There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."– Beverly Sills
I believe it is clear that we have to change our thinking about health, fitness, and living life to its fullest. It is disturbing to learn how inactive our society has become since the age of electronics. It seems that possibly our demise is associated with TV. Is it possible that in the last 60 years we have become couch potatoes? I’d be interested in looking at statistics commencing with TV watching to assess whether that is one of the main causes or reasons for the inactivity. Another possibility might be related to computers, when restaurants began serving larger portions, when women started working outside the family home, and the food industry catered to fast, frozen easily prepared foods. In the old days, I remember going to Howard Johnson’s with their small portions. That seemed to be the norm back then but not anymore.
Today’s blog is get out of your chair. I figure it would be beneficial if we incorporated more exercise into our daily lives. How do we leave our comfort? Seems to me it is important that we use our thinking process to make changes. We can’t employ how we feel or our mood to guide us. There are many days that I don’t want to leave my home, based on my feelings, and go for a run. However, I do so. Is it easy? No! But what I do find is that once I’m out there my feelings change. I often use thinking to guide my behavior.
Just yesterday, Tony went to Cronin ranch for a run. He told me he felt like crap and was probably going to walk a lot because he didn’t feel like running. Okay so he gets to the start of the trail and up ahead he sees a group of kids. What did Tony do? How did he react to kids being a head of him? Do you think it made any difference and influence his behavior? For Tony, he went into his competitor mode and started running to catch up to the kids. His thinking dominated and influenced his behavior. Notice that Tony went to the park to run even though , before he left home , he didn’t feel like it. Tony found out that these kids were associated with a running camp and they ran in the morning ,in the evening with an option to run during the noon hour. He told me in so many words he just can’t help but to compete regardless of how he feels. Tony did not let his feelings dominate him either.
In order to start and make a change and as Beverly Sills says there are no shortcuts or magic pills. First, set a goal. The goal you set has to be concrete and measurable. An example might be a walk for 15 minutes at a 20 minute a mile pace. That goal is concrete and measurable. While walking, experiment by skipping for 20 steps, walking backwards for 20 steps, jumping rope for a minute, and even include a one minute rest. Be specific with your goal. Make your goal fun. Have your children, friends, or dog join you. Get connected to a group like the Sierra Club. Often it’s easier to do an activity with a friend but not always. In the summer time, begin your activity during the cool part of the day. I hope you believe that there no shortcuts when it comes to exercise.
1 comments:
It's definitely possible that technology has created a physically lazy culture. Physical labor, for the vast majority of Americans, only happens at the gym or outside in the form of focused intentional exercise. Very few people have physically demanding jobs. We sit in an ergonomically designed chair staring at a computer screen all day (just as I'm doing right now)! So the feeling of a difficult job well done usually has no association with actual physical fatigue; tired muscles do not denote a successful day at work. As a result we've become disconnected from that feeling of satisfaction created by physical activity. Couple this with our appetite for processed and greasy fast food and our bodies and our health have suffered the consequences.
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