Three Things About "Springing" Into Fitness
I just love spring time. The weather is warmer. There is more daylight. There’s a sense of renewal – a feeling of springing into action. It’s also the time of year when getting fit seems to be on the top of mind. Maybe you’ve signed up for a race. Maybe there’s a family wedding and you want to use exercise to lose a little weight. Maybe you want to be able to keep up with the kids. Even if there is no specific reason, you should move anyway. And when you do there are three simple things that will help your success in making it a habit: keep it simple, be consistent and have fun!
Moving or exercise doesn’t have to be complicated. As a kid did you exercise? Heck no. You went out and played. You never watched your heart rate. You didn’t care about a pace. You just played. As a kid, for me, that meant riding my bike, climbing trees, and skateboarding. I haven’t climbed too many trees lately, but I did a couple 360’s on my friends’ kids skateboard not too long ago. I was pretty surprised and stoked about that. But for you, right now, that could mean gardening, playing pickle ball, Zumba, Tai Chi, running or doing whatever “moves” you! Pun intended.
When you find something that you enjoy or love to do, being consistent is definitely easier. It’s recommended that you get in at least 150 minutes of movement per week. That’s moving five times a week for 30 minutes. That’s totally doable if you are enjoying what you are doing! Jumping in-and-out of exercise may leave you tired or achy and without the best possible health benefits. Consistency is the key to gaining both fitness and health.
Most importantly, in my humble opinion, it needs to be fun. If it’s not fun what are the chances that you will do it? And if it’s fun, you’re apt to be consistent which we’ve already talked about. You can make it fun by calling a friend and exercise with them. Or perhaps sign up to try something different. I recently had a friend take pickle ball lessons. It was new, exciting, and fun. And she met a bunch of new people.
The bottom line - get out there and move in whatever way moves you. If you’re just starting out, don’t over think it. If you’re training for a running race, a triathlon, a Mud Run or other sporting event even better. I’m sure you have a plan to execute in order to succeed. If you want a more structured approach to exercise, feel free to reach out to me to discuss. I’d be happy to have a conversation with you about your goal.
