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Tiffany | September 2, 2016 | 0 Comments | General Health |
Happy September everyone!
It’s crazy to think the kiddos are back to school, football is starting up and the days are getting shorter—what!? WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?!
For me, summer is a little more ‘loosy goosy’ with schedules. Between sporting events, BBQ’s, grad parties, weddings, and “let’s go to the beach today because we can” days, the routine is a bit off and unfortunately my exercise regime suffers too. Now that the schedule has leveled out, I find it can be hard to get back on track with exercising.
I know I do better with exercising if I have a motivator—whether that’s a vacation coming up, a 5k race or a friend who really wants to exercise. There’s just something about having that push and drive that helps keep me focused and to help get that first step forward with starting something new.
A cool motivator that Fort HealthCare is offering to the area communities is an exercise challenge called “Rock the Walk”. This is a FREE (let me repeat, free!) challenge that encourages individuals to start moving or to continue with their exercise regimes.
The rules are simple:
….that’s it! Totally doable, right?
Some of you may be caught up on the “150 minutes of exercise a week”, and it seems like a lot, especially if you have not exercised in a while. In reality, it breaks down to just under 22 minutes a day and you can start slow with this. Whether you’re sprinting or walking slowly—exercise is exercise, moving is moving.
For the “already exercisers” reading this, this challenge is a great way for you to continue with your exercise regime, and maybe even help you increase the amount of time or days that you are exercising. I’m not saying you need to exercise 7 hours a day, but if you’re exercising 3 days a week, this is a great way to encourage yourself to aim for 4-5 days, or if your workouts are 30 minutes, aim for 35 or 40 for extra calorie-torching.
For the “I-used-to-exercise-and-I-fell-off-the-bandwagon-awhile-ago” or “Yea-I’ve-never-exercised-a-day-in-my-life-and-I’m-not-sure-where-to-start” individuals reading this, this is a great opportunity to start fresh, and to begin an exercise regime. My recommendations for starting an exercise program are:
Even if you decide the Rock the Walk challenge is not for you, think about ways that you can add extra steps and exercise into your day. Simple ways are parking further at work or the grocery store, taking the steps instead of the elevator, and walking at your break/lunch. I personally enjoy a good exercise session before work—by getting up just a bit earlier and exercising, sets the tone for the day and makes me feel more alert and ready to tackle the day. If that’s not for you, schedule a bit of time for yourself at night and enjoy the positives that come along the way. Exercise benefits your body in a multitude of ways, and your health is something that should be made a priority.
Until next time!