Empowering Resolutions: Starting/Keeping Exercise In Your Life

[Guest guest]

This month we will be keeping tabs on your New Years Resolutions, in

order to empower you, help you to stay on track and give you some

great tips for keeping your promise to yourself.

Empowering Resolutions: Starting and Keeping Exercise In Your Life

Exercise is what your body instinctively wants to do especially under

stress: fight or flight, and it works. It burns off some of the

stress chemicals which tension produces. Therefore, a tired muscle is

a relaxed muscle. Regular exercise builds stamina that can help

anyone battle stress. But even something as casual as a walk around

the block can help you burn off some of the tension that you carrying

around.

How To Do It

By increasing lifestyle activities each day, try doing four 10-minute

increases at least five days a week. The idea is to just do more of

what you are already doing. Here are some great ideas on getting

motivated:

*Walk, don't drive.

*Take the stairs at the office — not the elevator.

*Play with your kids instead of watching them play.

*Bike to the store.

*Stretch while you watch TV.

*Get up from the sofa to change the channel. Channel surfers get

quite a workout.

*Park at the opposite end of the mall from where you're headed.

*If you've got an exercise bike at home, peddle away for 5 minutes

while you're talking on the phone or waiting for the washing machine

to finish.

*Walk the treadmill while watching a favorite TV program.

*Listen to music and dance your way through housecleaning.

*Start slow — a few minutes at first. Then, pick up the pace and go

longer.

*Workout clothes are not necessary, but wear good walking shoes.

*Don't let missing a few days become your excuse to quit.

*Even if you miss a few days, you won't lose all the benefits you've

gained.

*Be flexible. Do what you can when you can.

*Take advantage of opportunities. If you're watching your child's

soccer game, walk around the field.

*Playing golf? Skip the cart.

*Find a partner. Climbing stairs at the office will be far more

interesting if you chat away the minutes with a co-worker.

*Instead of building your life around exercise, build exercise around

your life.

Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac

http://www.peacefulmind.com/exercise.htm

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spirit