Let’s Get Physical(ly Fit)!
According to The Center for Health Promotion & Wellness at MIT Medical, physical fitness “is to the human body what fine tuning is to an engine. It enables us to perform up to our potential. Fitness can be described as a condition that helps us look, feel and do our best. Physical fitness improves the performance of the heart and lungs, and the muscle of the body.”
That is a great definition and so easy to understand. The bottom line being conveyed is that the body is living & breathing and requires care, maintenance, and our full attention. We are only given one life and one body; it is up to us to treat it properly. In addition to the fitness aspect, being physical may also help minimize stress and strengthen our immune systems!
It is important to maintain focus on your strength, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility. As I shared in a previous blog post, strength training workouts allow you to maintain and build muscle. Not only can toned muscles shape and sculpt your body, they also give you the strength necessary to continue completing activities of daily living. How so, you ask… well, think about it. We use our muscles to stand up after sitting in a chair, to lift grocery bags from the trunk of our cars, and even to push our kids on a swing set. Cardiorespiratory activities aid in increasing the strength and efficiency of the heart and circulatory system, improving our aerobic capacity. Lastly, flexibility workouts and exercises, including stretching, can help in a variety of ways. Improved balance, decreased soreness of muscles, decreased risk of injury, and stress relief through the means of relaxation and stillness are just a few of the benefits.
Now, what does “properly” caring for our bodies look like? Let me share some manageable tips for physical fitness:
Find your motivation, it has to begin with you
Plan and prioritize, set goals for yourself
Grab your spouse, child, or pet and go for a walk
Try a new stretching or flexibility workout online
Hire a personal trainer to create a balanced program for you ( I can help with that, wink)
Take the stairs, instead of the elevator
Crank up the stereo or radio and just dance
Park your car farther from your destination to get in more steps
Commit to eating the right foods with the correct portions
Track your foods and your activities
Pick up some dumbbells or canned goods and put those muscles to work
Set up incentives (or rewards) for hitting milestones and achieving goals
These are just a few of the many, many ways you can get yourself on the path to physical fitness that best works for you. The key is simply to START! Remember, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.