You gotta MOVE IT MOVE IT!

Hello and welcome to our MOVE section. It is so exciting that you are here with us as it shows us you are interested in making informed decisions about your health. We are here to provide information and inspiration about health and well-being so you can put yourself back in charge of your health decisions.

Now, exercise! It is one of those things we all know we need, but very few actually have as a part of our daily life. Only 1/3 of brits actually reach the recommended activity level for their age group. Why is that? I have been working in health and wellness for many years now and never have I heard anyone say “ah I really wish I didn’t do that exercise session” (unless an injury happened). We all feel great after we have been moving don’t we? Endorphins are rushing in our blood and we have just been doing something we are designed to do, and our body is thanking us for it. So why don’t we do it everyday? I have a few theories; time, motivation, capability, lack of enjoyment, not keeping it consistent, not knowing why it is important. Ticking any of those boxes?

I was in a similar situation a little while back and developed some simple steps to help myself get back to fitness, and now I really want to share them with you:

---

1. Schedule It

Exercise needs time to be made for. If you don’t prioritise it, there will always be something that fills unprioritised time that are less fulfilling such as to do lists, watching TV and scrolling through facebook.. If you don’t exercise at all, start with making time for it maybe two times per week and declare that is YOUR time to exercise. If you already exercise a bit, but more sporadically, try to fit in three-four sessions a week at the same times in your schedule so you know you have put aside time for it. Habit change takes 30 days, so don’t loose hope after the first week thinking it will never happen, as it will, the body just needs more time to make a permanent change. Believe me, I have been there! And it all becomes so much easier if you do something you actually ENJOY…

2. Enjoy it

This is the point of most things in life, isn’t it? If you enjoy doing something you are a lot more likely to do it again. so finding an activity you really enjoy will be a game changer as it becomes a hobbie, not a chore. It doesn’t even have to involve a gym. It could be a team sport, outdoor activity, something in your own living room, anything! Make it a social activity which you enjoy going to not because of the exercise, but because you meet up with people you like. As long as you enjoy it and it moves your body. We are all different so it is important that you do something your body is CAPABLE of doing..

3. Do something you CAN do

Not everyone has to be a triathlete, marathon runner or a weight lifting champion. And not everyone wants that either. Some of you no doubt are limited by your physical capabilities because of your age or a condition in which case exercise can be difficult and daunting. But there are enough types of activities out there to fit everyone. In fact the first sign of ageing is a loss of muscle on the body which happens when people stop moving their body ‘because they are too old to..’. The number one indicator of how long we live is how physically active we are and how much lean muscle we have. If you have a condition, your experience within that condition will be far better if you practise healthy behaviours that support your body rather than accepting your limitation. Pick something that makes your body feel good and doesn’t cause pain (other than muscle soreness). It can be as minimal as walking to start with, if walking hurts, walk in in a swimming pool or do aquafit. There are thousands of people out there paying for a gym membership they don’t use, because they don’t want to go to the gym or it doesn’t suit their body. So they end up thinking they are failing because they are not going, which creates a bad relationship to exercise. Do what your body tells you to do and then try to keep it CONSISTENT..

4. Make it a Habit

Health and fitness doesn’t come overnight, it needs to be worked on. But when you have mastered the steps above, this step will come automatically. You will WANT to keep it consistent because you will feel the difference in yourself and how that improves your life.

---

This may all seem too simple and good to be true, but it really isn’t. This is exactly the steps I followed when I started exercising and I ended up falling in love with it.  Stick to these simple steps the first few weeks and we will build on it as we go. So today I urge you to make a decision on a way to implement an activity into your daily life. Let me know how it goes!!

Dr Judith