I Like to Move It! Move It!

According to the great folks at the CDC [9], one should be aiming for 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense exercise and 2 days of full body muscle strengthening exercises weekly.

Say what?  Okay, first off, what is exercise?  Anything that (according to CDC) gets your body moving.  Moderate exercises include things like walking, water aerobics, riding a bike leisurely/flat terrain, or pushing a lawn mower.  Intense exercise includes running, biking through hills, basketball, tennis--things that are going to make you (at least they make me) sweat and quickly! Aside from weight-lifting, other muscle strengthening exercises include yoga, resistance bands, sit-ups/push-ups, and even hard core gardening that requires a lot of movement, like digging, planting, etc.

The grrrreat news is that you can break exercise up into much smaller sessions (and for the sake of your body, you probably should!).  Even small 10 minute brisk walks several times a day adds up!  So for example, every day I walk the pupcicle twice day for at least 10 minutes each walk, except on Sundays when I take her for a longer walk--usually in the 45-60 minute realm.  Even if I'm walking the absolute minimum and not a second more, I'm accruing 165 minutes a week.  Throw in a couple of strengthening days and viola!

Of course, YES! I completely realize that's a lot easier said than done, but the point is--you need to start somewhere...ANYWHERE and then build up to where you need to be. TRUST ME when I tell you that if you're a certified couch potato, going out and trying to run 3 miles is not the wisest course of action!  Your body will not thank you--at all!--and will be further resistant to exercise in general.  Start slowly and remember that something is better than nothing. 

A couple of quick pointers (and any you'd like to add would be greatly appreciated!):

1. Schedule it in to your daily planner & treat it like you would a meeting at work.  
2. Try something new & exciting--be it a class or joining a sports league.
3. Make it fun--you're more likely to say yes! rather than no.
4. Reach out to your inner child and games--like jumping rope and hula hooping--that you used to play. There are lots of exercise gaming programs (like for the Wii), which allows you to play in the comfort of your own home.
5. Really tight schedule?  Give up a bit of your lunch hour to take a walk around the building or block.  Also if you travel via public transportation, get on and off a stop or two away from yours.  It might add 10-15 minutes on to your commute, but you'll quickly notice the benefits!
6. Don't let bad weather stop your progress.  Can't afford to invest in bad weather gear built for exercising? Invest in some DVDs you can pop in (or as previously mentioned, utilize that Wii gathering dust under the tv)--you can even get them from Netflix!
7. Invest in a pedometer and work your way up to 10,000 steps a day.

I feel like there are a few more I'm forgetting, but in the meantime, get out there and move it! move it!

~a bit of salt for your tequila and lime (to prevent scurvy and of course only after your workout!)