“Well little miss smarty pants, looks like you’ve gotten too big for your britches!” That’s what they used to tell me. And it pretty much sums up the fix that most of us have gotten ourselves into!
This smart modern world we’ve created is so automated that we barely need to lift a finger or move a muscle to make things happen. Everything’s at our fingertips. Not only do we not have to walk to work, walk to the store or walk to our neighbor’s house, but we don’t even have to walk across the room to change the dial on the TV set.
And, as a result of this “smarty pants” advance, look at the shape we’re in. The majority of us - 60% - are definitely “too big for our britches.” What’s more, our muscles have atrophied and most of us are a physical mess!
But to top it all off, the government keeps trying to demand that we do something about it. They treat us like lame-brained children. In 1996, they told us to clean up our act, start exercising and lose some weight. Most of us - about 2/3 - disobeyed. We rebelliously gained weight and exercised less. So what did they do?
In case you haven’t heard yet, Uncle Sam just came out with new guidelines and doubled our assignment. Instead of a half-hour’s worth of exercise homework, we’re now supposed to do an hour’s worth of exercise a day.
Some of you out there are probably thinking, “Fat chance, Uncle Sam – why don’t you mind your own business!” Does that sound very mature? No, not at all. It sounds like we’re stuck in our teenage past.
Ok, so maybe it’s time for us to stop rebelling, grow up and face the facts. As mature grownups we can think this thing through, take responsibility for our own health and make a rational decision all on our own. Right? Sure we can! When you consider the fact that our not too distant ancestors used to have to farm, hunt, knead the bread, scrub the clothes and walk great distances, that one hour’s worth of exercise a day starts to sound like – “duh?” Of course our bodies need it!
The right amount and the right kind of exercise has been proven to help protect you from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, backaches, migraines, infections, osteoporosis and just about every other disease you can think of. Plus, exercise is an absolutely essential part of any weight loss or weight management program.
So how do we go about this? To take the first step. Just repeat after me, “If I’m too busy to exercise, I’m too busy!” Again, “If I’m too busy to exercise, I’m too busy!” And once again, “If I’m too busy to exercise, I’m too busy!”
There you have it. The rest is up to you. You can do it, if you put your mind to it. You can find a way to move your body. Choose an activity you like to do. Then get in the groove. Swim, bike, walk or do something else that gets your heart pumping and thumping. The latest research shows that mild to moderate exercise is better than high intensity, high impact. (That’s actually very good news for a couch potato, don’t you think?) You should always keep movement down to a pace where you can still carry on a conversation – whether it’s with yourself or someone else.
Find a place to do it – your neighborhood, a park, the local gym. And rearrange your schedule to clear the time to make it happen. Then begin – very slowly. Take it easy. Increase gradually. This is not a race. It’s simply making heartfelt exercise the important part of your life that it needs to be in order for you to be as healthy and happy as possible.
What will you get out of it? They say that regular physical activity can reduce your biological age by 10 to 20 years. So, you’ll look a lot better. That’s good, don’t you think? It reduces depression and increases good feeling endorphins, so you’ll feel a lot better. And it helps protect you from injury, strengthens endurance and stamina in case of an emergency and protects you from that host of diseases named earlier. So you can create a lot better future for yourself.
Wow! In that case, let’s say it one more time, “If I’m too busy to exercise, I’m too busy!” Now find your groove and move.
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