TIP 21
Get Off Your Backside
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
~Zig Ziglar
Study after study tells us that sitting is making us fat, sitting is making us sick, sitting is taking years off of our lifespan. Well, do something about it!
Get out of your chair and take a walk out in the sunshine. “The sun’s not shining,” you say? Go for a walk anyway.
I don’t have to tell you what you already know, but I’ll do it anyway. Regular moderate exercise burns calories to help you maintain a healthy weight, which in turn helps prevent or manage heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more. It also produces endorphins that help lift your mood, and provides several cognitive benefits such as helping improve memory, reducing stress, and boosting both creativity and logic.
The truth is that unless you 've got some sort of legitimate difficulty that keeps you from putting in some regular exercise, there 's absolutely no excuse. I 've heard them all, trust me, because I 've told them too myself. When you think about it, getting regular exercise is not all that hard, but you must make it a priority. Get Off Your Butt A few years ago, I lost 65 pounds over the course of about eight months. What was my secret? Simply getting up early enough to throw on some clothes, lace up my shoes, and walk three miles per day. What started as slow, laborious, grudging walks turned into the highlight of my day. No longer a struggle, I got faster and faster until so I kept adding a bit of distance to my route. Soon, I was able to jog a little bit, and by the time I reached my goal I was jogging the majority from beginning to end. The only other alteration to my routine was to keep track of my calorie intake and hold myself accountable. After an injury that I still can 't explain, I quit for a little while and gained a little weight back. After getting tired of listening to my own excuses again, I bit the bullet and bought an elliptical/recumbent bike hybrid machine to use at home. Not only am I losing weight again and feel great, I 'm getting a more intense cardio workout while significantly lowering the impact on my joints. Not sure where to start with your fitness plans? Check out these simple starting routines you can begin implementing right away: 1. Walking: No one 's asking you to run a marathon, just get up and take a walk every day. Unless you 're physically incapable of walking—being out of shape is no excuse—there are very few days when you won 't be able to put in a 30 minute walk. Invest in some good shoes—and insoles if you need them—as well as appropriate clothing for all seasons and weather conditions. Start small and slow. Do a mile and work your way up to longer distances at faster speeds. Add to your overall impact by choosing parking spaces further away from the door at stores, and taking the stairs instead of the elevators. Before long, you might actually start seriously considering running a marathon. 2. Cardio: Get your heart rate moving with some simple exercises that you …show more content…
Our modern habits tend to keep us sitting as well. Those same people probably sat through lunch, then sat through dinner at home, and rounded out their evening by sitting in front of the TV until bed time. Other than walking to the car, what exercise does the average worker get nowadays?
Can’t you just feel your arteries harden and your muscles atrophy?
Unless you’re getting regular exercise at least three to five days per week, you’re really not moving your body enough. Getting up off your rear end isn’t all that complicated, you simply need to be intentional about it by choosing to make time and implementing some specific strategies into your weekly routine. Even if your day is so packed you’re not sure you can fit anything else into it, there are some simple ways you can begin chipping away at your indolence and become a healthier
Get Off Your Backside
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
~Zig Ziglar
Study after study tells us that sitting is making us fat, sitting is making us sick, sitting is taking years off of our lifespan. Well, do something about it!
Get out of your chair and take a walk out in the sunshine. “The sun’s not shining,” you say? Go for a walk anyway.
I don’t have to tell you what you already know, but I’ll do it anyway. Regular moderate exercise burns calories to help you maintain a healthy weight, which in turn helps prevent or manage heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more. It also produces endorphins that help lift your mood, and provides several cognitive benefits such as helping improve memory, reducing stress, and boosting both creativity and logic.
The truth is that unless you 've got some sort of legitimate difficulty that keeps you from putting in some regular exercise, there 's absolutely no excuse. I 've heard them all, trust me, because I 've told them too myself. When you think about it, getting regular exercise is not all that hard, but you must make it a priority. Get Off Your Butt A few years ago, I lost 65 pounds over the course of about eight months. What was my secret? Simply getting up early enough to throw on some clothes, lace up my shoes, and walk three miles per day. What started as slow, laborious, grudging walks turned into the highlight of my day. No longer a struggle, I got faster and faster until so I kept adding a bit of distance to my route. Soon, I was able to jog a little bit, and by the time I reached my goal I was jogging the majority from beginning to end. The only other alteration to my routine was to keep track of my calorie intake and hold myself accountable. After an injury that I still can 't explain, I quit for a little while and gained a little weight back. After getting tired of listening to my own excuses again, I bit the bullet and bought an elliptical/recumbent bike hybrid machine to use at home. Not only am I losing weight again and feel great, I 'm getting a more intense cardio workout while significantly lowering the impact on my joints. Not sure where to start with your fitness plans? Check out these simple starting routines you can begin implementing right away: 1. Walking: No one 's asking you to run a marathon, just get up and take a walk every day. Unless you 're physically incapable of walking—being out of shape is no excuse—there are very few days when you won 't be able to put in a 30 minute walk. Invest in some good shoes—and insoles if you need them—as well as appropriate clothing for all seasons and weather conditions. Start small and slow. Do a mile and work your way up to longer distances at faster speeds. Add to your overall impact by choosing parking spaces further away from the door at stores, and taking the stairs instead of the elevators. Before long, you might actually start seriously considering running a marathon. 2. Cardio: Get your heart rate moving with some simple exercises that you …show more content…
Our modern habits tend to keep us sitting as well. Those same people probably sat through lunch, then sat through dinner at home, and rounded out their evening by sitting in front of the TV until bed time. Other than walking to the car, what exercise does the average worker get nowadays?
Can’t you just feel your arteries harden and your muscles atrophy?
Unless you’re getting regular exercise at least three to five days per week, you’re really not moving your body enough. Getting up off your rear end isn’t all that complicated, you simply need to be intentional about it by choosing to make time and implementing some specific strategies into your weekly routine. Even if your day is so packed you’re not sure you can fit anything else into it, there are some simple ways you can begin chipping away at your indolence and become a healthier