Move It!

Move It!

I can't believe I'm saying this at all...

I firmly believe in couch potatoes.  I love to watch TV, I hate the fact that the "seasons" have grown shorter, and the shows I love are being taken off air and replaced by well, junk.  Not to mention the fact that 2 weeks into a new season, and they are already playing reruns.  Gimme a break.

That's probably why I have a few gaming systems and more than a few games to play on them.  I really like the Wii Fit...need to start using that again.  Anybody that thinks that they are a master at any of the online games hasn't been playing against the true professional (not me) and been taken out by a couch potato or a 10 year old.  Yeah, my second favorite is Halo, pick one, snipe one.

Anyways, I have always hated exercise.  Why...it really hurts, we're not talking aching muscles (I can deal with that), we are talking true pain, whole body type. I should know, I have suffered with migraines since I was about 25.  Ask anyone that has migraines, they know the level and type of pain I am talking about.

I know for most people exercise is just achy muscles, and burning lungs. Hey that's the way it should be, go for it. The point is, if your goal is to lose some weight, then you obviously have to increase your activity level, along with properly managing your diet.  Still comes down to goes in < goes out.

However, I do realize that any part of a lifestyle change, which is what I am advocating for with my blog, does involve activity.  So when I say Move It!, I mean increasing your overall activity level on a consistent basis.  If you are into biking 3 time a week, rain, snow, sunshine, then so be it, add a little something, something on the side. You know walk up the stairs a few extra times in house.  Play with your puppies on the floor, (I have 6 of them), and they love running and jumping and nipping, and, and, and.

By slowly increasing my activity level, consistently over time, well it makes a whole lot more sense for me.  Here's why.  I used to weigh 285 pounds, close to 100 pounds over the medically recommended weight for my height.  Well, when you run, jump, bike, stomp, all of that extra weight is moving right along with you, increasing the stress and strain on both joints, and tendons.  I'm sorry, I'm just not into injuring myself.  But by increasing the amount of daily activity, such as walking, going up stairs, moving, dancing, Wii Fit Hula Hooping, I don't hurt as much, and I can deal with that.

I do realize that at some point in the near future (I hope), that I will be at a weight were doing more moderate exercise won't pose such a risk of injury.  Until then, I will find the little extras in my daily life, that I can do to increase my overall activity level.

The really important part, is to be more active then what you were previously.  This is what I have committed myself to, and to date, I have been successful in losing weight consistently, (currently going on over a year), and working on the 40 pound mark.

The other part of this, is in order to sustain your activity level for increasing periods of time as well.  For those of us confessed (or not) couch potatoes, it also means that we need to relearn to breath properly during exercise.  You do not breath the same as when you are not exercising.

So there is a lot of information on the net for breathing correctly, both during exercise periods and non-exercise periods.  Don't blow this part off...seriously, you need to breath correctly or suffer the consequences.  My 2 cents are in my previous post...The Breathe of Life.

If you need some suggestions for activities:

- Turn on the radio and dance, don't worry about, the only ones watching you are the dogs, and they just think your playing with them anyways.

- Like I said before, walk up and down the stairs a few times...

- Play the Wii Fit, it starts of easy, but the higher levels, they will make you sweat!

- Take your dogs for a walk.

- Maybe you and the significant other can figure out an activity you can do together, for say 20 minutes or so...

- Maybe play with your kids at the play ground.

- Go roller skating, I know the local rink has an 80's night, and well some of the current music isn't so bad either.

The point is increasing your activity is possible if you want to, you will see opportunities everywhere.  If you don't want to yet, you won't see the opportunities, period.

If the latter is the case, refer back to my post on "Drink and Be Merry".

Until next time, the little things you do add up, keep doing

Dan W.