Just Move! The Six Benefits of Everyday Movement
May 7, 2020
If you’re someone who feels frustrated when you hear “get your daily exercise,” it’s time to understand it’s all about movement and there’s very little that needs to be involved!
That’s right. It’s time to stop thinking of daily exercise as a commitment with minimum requirements like running five miles or bench-pressing your weight. The demand can be far less taxing and should fit your fitness level.
From your brain to your joints, moving every day has the power to improve every part of your body. And it’s not just about high-impact, sweat-inducing exercise, either. It’s simple – whether you choose to implement small movements into your routine or try a new activity like cycling or yoga, increasing your daily mobility can help upgrade your overall health.
Start Small
When we say “small,” we mean it. Try these full-body stretches for 10 minutes, walk laps around the house when you’re on a call, walk around the neighborhood, or practice 15 minutes of yoga. All your movement adds up!
Small movements can have a significant impact on both your physical and mental health. And, you can do them all from the comfort of your home or work without changing into gym clothes.
The Six Benefits of Movement
MUSCLES: You have more than 600 muscles in your body that contribute to about 40% of your total body weight. By moving, you are strengthening your muscles, which improves stability, balance, and coordination. Don’t forget, stretching helps maintain your muscle health as well.
BONES: Movement helps build more durable, denser bones. Bone-building activities like resistance training (weights), weight-bearing exercises (jogging, walking, hiking), and balance training (yoga) can support better bone density.
JOINTS: Yoga is all about body awareness, so you’re compelled to pay attention to each movement. By being aware of how you move, you can increase coordination and balance, be mindful of the positioning of your joints, and relax. Plus, yoga encourages flexibility and range-of-motion, which boosts joint flexibility and joint function.
BRAIN: Walking 30-40 minutes a day three times per week can help “regrow” the structures of the brain linked to cognitive decline in older adults. If you are working from home or tend to sit more often, make an effort to take walks.
HEART: According to the British Heart Foundation, we can avoid around 10,000 fatal heart each year if we keep fit, so start moving and try cycling to improve your heart health. Regular cycling can cut your risk of heart disease by 50%.
LUNGS: Keeping your rate up improves your cardiorespiratory endurance. Circuit training with a personal trainer or in a group fitness class is a perfect solution. But again, you don’t have to perform a high-intensity movement. Instead, try BODYBALANCE™ or Yoga Sculpt – it still gets your lungs going but at a more comfortable pace.
Best Advice
Just move and avoid inactivity! Find something or several activities you love to do and commit to it daily.
If you enjoy taking walks, set a reminder, and make it happen. If you are interested in yoga but haven’t yet made the leap, try a group exercise class. If you used to run and want to pick it back up, here’s some advice on how to get started.
Neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert once said: “We have a brain for one reason and one reason only – that’s to produce adaptable and complex movements. Movement is the only way we have affecting the world around us…I believe that to understand movement is to understand the whole brain. And therefore, it’s important to remember when you are studying memory, cognition, sensory processing, they’re there for a reason, and that reason is action.”