startups. A lover of plants, freedom, and football!
