One More Simple Step - Movement

So how did increasing your water intake go so far?

How many  of these happy faces on your chart?

Let’s add another simply step to support our well being.

Movement is so important for many areas of the body, not just our heart.

How much movement can you bring into your day?

Physical movement or exercise benefits all living things by keeping the life-force flowing through them. Once something ceases to move, it rapidly deteriorates. A leaf that has died on a tree can no longer sway in the wind and drops to the ground. The same thing happens with humans. If we sit at a desk all day and then sit on the sofa at night, we will lose our muscle integrity, flexibility, and strength becoming brittle and drying out. Think of what happens to a bedridden person. Movement will increase your longevity potential! We all know the saying “Use it, or lose it”.

Movement doesn’t mean forcing yourself to go to the gym everyday and do intense exercises that you do not like. Movement must be fun in order to reap the benefits. If you are pushing yourself to exercise in a way that you do not enjoy, you are just creating more stress and will not benefit. Focus your intention on increasing your longevity and having fun.

Creating a balance in your movement activities will lead to all areas of the body gaining improvement. It is also important to incorporate mind-body exercise and not just physical.

Mind-Body exercise would include:

Meditation (visualization, guided or chakra meditation). The Chinese term for meditation literally translates as “sit still and do nothing” (Ching-jing wu-wei). The highest pinnacle of Zen, Hindu, Chan Buddhism and Tibetan meditation techniques is to have “no technique” (ie. sit still and do nothing!) By sitting still and doing nothing, you are allowing your mental and emotional dispositions to literally unravel over time without pressure or expectation to a specific outcome. This prevents the suppression of thoughts, emotions, and belief patterns and instead allows them to resolve. The mind will then begin to quiet down.

Brain Exercises (ex: ancient Greek methods of improving memory),Brain Gym, Prayer or any other exercise that is purely mental.

You can incorporate more active types of mind-body exercise with diaphragmatic or prananyama breathing, Chi Gong (minimal movement), Ti Chi or standing meditation.

These will allow the mind to unwind and activate muscle movements in a gentle way.

Active Physical activity can include walking and hiking, dancing, gardening, using a rebounder (best for lymphatic drainage), yoga, weight training, even house cleaning will work up a sweat. For more intensity, endurance and cardiovascular you can include jogging, swimming, bike riding, hockey, tennis, aerobics, cross country skiing, snow showing and interval training.

These types of movement will stimulate and strengthen your joints and bones, respiration, muscle endurance, and flexibility. You do not need to be tied to the treadmill!

March will be here tomorrow and a great time to incorporate some movement into our day. If you have been inactive for a period of time, I find the gentlest way to get started is walking; parking the car a little farther away from the office, mall, or your destination. Breath in some fresh air, feel the sun on your face (soon), and get your circulation flowing!