LexiYoga

Put On Your Walking Shoes

Written by Diana Koch.

We all know we should be engaging in exercise and that it is an integral part of daily living. But it appears as though people shy away from it. Some claim that there is simply no time available for a workout. As a new mother, I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. Exercise should be able to compliment your lifestyle and to allow you to participate in some form of activity. Since we are all different there is no set way of going about this. From years of trying to find my comfort zone I have discovered a few things from trial and error. I firmly believe that we can all achieve this balance in our lives.

walking shoes

For one thing, I have more success without a gym membership. I was a member at several gyms and it simply is not for me. I am an outdoors person who likes to take a 2 hour walk in the sun or snow. For the adrenaline junkie in me I also enjoy cycling. Just recently I purchased my first Pilate's workout video with the resistance band. I am pleasantly surprised that I am actually doing it each day, alternating between the upper and lower body exercises, with great enthusiasm.

Besides the obvious reason of keeping healthy there are many other overlooked benefits of regular exercise. Since beginning my Pilate's exercise I have realized that exercise is not meant to torture but to challenge you. It is the intricate involvement of mind and body. It requires a level of dedication, motivation and persistence. Exercise is an essential component of achieving a more harmonious equilibrium. Yet, there are many who simply see this as a form of punishment in order to achieve a svelte physique. Perhaps this is the same reason that these people do not maintain the desired results.

You need to make peace with yourself and realize that there is much to gain from an exercise regime. For those of you that wholly reap the benefits will agree that it is hard work to sustain a level of commitment to your body. Some days you feel like you're on top of the world and the next day you just wish that it would swallow you up. I read somewhere that exerting energy actually increases more energy. So if you're having a day when you feel unmotivated then doing physical activity will do you some good. And it's true. There have been days when all I want to do is be a couch potato and that's fine. But when I do decide to sum up every ounce of energy I have left I always come back more revitalized. The truth is that it certainly does take a lot of commitment to maintain an active lifestyle. But it doesn't have to be a drag.

The reason I can't workout in a gym is due to the fact that it feels more like a chore. It's a separate entity from the rest of my life not to mention expensive. I would prefer to incorporate fitness in my everyday dealings. This includes taking the stairs whenever I can and walking to the store. The only time I take the elevator is when I'm with the stroller. I can't imagine hauling that thing down seven flights of stairs and not to mention it's just downright dangerous.

You need to give yourself enough reasons each day to keep on going. It doesn't stop when you drop the extra weight or if you're feeling especially lazy. It really is a lifelong obligation that you owe yourself. You need short-term goals in order to achieve long-term ones. It all starts today. There are absolutely no cons to exercising. You are in control of decreasing your chances of osteoporosis, breast cancer, heart attack and obesity. Not to mention that your self-confidence and mental focus will be vastly improved.

There is absolutely no reason why an individual cannot incorporate even 30 minutes of exercise a day or if you like you can divide it into three 10 minute exercises. Whichever works best for you is the way to go. Make no mistake that exercise alone will not work magical wonders but it certainly does impact the body in a multitude of positive ways. Be prepared that it may take quite a bit of time to find something that works for you but don't give up. An exercise plan is comparable to that of a fingerprint meaning that it is highly personalized. One person may want to build muscle while another would like to lose 10 pounds or a combination of both. Whatever the case there is definitely a manageable approach available. It just takes time.

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