“Exercise and application produce orders in
our affairs,
health of body,
cheerfulness of mind and
these make us precious to our friends”      Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
I’ve just returned from a gorgeous weekend away with my oldest and dearest school friends. Ten girls who might be 50ish, but we all feel like 30! Â Some of us have known each other since prep – 5 yrs old!! It was like spending your weekend wrapped up in your most comfortable jumper – warm, snuggly and carefree!
If you need a getaway I highly recommend our accommodation – it was superb. We ate, drank, laughed, cried and shared lots of stories. We also went for beautiful long walks in the surrounding forests.
Even though it would have been so easy to stay on the couch, in front of the fire we decided to move our bodies! Â We had beautiful autumnal days and we could always come back to the couch later!!
Our bodies, despite sometimes not feeling like it, are designed to move. Our ancestors were on all fours and admittedly over a hundreds of years, evolved to two feet. We however, in a relatively very short time, seem to be turning the clocks backwards, forgetting about our feet along the way and reverting to the sitting position now more than ever!!
Think about it.
⇒ We wake up in the morning (where we have been horizontal for 8 or so hours)
⇒ then we may sit on the side of our bed,
⇒ before we walk a few steps to the bathroom/shower.
⇒ we walk to the kitchen where we sit down and have breakfast,
⇒ then many head to the office via sitting in the car and traffic, sitting on the tram, train or bus.
⇒ We then may have a brief walk to our office where we sit for the next few hours, till lunch,
⇒ where again it may involve a quick walk but again sit down have lunch,
⇒ back to the office more sitting,
⇒ commute home sitting again,
⇒Yea HOME!
⇒ Onto the couch watch the news etc,
⇒ sit for dinner,
⇒ back to the couch,
⇒ till eventually off to bed where we resume the horizontal position for another eight hours or so!!
OK OK I can hear your protests that this is not what you do!
However, it is what a lot of people do everyday. And I don’t think our bodies particularly love us for it.
So what to do?
SIMPLE MOVE MORE!!
Exercise and movement should be seen as an opportunity not a chore. Incidental exercise (the exercise you do when you don’t …do exercise) can play an enormous role in your overall fitness and general well being.
Move your body..wherever, whenever you can.
At the office:
- Â Get off the tram, bus, train, one preferably two stops earlier and walk the remainder.
- Â Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.
-  Instead of sending a quick email to a colleague in your office – get up, walk and deliver it in person.
-  Where there are opportunities to stand rather than sit – do so!
At home!
- Â Get the kids more organised in the morning and walk to school rather than sit in that infuriating traffic.
-  Leave the remote on top off the TV and get up and get it each time you need it!
- Â Gardening and more gardening!
-  Park at the far end of the shopping car park, carrying those shopping bags a little further.. will do wonders for your tuckshop arms!
- Â Walk the dog more – how can you resist those eyes looking longingly at you!
-  House work – not a whole lot of pleasure (for me anyway) but a whole lot of gain!
-  Go for a stroll after dinner – with your partner, the kids??
-  Window shop – it so much cheaper!
- Â Meet a girl friend for coffee after you both have done a walk
- Â Dance more (seriously who is going to see you in the confines of your own home !)
-  Walk the golf course no carts – they are only for seriously older people or those with a very sore hip!
- Â Park your car a block away from your destination. How much time have you driven around the block to try and get the park right outside where you are going?
-  Don’t you love it when people are on their mobile they stop and talk – walk and talk!
If you want to be slim, fit and healthy then exercise needs to be part of your everyday. If weight loss is your aim then you need to include “huff and puff” to help achieve your goals.
There are lots of equations we can do to work out how much and how often. I’m all about doing something you enjoy, not forcing you to be inside a gym if you hate gyms!!
If you need help with working out what is the best way you can introduce exercise into your daily routine, email me and we can set up a chat.
As for the girl’s weekend and the very long walks…. afterwards.. we came back to the couch, cheeks flushed, bodies a little tired and sipped on a lovely champagne and continued with our stories!
Our gaggle of girls!
Domino Trail, Trentham, Victoria.
Be Healthy, Happy & Amazing!
Caroline x