Beware of the Chair

I have been going to the gym now for several years.  But let me make something clear, I am not one of those people that show up at a big gym and comfortably set into my own routine.  I am not one of those people that just go pick stuff up, put it down, do that a few times, head to a machine, adjust it and go for it, and so on for an hour or so.  Nope, not me. Having said that, I can do that, I have on occasion done that, but it would never be my workout of choice.

I am very much a team player kind of person.  I like doing things together with other people. I have played on several teams in a variety of sports and done all sorts of classes. But as I get older, I am finding that the drama that some people thrive in, I just can’t handle.  So I am torn between being that independent person in the gym and the group activity kind of person. Good thing there is no deadline to choose and I may never actually have to.

I will just continue to look for that perfect workout.  If it actually exists.

After all of that, I am totally loving the new gym that I am going to.  For me, it offers a little bit of everything that I want. The classes are small, and I have the option of doing drop in too where I can be independent, yet never totally alone.  This is feeling really comfortable for me. I also have been going to another type of gym. A little circuit training, well sort of. It is boxing in a circuit. It is a quick 30 minute, I am rarely alone, yet there is only one person per station at a time.  The levels change all the time and it is together yet not all at the same time.

I tell you this because it is more important than ever before to make sure you are moving your body.  I have heard it said that sitting is the new smoking. That is not cool. We spend more time looking at screens than doing most other things.  Kids are on screens before the even go to school and it doesn’t go away when you are finished your work day, our pads and phones, as well as tv’s and computers, are always just a click away.  Even our seniors are online because that is the way the world communicates but if you are anything like me, I can’t walk and text, chew gum, or much else at the same time. So, we sit. A lot.

We have come a long way for tending the farms for all the hours that the sun is up.  We rush to and home from work where most of us sit and then sit some more. If we have active jobs, we drive home and sit to relax.  Then spend the weekends sitting again to unwind.

Our lives are becoming more and more sedentary.  We need to change this.

Change won't happen on its own, we need to make a firm decision to want to change and then do it.  For some of us, this is going to be tough. There are large groups of people that have never been particularly active.  You remember those kids in school that were never very good in gym class. Maybe that was you. Ok, but you are not in school anymore.  Nobody cares if you got chosen first or last. It doesn’t matter what color team you were put on. What matters is that you get up and move your butt.

I have talked about this before.    Do What You Want to Do, Are You Moving But anything worth saying is worth repeating.  It doesn’t have to be joining the local Gold’s Gym, that can so intimidating. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t have to involve any membership.  It just has to include moving your body.

The internet is full of people trying to sell their program, which is fine, but you don’t have to do that if you are just starting out or starting out again.  There are so many free ideas out there just spend a few minutes doing that.

But, the most obvious thing to do is to get up and walk.  Really it doesn’t cost anything, you already do some walking in your day, just do a little more.  When you are ready, add a little more to it. Add some other activity, look around, there are literally hundreds of ways to get active.

If you want to add a reason to walk look toward walking for a cause.  There are so many really good charities that do walks for fundraising, you can do two things at the same time.

Don’t just sit and come up with reasons not to do it.  

  • The time will never be perfect.  
  • There will always be something else to do.
  • The weather won’t always cooperate.
  • The shows will want you to watch it live.
  • You may feel uncomfortable.
  • You might even work up a sweat.
  • You might have to say no to something.

But, it just might be the beginning of doing something really great for you!

 

Exercise, prayer, and meditation are examples of calming rituals. They have been shown to induce a happier mood and provide a positive pathway through life's daily frustrations. – Chuck Norris

 

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