Rethinking Exercise as a Source of Immediate Rewards - New York Times
Hello everyone, there have been some requests for inspiration to keep moving and eating well. It certainly is that time of year, the long winter stretch. I flew to Sydney last weekend - I sat down in my seat on the plane with a novel, and was caught off guard as we emerged from the clouds.
Sun hit the side of my face. Far out, when was the last time I saw sunlight and blue skies? It's this winter stretch that can leave you feeling like you're a creature of the night. Cold and dark winter mornings and cold and dark evenings that bleed into your afternoons. This is where mindset comes into play - I'm a big believer in not giving yourself a hard time when your energy dwindles. Instead focus on the small steps you can take to remain consistent with your health and wellbeing.
Celebrate what you do achieve. Each day we are presented with a series of decisions, aim to make positive ones and don't beat yourself up. One of my workmates recently suggested spending five minutes at the end of each day to write down and cross off what you have achieved. You'll be surprised.
I have included an article I saw on The New York Times - Well - Health. It's a really interesting way to reframe physical activity and self-care.
“We should count any and every opportunity to move that exists in the space of our lives as valid movement worth doing!”...
Comments
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Good article, Steph - and I absolutely agree. Although I have always done some form of exercise (sports, aerobics, yoga) it is amazing how it has improved my life since treatment finished. If the weather is fine, I walk. If not, I do 3kms at 6.1 on the treadmill, which is either a slow jog or a fast walk. Sometimes both. If I don't do it now there is a marked difference in how I feel and in energy levels. The fact that it reduces the risk of recurrence is a huge bonus. There was a quote in one of our Beacon magazines that said if we could take a pill that gave us all the benefits of exercise, we would all take it! xx Michelle
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Hi Steph, so nice to meet you at Summit. I loved this article. Great message to think of exercise as something positive and not a chore. I try and take one of my kids with me if I can when I walk. Amazing what we manage to talk about in those one on one times.
Happy exercising
Paula
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Interesting Steph, I liked the point that said if you cannot fit in your planned exercise, even do a short amount helps, have never thought like that, and quite often that happens to me as an elderly mother and grandchildren crop up often. Will try the new approach, it will help me fit in more walking, Di
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Hi Steph, good article, I particularly liked the idea of "snacking" on exercise through the day and how all those little bits add up.
I don't always get out for a walk - although I try to most days - but I do have lots of stairs inside and outside the house which I'm forever going up and down. We also live on a steep hillside bush block that needs quite a bit of "extreme gardening" to keep things under control, so this gives me lots of exercise and despite the hard work, lots of pleasure. Simple things like walking on the beach, going for a swim (when it's warmer!), bushwalking and shooting hoops with my son are all things I like to "snack" on! Jane xx
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Glad you enjoyed it Michelle
Keep up the great work X0 -
Lovely to meet you also Paula
Good on you - my parents used to do this with us four kids. Little did I know they used it as a form to communicate with us if we were processing something growing up. It's a great way to resolve issues, discuss and explore feelings - it's also known as "peripatetic" (walking/meandering) therapy. You don't need to sit opposite each other which can be confronting. You walk side by side and it all happens quite naturally Amazing stuff, sounds like a really special time for you and your kids X 0 -
Absolutely Di, glad you found this helpful. I've grown up with the philosophy 'don't leave things unfinished!'. Naturally, I found myself finishing everything on my plate (out of habit not hunger) and not bothering to break up my work outs because if I couldn't do a decent session I wouldn't get involved at all. This article does a great job of opening our mind up to being more flexible and accommodating
My new philosophy is 'not to throw the baby out with the bath water'. A little is always better than nothing. Try walking for 10minutes then reassess, if you feel like adding another 5minutes go for it - if not, tack another 10 minutes on at the end of your day X0 -
Hi Jane, glad you enjoyed it. Life really is a bit of a feast - and we should be greedy when it comes to our health and wellbeing. It all does add up which is a comfort. Sounds like you have a great set up at home - Gardening is a fantastic form of exercise and is often very functional, crouching and squating your own body weight across a few hours
Whoah! That adds up! I've taken to riding my bike down to the local public school on the weekends to access their basketball courts. I shoot some hoops, you really don't realise how much energy you burn when you're chasing around a ball. Keep up the awesome work!X0 -
I really like this article I'm really floundering with exercise its like there's a glass wall there I can't get past. So I'm now looking at everything I do and seeing the physical side of it Thank you??
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