Movement Matters: Exercise Encouragement
Every hair is in place and you are wearing the new cool activewear you got over the holidays, which sits neatly and wrinkle-free on your body while you pump iron or stretch. Should you appear to be breaking a sweat, it is a glistening glow, and you are smiling and relaxed. It all seems so effortless. At least that’s what the ads that encourage you to join the club, get a membership, and hurry in for a “New Year, New You” so you can look just like these models, would have you believe. But in the real world, starting a new exercise routine can be tough.
[1]There’s a reason that the second Friday of January is also known as “quitter’s day.” “Research conducted by Strava using over 800 million user-logged activities in 2019 predicts the day most people are likely to give up on their New Year’s resolution is January 19,” Inc.com [3] reported.
Whether you want to call them resolutions or not, I firmly believe in making decisions when making those decisions will improve your life. As I wrote in ”Why Wait Until January?” [4] just over a year ago, “There is nothing magical about resolutions made on January 1. Your state of mind is more important than the date you start.” So, if you wanted to but hesitated and didn’t make a resolution when the ball dropped at midnight, it’s OK. If you are ready to do it now, it’s the right time. If you are just not sure if you should, read that article with my thoughts on the topic and see if it resonates with you.
If you made a resolution and hit some speed bumps along the way—or even drove right into a ditch and are stuck—give yourself grace. What you do next is what matters. If you want to reevaluate your resolution and tweak it, I support you. If you are just not ready to tackle it right now, I support you. If you want to start over, I support you.
[5]A great way to meet your fitness goals this year, if that’s one of your resolution target areas, is to work with a knowledgeable professional coach. As a coach guides you to be your best self, they do the same for themselves. Coaches are always researching and learning. As a matter of fact, certified personal trainers are required to update their knowledge and skills through continuing education units. It is vital to be sure that you hire and train with a personal trainer who has a current certification. It’s also important to train with a professional who has a good roster of other clients. Each client brings life experience that your trainer can learn from, and that broadens the range of tools that the trainer will use.
Here is a list that I put together for a client of mine to remind them of the basic benefits of staying on task until they reach their fitness goal. That person was so focused on what the end goal was that they didn’t realize all the benefits they were gaining along the way. The list reminded them that the journey to the goal is increasing their good health, not just accomplishing the goal itself. I hope that it encourages you as well and reminds you that on your way to your goal, every bit of movement is increasing your overall health.
Why Your Movement Matters
- Increases circulation.
- Improves cardiovascular fitness.
- Increases your good cholesterol (HDL).
- Burns calories.
- Relieves stress.
- Lowers your overall blood pressure.
- Improves flexibility.
- Improves posture.
Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via [email protected] [6] or FitnessByDsign.com [7]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum [8].