How to Plan Your Physical Activity!

The benefits of exercise and how you can plan to get it done!

If I asked you about the benefits of exercise, I’m sure you could come up with a lot of benefits.  We probably know the benefits, but we don’t always ACT on that knowledge.  When I exercise, I think to myself, “I should do this more often!”

One obvious benefit is controlling weight – either losing or maintaining.  Another benefit that I often talk about is how exercise can combat a lot of health conditions and diseases including stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and more.  If you want to improve your lipid profile, or just move around better, exercise is a prescription that your doctor will almost always write.

“Yeah but I don’t feel like exercising.”  Or “I’m too tired.”  That’s probably when you NEED to exercise the most!  Exercise can boost your mood and your energy.  While we’re talking about energy, sleeping better would probably help with that too.  And guess what? Exercise can help you sleep better too.  Not to mention, exercise can be fun! Pick things that you enjoy doing – walking, Zumba, yoga, whatever!  Just try something!  Some people are social – they enjoy a big Zumba class or a group exercise.  Others enjoy the solitary walk in nature, or just popping in a DVD at home. 

Whatever you enjoy doing for exercise, make a plan for it.  Download this exercise planner and plan your exercise for the week (writing it down helps you actually do it!).  You can do 30 minutes at a time, or even just 10 minutes.  You don’t have to get so hot and sweaty that you need multiple showers, but you do need to get the heart rate up.  The current recommendation is at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (walking, running, swimming, Zumba, etc.).  If you exercise for 10 minutes 3 times during the day, in 5 days you’ll have your 150 minutes!  Take the dogs for 10 minute walk and you’ve well on your way!  Exercise with a YouTube video at lunch for 10-15 minutes.  Go for a family walk after dinner (instead of focusing on the screens).  You could start your day off with a 30 minute exercise routine and you’d be done! You might could sneak in a short workout during a Zoom or online meeting.  Or wait until after work and play tennis.  Just do something!  Even small steps add up over time.

What is YOUR favorite way to exercise?

While reading a blog and seeing social media posts are great (keep it up!), they may not be enough for you to take those small steps and incorporate healthy habits into your life.  When I pull up a map on my phone, I always see a cute little dot that shows me where I am at the moment.  That’s really helpful when I’m trying to find a new place or need directions.  If I don’t know where I am, I can’t really figure out where I’m going.  That works with changes too.  I have a survey to help you see where you are right now.  It might be a little long but it will give you a good overview of where you are on your map.  Then, you’ll set up a trip of small steps to take you where you want to go. I’ll help you along your journey with emails, social media, and this blog, where you’ll meet others on the journey and have fun learning! Start your journey of small steps HERE.