Are you actively inactive?

Do you have a sedentary lifestyle? Many of us drive to and from work, or worse, we drive to and from McDonald’s, we sit in front of our televisions and computers at night and scoff at the sight of a flight of stairs. There is not a lot of movement in our lives. In order to live a long and healthy life, it’s imperative to incorporate activity into our routines.

We all know this, so why don’t we do it?

Perhaps many of us feel like we have attempted to include exercise in our routines in the past, whether it was joining a gym, going for walks or doing a pilates video in your living room before work. But things didn’t work out, you continued to pay for your gym membership and never went, walks became lonely and an interruption in your evenings with your family and doing pilates before work? Sometimes sleeping the extra 30 minutes was much easier than getting up and working your core.

Did you know activity reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and helps build strong bones? Activity also helps battle stress and plays a critical role in long term weight loss success.

It’s time to lace up your walking shoes and take it slow and easy. Start out with an easy route outside or a short time on your treadmill and increase it just a little bit everyday. Every minute you have activity, does make a difference. Also, when you exercise, it not only aides your weight loss and has multiple health benefits, but actually changes the shape of your body.

Did you know by adding activity you will actually increase your energy level? Imagine exercising and wanting to clean your house. What a difference!

A SIMPLE GOAL: If you have had zero activity, start to add activity to your life today. Go for a quick ten minute walk, increase the time by a few minutes every day, by the end of the week, make it a goal to have walked one hundred minutes total for the week. Then each week add twenty minutes to your time. You can do this.

Need help keeping track? I have created a walking journal for you, just print it out and stick it to your refrigerator.  (you will need Acrobat Reader to open the journal, which is free here, if you do not already have it.)
Download walking_log.pdf

QUICK TIP: Remember to breathe when you walk. Holding your breath can increase your blood pressure

Comments

[Mama Lily]

Thanks for the log! I'm excited and ready to go! I already walked this morning too!!

[J. Fergie]

Thanks for the journal - great idea.

[Tishia Lee]

I'm one of those pay for gym membership but stop going kind of gals :-( Back in October 2006 I joined Curves for Women, went faithfully until the middle of December and then blew my diet/exercise program and never got back on track....until now :-) I am working out again at Curves and will start walking the other days I don't work out there! I'm pumped up and so excited about this challenge!

[Southern Girl]

Compared to most people, I'm pretty inactive. Having both severe scoliosis and spina bifida means there are lots of exercises and activities I'm just unable to do, but I started walking just before the first of the year. Since I'm on oxygen, I have to do all my walking in the house, so I walk from one end to the other, turn around and go back again, for thirty minutes at a time, three times a day. When I started out, I could only do it for ten minutes a session.

I also do several exercises with handweights and has done great things for my upper arms.

[Janne]

Just wanted to let you know of a website call mapmyrun, where you can enter your walking route on a map and it will tell you exactly how many miles you've walked. Great resource!

[Krisitna Brooke]

OMG- I just found your blog and I LOVE IT. I am totally in love with it! I am on my weight release journey now and I will be sure to add activity to my day. I walk a lot as a teacher, and I live on a three floor walk up, but I know I need more. This is a frickin' great site.