Every Step Counts!

We’re almost half-way through the year and many New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside, but it is never too late to start creating healthy habits!  Did you set out to exercise EVERY day when you work 50 hours a week, have two kids, and other family commitments?  Sometimes taking on too much regardless of whether it is good for you can be overwhelming and then you just give up all together.  Sound familiar? 

I have a solution!  Small changes over a longer period of time are doable.   Healthy changes, including exercise, should be for life.  Exercise comes in many different forms and it is important to find an activity you enjoy and can maintain.  Many are under the impression exercise has to be excruciating (no pain, no gain), but that is not the case.  It may not feel enjoyable, like a bubble bath, but it should not feel like going to the dentist (my significant stressor). 

I love pedometers!  They measure the number of steps taken.  I have an inexpensive, reliable pedometer I purchased online (about $10-$15 with shipping).  Once I started wearing a pedometer I stopped asking my son to walk upstairs to get something and started doing it myself!  It was a challenge to see how many steps I could get in a day.  I started parking further away at the grocery store.  At work I made an effort to walk around the block during a break and after lunch. 

It is recommended to take 10,000 steps per day.  Ten thousand steps correlates to the General Surgeons recommended 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.  What if you only take 1,500 steps a day?  It’s a starting point - strive for 2,000, then 3,000.  Every little bit helps!  Pay attention to how you feel physically and psychologically.  Achieving short-term goals almost always motivates one to push a little further.  You can do it! 

 

                         CHOICES TODAY DETERMINE TOMORROW…CHOOSE TO MOVE!