subject: Taking Care of Your Body through Exercise [print this page] Taking Care of Your Body through Exercise
Exercise is one of those things that we often take for granted. Instead, most of us view exercise as a negative thing- something that we have to do in the early morning or late at night when we get home from work. For some of us, we do it only because it was advised by our doctors. However, we are looking at this the wrong way! Instead, exercise should be something fun that each of us looks forward to.
As we age, those of us who have kept up some sort of regular exercise and strength training routine tend to fair far better than our counterparts whose only exercise was walking from the couch to the refrigerator or from their house to their cars. For women who have bone density issues and looming osteoporosis in the future, running, walking and other forms of cardio and strength training is a great way to build up bone density as well as improve the flexibility and strength of the very same muscles that surround those bones.
So, how can we change our attitudes about exercise? For starters, one of the easiest and cheapest ways to kick start any exercise or fitness program is to find a buddy to do it with you. For many couples, this buddy' is easily found in his or her partner. You may not have the same job or the same work schedule, but perhaps you can find a little bit of time in the early morning or evening to go for a twenty to thirty minute run together or even for a leisurely walk. Often times, you will see couples crowding the gym right after New Year's Day as they begin to work on their fitness goals.
Another suggestion to help build enthusiasm about exercise is to keep motivational reminders around you. Perhaps this means leaving helpful sticky notes reminding you why you should go for that run tomorrow morning; or perhaps it means creating an up-beat music playlist or guided meditation on your mp3 player. No matter what you do, it is better to do something and have a plan of action in place than to do nothing and suffer the consequences of poor health. So, what are you waiting for? Get moving and start to feel better about your health!
