Get Moving!

I've been trying for WEEKS to figure out what to write for my first blog post.  Okay, maybe it's been more like MONTHS... 

Finding a place to start is the hardest part. I think that statement applies across many areas of our lives. 

My intent for this blog is to share ideas, tips, recipes and mechanisms for natural health and wellness, something I am extremely passionate about. 

I strongly disagree with the reactive methods of healthcare that have become the norm in our society. We have greater technology and knowledge than we've ever had before in the history of mankind, and yet we're sicker, fatter and more unhealthy than we've ever been in our existence. 

We spend way too much time, energy and money on corrective remedies for illness instead of examining the root cause and making changes to support prevention. This seems so backwards to me, especially when there is a wealth of knowledge supported by concrete evidence to indicate that even small changes in our daily lives to encourage wellness can have huge impact on our overall health and quality of life. 

If there was something simple you could do that would make you feel better, reduce or eliminate your need for medication, give you more energy and help you live a more enjoyable life, wouldn't you do it?  I would and I do—and I'd like to help everyone do the same. There are lots of really simple things that you can start doing today to help improve your health and, subsequently, your quality of life. 

As I said before, finding a place to start is often the hardest part. In my opinion, the best place for most people to start is with movement—increasing the amount of movement in our daily lives. We have become a very sedentary society and our sit, sit, sit modus operandi will be the death of us all if we don't stop spending so much time on our rears!

Now, this does not mean that you need to immediately go sign up for a gym membership—quite the contrary. 

It means that you should start trying to find small ways to move more often throughout the day.

Working out for an hour a day and then spending the next 16 hours sitting in front of the computer or television is not going to be your ultimate path to wellness and this is mainly because our bodies were not designed to be in a seated position for hours upon hours at a time (Seriously. Don't believe me? Ask your chiropractor). 

Here are a few suggestions:

• If you have a desk job, set some alarms/reminders on your computer or phone (or start drinking lots of water). At least once every hour or so, get up and take a stroll around the office for a couple of minutes. Or, stand up at your desk and do some simple stretching. Anything to release your poor spine from that horrid seated position!
• Make a point of going for a walk every day—even if it's only for five to 10 minutes during lunch or before/after work. Get up and move, you'll feel more energized and your body will thank you.  If the weather is not cooperating, find a set of stairs and do some laps or walk around in circles in the building. Whatever, get moving!  
• Self-conscious at work? Then find an empty conference room for a few minutes or go to the restroom and do some jumping jacks if no one else is in there or maybe quietly do some squats in a stall. Make it a challenge and see how many you can do without falling into the toilet!
• Instead of parking in front of the television at the end of the day, march/jog in place or do some stretching or yoga while your favorite shows are on. Or, get up during commercials and do some jumping jacks, calisthenics or simple stretching on the floor.
• Turn off the TV and turn on some tunes and have a dance party in your living room. If your kids are under the age of 10 they'll love it and join you. If they're tweens or teens, they'll probably run away in utter embarrassment at how uncool their parents are, but hey, at least they'll be running, right?

There are lots of unique ways to incorporate more movement in your life. Be creative and make it a fun challenge! Get your friends, family or co-workers involved and have a contest to see who can come up with the craziest incognito exercise or who can sneak in the most minutes of movement in a day.

Moving more often will not only improve the health of your spine and your body as a whole, it will increase your awareness of your physical self. This increased awareness will in turn translate into a natural progression of healthier choices being made throughout the day. 

Think about it: If you get your heart pumping with a few minutes of jumping jacks or a brisk walk, chances are you're not going to return to your desk wanting to shove a cheeseburger in your mouth. 

The premise is pretty simple and works similarly to drugs or alcoho, but with a much more positive cumulative effect. That beer or glass of wine makes you feel good, so you want another and another, etc.

Good health is the same way. When we start feeling good and healthy and pain free, we want to maintain that, and we'll naturally start looking for ways to sustain or improve upon that feeling. 

So get started today by moving around a bit more. Next time, we'll talk about some other things you can do to build upon this foundation. 

Now get off your #$@$% and go take a walk!!