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Physical Fitness Is Essential to Holistic Wellness
"I don't' have time"
"I'm too tired"
"It's no fun"
"The weather's bad"
"It's too much like work"
"I don't like to sweat"
"It's boring"
You've heard them. I've definitely used them. They're excuses - for people who don't want to exercise. I'm sure you're familiar with a few.
Even the best intentions to travel the path of holistic wellness won't get us very far without physical activity. This is increasingly important as many jobs in modern society promote a sedentary lifestyle. This is really wellness 101.
The critical importance of exercise has been recognized for centuries. Modern studies have confirmed its importance in remaining disease free and in length of life. This is deeply ingrained in us from grade school: we need exercise! The list of benefits to regular physical activity is long. They include:
- Improve figure and posture
- Increase energy level
- Tone muscles
- Increase heart and lung capacity
- Relieve stress
- Prevent loss of bone density
- Help keep excess weight off
- Help reduce physical pain
- Improve cognition
- Make you feel and look younger
The list could go on and on. Physical activity is clearly a powerful component of overall health and wellness. It is important to keep in mind that physical activity must be regular. The benefits of exercise cannot be stored. Many professionals recommend some form of physical activity at least 3 times a week. I think this kind of misses the boat. If you don't make physical activity or exercise a part of your daily life, chances are you won't do it at all.
This isn't to say you need to hit the weight room or treadmill each and every day. Taking the dog for a 20 minute walk can be enough. Almost everybody can set aside 20 minutes a day for some form of exercise. If you aren't the gym type, consider some of the following easy ways to get your 20 minutes of physical activity in.
Take the stairs. Walking up stairs is a surprisingly high intensity activity that can raise your heart rate quickly. The next time you have a choice between taking the elevator and using the stairs; consider a brisk walk up the stairs. Every office or apartment has at least one set. More and more retail stores, especially those in big cities, have multiple floors connected by an escalator. Go find the stairs instead for some quick physical activity you wouldn't get otherwise.
Park farther away. How often will you circle a parking lot trying to find a spot as close to the store as possible? Try parking farther away to burn a few extra calories during your daily errands. If you drive to work, parking at the far end of the lot every day can really add up. Think about it this way-you can burn an extra 10 calories every time you walk from your car to the store or office by parking farther away. If you do that five times a day, it adds up to more than 18,000 calories over a year-or an extra five pounds (1 lb. = 3,500 cal)!
Use your lunch break. If it's a nice day out, go walk 10 minutes from the office and then circle back. Not only will you benefit from the walk, but you'll benefit from being out in the sun as well! The sun will provide you with lots of vitamin D.
Get off the bus a couple stop early. Again, you're spending time walking and enjoying the outdoors. You'll start to notice the difference quite quickly!
It's important to keep in mind that most people don't enjoy their exercise program right away. Once you find the right routine for you and keep at it for a period of weeks, it becomes more and more fun and rewarding. The costs of not getting enough exercise are too great. You simply cannot afford to neglect physical activity if you want to achieve holistic wellness. Develop the "yes I can" attitude. Moderate and regular lifelong exercise can be joyful and extremely rewarding!
Holistic wellness begins with physical wellness. Your body is your temple. Please feel free to visit my blog for more wellness based information.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mitch_Straus
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