 Just think of exercise time as recess
OK, everyone, time to get moving – literally. Contrary to what most people think, “exercise” is not a four letter word. In fact, it can be really fun. Yes, I said fun.
If you enjoy exercising, you probably don’t need my advice. But if you are routinely driving to your mailbox, pay heed.
Remember when you were a kid in school and your favorite part of the day was recess? You had all of this pent-up energy from sitting in that classroom and you just had to burn it off somehow.
Things really haven’t changed much.
You still get all of that pent-up energy, it’s just that now the desk is bigger and you call it stress. You still need to burn it off and your body and mind will be so much happier when you do.
Thinking you don’t have time? The weather is great this time of year. Get up from your desk or out of your house and take a 15-minute brisk walk. Get moving to the point that you can still carry on a conversation but you wouldn’t be able to sing. That’s a perfect pace.
The change of scenery combined with a little healthy sunshine will give you an excellent boost in the middle of your day.
Can’t get outside for some reason? Put on some motivating music and do a little shadow boxing. I love taking imaginary punches and jabs at whatever is bothering me. It’s lots of fun and is a great stress-buster. Don’t worry about looking silly; you’ll probably get others to try it as well.
Do you have kids? Get outside and play some Frisbee. Find a wall and go for some good old-fashioned handball. When my daughter was still at home, we used to go over to the racquetball courts at the high school and bat the ball back and forth. We didn’t keep score and we used a tennis ball and made the goal to just keep the ball moving as long as we could. We had a lot of fun. The Freestone Recreation Center has indoor courts if the weather is not cooperating. There are tennis courts at the high schools as well, I just happen to prefer hitting the ball more than chasing it! Now, if you don’t have kids, that’s no excuse – grab a spouse or other buddy and have fun.
If this is all new to you, just start slow. Listen to your body. Work within your comfort zone and you will find that zone growing larger in time, I promise.
Until next time, stay healthy and be happy.
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