Exercise is Your Friend

By Karen @ KB Naturally

"To enjoy the glow of good health,

you must exercise."

-Gene Tunney

Now more than ever, it’s so important to maintain good health all year long and keep our immune systems strong! But things can sometimes get hectic in our lives and we tend to put some of the important things…ahem, like exercise… on the back burner. To be completely honest there are times when I have allowed my exercise routine to get derailed. Life happens and you can get off your schedule sometimes. The point is to not stay off…start anew again. Write it down in your calendar and make exercise your friend.

We may be indulging more than usual, feel stressed, and then often times we get run down. All these things add up to low energy which leads to being sedentary…and exercise becomes the last thing you want to do. But this is when, more than ever, we have to make this commitment for ourselves. We don’t have to wait till the infamous January 1st to begin a routine for ourselves...we can start anytime. You don’t have to be a born athlete to make some form of exercise a part of your lifelong plan. You can start wherever you are and make feeling great one of your life goals. Once you decide...I mean really decide to embrace exercise as a necessary, mandatory, non-negotiable part of your life...is when it will become your friend and not a dreaded chore to just get done.

Find something you like and make it yours. Walk, hop, skip, or jump. As a matter of fact, I just bought a rebounder (mini trampoline) and am loving it…it has so many health benefits, is a great cardio workout, and a lot of fun.

Some tips to just get started:

1. Dance in your living room to some blaring tunes. You’d be amazed how you can work up a good sweat and move your whole body…and let off a lot of steam.

2. Go on YouTube (tons of options), use some old-fashioned exercise DVD's at home or go to the gym. You can type in any type of exercise on YouTube and how many minutes you want to do it and voila, you’re ready to go.

3. Start a yoga practice. Add that in 1-2 days a week. Again, you can find a local studio, use a DVD, or YouTube.

4. Ride a bike.

5. Go on a walk…and then work up to and challenge yourself to go on a hike.

6. If you can, hire a trainer to get you started if you need the motivation, accountability, and expertise. It really is invaluable to have someone show you the proper way to do an exercise and where you should be feeling the results.

Whatever it is...find it, embrace it, and adopt the, 'I can't imagine my life without it', mentality!

If you are just getting started, begin with 10 minutes and then each week add more time and challenge yourself a little bit further. It doesn’t have to be long to be effective. While something is better than nothing, it’s always great to get a good sweat going if you can.

In an article I read in More Magazine many years ago by Madeline Drexler, she stated:
‘A 2008 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that people of all ages who are physically active actually slowed down the aging process; on average the cells of sedentary individuals are 10 years older biologically, than those of their active peers.’

So, schedule it in and get moving. You can start small, but the key is to just start somewhere.
You will feel stronger, healthier, and happier. You will sleep better, feel younger, and become a kick-ass warrior.

Inspirational Intention:

I choose to make exercise a part of my life!
I feel empowered and embrace this new intention with ease and success.