Two things happened today that involved the subject of movement for me. The first one was that I was having a conversation about how moving our bodies every day is so important, especially with each passing year. The conversation covered how movement matters because it impacts the overall health of our body, mind, and spirit. The second one was that I signed up to a gym again. It’s been two years and two months since I‘ve worked out in a gym. Since covid my workouts have been in my house. I’d use weights, I‘d dance, bike, and swim, and from time to time look online and watch free classes and follow along.
Now, I’m venturing back to a gym that is brand new. I’m looking forward to challenging myself with different moves and exercises. For twenty-four months I managed to keep myself disciplined and motivated enough to workout 4 - 5 times a week. But there is something about being in a gym, surrounded by others who are also working out, plus having a wide selection of equipment to use, that really makes working out interesting and more stimulating.
Let’s take a closer look at why movement matters and how you can incorporate it into your life.
Importance of Daily Movement
Movement seems like a simple enough concept, yet like I mentioned earlier, it impacts many areas of our lives such as our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Without movement, our bodies deteriorate. Have you ever witnessed your aging parent who never moves their body? What happens? They have less and less energy and slowly deteriorate.
At every age during our lives, our bodies are capable of amazing movement, and we can keep not only our bodies but also our emotional, mental, and spiritual health in good condition simply by incorporating movement into our daily lives. So let’s help our bodies out by moving them regularly.
Yoga Benefits For Every Age
For me, yoga changed my life. I started practicing yoga when I was ten years old because at that time I had spasms due to scoliosis. Nearly everyday since then I’ve practiced yoga and the scoliosis has corrected itself and the spasms never returned.
Over my lifetime, it’s been a privilege to have studied under the world’s best living yoga teachers and I've traveled far and wide to have attended countless yoga workshops and retreats.
If you’d like to view some of my yoga tutorials click here.
My videos are not ‘classes’ but they are tutorials that cover one pose at a time and give deep guidance as to what each pose can offer the student and directions on how to do the pose correctly. I even share some insider secrets and tips for each pose so everyone can hopefully learn a little something new, whether you are a neophyte at yoga or a maven.
Yoga is one of the most holistic forms of exercise and is a sumptuous way to get your body moving, no matter your age. The beauty of having a regular yoga practice is that it will transform your body, mind and spirit, ultimately leading you to find inner calm and peace. Over time you will feel more centered internally, and externally your strength, balance, flexibility and stability will increase.
Here are more few benefits of yoga you can experience at every age:
Boosts Metabolism: by practicing yoga, you are burning calories and helping to maintain a good body weight.
Increase Flexibility: as you consistently practice yoga, you will notice that your body is more flexible which can help you avoid injury.
Increase Blood Flow: when you practice yoga, you are doing relaxation exercises that increase your blood flow and your oxygen levels.
Increase Self-Esteem: by practicing yoga, you get to know yourself better and even practice mindfulness, improving your self-esteem and self-confidence.
Improves Sleep: with a regular yoga practice, you help your body relax, relieve stress and improve your nightly sleep.
An Active Body is a Healthy Body
If you aren’t moving your body every day and decide to start again, it can feel hard to get your body moving. I know the feeling, especially after covid. Each set of reps can feel like they are taking forever. But if you keep on track and do all your reps you’ll find that after a certain point, the reps will fly by and it’ll all start to feel a lot easier. The more you move the more energy you’ll have TO move!
As I remember Deepak Chopra mentioning, the number one cause of sickness is stress. This means that lower stress levels equals better health. You probably know that when you move, you release endorphins and serotonin--the ‘feel good hormones’--and your stress levels drop. Did you also know that those ‘feel good hormones,’ especially the endorphins, plus dopamine, bind to opiate receptors found in the brain which are linked to reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety? Who doesn’t want that!?
Incorporate Movement Into Your Life
The best advice I can give you is to regularly move your body and avoid inactivity. Consistent movement will positively impact many areas of your life. Believe it or not, even 10 minutes a day of steady exercise will help. It’s a good place to start. You’ll begin to feel better, and soon, 10 minutes won’t feel long enough and you’ll want to exercise for longer and longer periods of time.
Actually, it’s consistency that is paramount and not so much the duration. Whether you decide to move for ten minutes or an hour, to do yoga, go on walks, bike, gym, dance or do another form of movement, enjoy what you do because if it's enjoyable you'll do it longer! Mix it up if you need to, so it won’t feel monotonous. Even though I’m now going back to the gym, I’ll still dance, bike and swim to keep it fun and to use different muscle groups.
Be sure to keep it fun so you’ll be motivated, too! The results are immediate and only get better over time. Use movement as your tool to keep your body and emotions healthy throughout your life. Most importantly, enjoy your movement and use it as a time to care for yourself---body, mind and spirit. Trust me, your body, mind and spirit will thank you!
If you are ready to improve your emotional, mental, and spiritual health but feel you need help moving forward, I encourage you to invest in my one-to-one coaching. It’s one of the best gifts you can give yourself, and I would love to help you along your journey.
Namaste.