Get Moving!

Dear Sitting,

Good for you for recognizing the importance of exercise and that “sitting your life away” is problematic. Author Edward Stanley puts it this way: “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” 

You’re not alone in your lack of motivation to exercise. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, only one in three children is physically active every day, less than five percent of adults participate in thirty minutes of physical activity each day, and only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week.

Americans are paying the price. According to data from the World Bank, life expectancy in the U.S. was 76 years in 2021, ranking it approximately 60th in the world and behind countries like Estonia and Saudi Arabia. Of course, early death and disability can take a healthy person but I’d just as soon hedge my bets and find time for regular exercise. 

The National Institute on Aging suggests the following five things to get you going:

1. Find ways to fit exercise into your day. You could park a distance from the store, take the stairs, or do a 10-minute video routine. 

2. Do activities you enjoy to make it more fun. I like to listen to books while I walk and watch tv while I ride a stationary bike. These days, people are really enjoying pickleball. Give it a try!

3. Make it social. For many years, I went to indoor swim aerobics class three times a week. The exercise was fun AND I got to see my friends.

4. If there’s a break in your routine, quickly get back on track. A hip replacement took me out of my normal exercise routine for more than six months last year. It took a while, but I gradually got back to where I had been before the surgery.

5. Keep track of your progress and reward yourself when you reach your goals. I’d add, avoid making your reward a chocolate sundae. A better idea might be to reward yourself with a massage after you’ve stuck to your program for two months. 

Here are a few ideas of my own that I’d add to the NIA’s list: 

 * Make exercise a priority - put exercise on your calendar.

* Get some support - consider asking a friend to be an accountability partner, hire a health coach, or a personal trainer.

* Anticipate how exercise will make you feel - when I REALLY don’t want to go to the gym, I strike a bargain with myself, “just 10 minutes.” Once I get going, it feels so good I stay for my full routine. 

Finally, JUST DO IT! There are some things in life that are so important we need to do them whether we want to or not; changing a baby’s diaper comes to mind along with taking out the garbage or doing your taxes. For some people (myself included), exercise is like that. 

The hard truth is, find the time and motivation to exercise or find the time for illness/disability in your future. It’s your choice. When will you start and what’s your first step?