No matter how you feel....

If you really want to know the truth, in order to relieve pain you need to engage in more physical activity and you have got to start somewhere...

We are designed to move. The meaning of the saying survival of the fittest has changed throughout human history. In early human history we were physically fit in order to obtain food and to not become food. Now our lifestyles are more sedentary and we do not have the same motivation to move and stay fit. Our sedentary lifestyle is directly affecting our health and leading to chronic illness. Obesity, Adult onset Type II Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, depression and anxiety, high cholesterol and blood pressure and cancer are some of the direct results. So we must adjust our thinking and attitudes. We must renew our relationship to our body and movement. 

Now, if you are like me, you are allergic to exercise. I realized as I aged that I had become less physically active and this caused me some concern about my health. I decided in the end to change how I talked to myself and removed the word exercise from my vocabulary and replaced it with physical activity. This small shift can make all the difference. I also remembered in my childhood when I was more active that I never used the word exercise and I remembered when movement was directly connected to feelings of fun and utter joy. It is time to re-connect with this fun and joy.

 

Numerous studies indicate that exercise may be up to 95% as effective as prescription drugs for relieving depression. And while the effect of anti-depressants often takes months to kick in, people report relief from depression within only the first four weeks of adopting a physical activity program. 

"Chronic back pain is difficult to treat and causes loads of misery. But something as simple as twice-weekly yoga appears to relieve pain and improve mood in people with the condition." LA Times

Being physically active not only gives you pleasure and quality of life, flexibility and strength, it also rewards you with better sleep, healthier lifestyle choices, more energy, coordination and balance, agility, physical grace, endurance and stamina, power and speed, self confidence and improved health. 

Motivation Tips

• Think of physical activity as a menu rather than a diet. There are many different choices that are fun, rewarding and productive. Try something new and exciting.
• Start small.
• Go outside and play.
• Identify whether you are a loner or a team player.
• Join a team. 
• You can have both activity and leisure.
• Ditch the workout and join the party: try Zumba.
• Walk the dog. If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise.
• Exercise videos.
• Sign up for a class. 
• Personal Trainer.
• Cross Training.
• Set a goal and record your progress. 
• See yourself fit - make it a part of your identity.
• Do some floor exercises while you are watching TV.
• Exercise with a friend.
• Develop an interest or hobby that requires physical activity.
• The best way to get out of your head is to get physically active.
• Don't forget about the rewards that being active will give you: increased oxygen and blood supply to tissues improves immune system functioning and decreases risk of disease.
• Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional and mental states.   
• Those who do not find time to exercise will have to find time for illness.