I Like to Move It

Do you like to move? Note that I did not ask, "Do you like to exercise?". I bet you like being able to move around and participate fully in your life, though. I mean who wants to always wonder if they can ... go grocery shopping, take a trip, get in and out of bed or a chair even?!? I know there are seats or even recliners with a lift assist, however if you start relying more and more on mechanical devices, your own body is going to become less and less able to serve you.

Here are some things you can do to keep moving:

When you wake up, gently stretch while still in bed. Then, sit on the edge of the bed and stand up and sit down and stand up. If you can only do one, that's a great place to start. Otherwise, do this 5 times the first morning, and increase by one, every other day. Perhaps set a goal of doing 25 ultimately. If your bed is high off the ground, good for you! That means you have to use some effort to get in and out of bed. Simply do some squats after getting up.
Commit to walking every day. If going up and down your driveway is a biggie at first, that's all you have to do. Again, build on that, going a little further each day. When you get to the point where you are taking a walk around the neighborhood, enlist a friend to join you. You'll be more likely to actually do it if you have a partner.
Stand straight and push your grocery cart. Do not lean on it and have it drag you around. It's not a good look and it doesn't help your core stay strong.
Use stairs whenever you can. If they are a challenge at first, ease into it. You can even keep moving on an escalator, especially when there aren't too many people.
It's worth consulting with a fitness coach to find out different ways to stretch and strengthen your body and to make it specifically beneficial for you. Start where you are.

The more aware you are and the more you love and care for your body, the better you'll feel. Talk to me at cummingsbarbara@gmail.com -- let's get you feeling better!

Sparkles and Love,