You’ll notice that I use the term movement as opposed to exercise. It is important to move functionally, move fast and move often. If you’ve ever watched young children you will notice that though they don’t exercise per se, they are always moving. They don’t go to gyms or run endless miles but they sprint, climb, race, squat and do many other functional movements constantly. We can take a lesson from that.

Think about how you move through your day; how long do you sit without moving? Science has proven that sitting at a desk for extended periods is extremely bad for us. These days there are standing desks, balance boards and walking treadmills. If you have to sit, have you tried sitting on a balance ball? This engages your core, strengthening it as you balance on the ball.

Let’s look at the analogy of a body of water. It is common knowledge that a pool of water with no movement becomes stagnant, building up harmful bacteria, becoming murky, sometimes smelly, and the things in it slowly decompose, whereas a pool of water that has movement stays fresh, clear, bright, maintains its healthy bacteria, smells good, and gives life. Which would you rather be? Your goal should be to move steadily for 20–30 minutes daily, and breaking a sweat makes it even better. This might even look like you putting on your favorite music and dancing as if no one were watching you. Or doing this with kids makes it even more fun. Engage them, have fun together. Go for a family, friends, neighbor walks. The possibilities are endless.

I know you are pretty aware of the benefits of movement on a daily basis and I’ll reiterate some fundamental ones here as a reminder.

• Combats illness and dis-ease.
• Movement boosts HDL, the kind of cholesterol you want, and helps decrease LDL.
• It helps to keep blood sugar regulated. It can help you prevent or improve metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, and arthritis, just to name a few.
• Increases energy. By increasing oxygen, blood flow and nutrients to your tissues and brain it improves your endurance and supports your cardiovascular system to work more efficiently. It also improves muscle strength. When your brain, tissues, lungs and heart are working more efficiently then you work more efficiently.
• Improves your mood. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals and hormones that can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. It also supports your friendly bacteria to stay happy and strong. You may also feel stronger and more aligned with your body when you move regularly, which can boost your appreciation, confidence and love for yourself and what you are capable of doing.
• Helps control toxic buildup in fat cells. When you move on a regular basis, it keeps everything in your body moving and helps prevent toxins from building up and becoming stuck in stagnant areas of your body, especially in fat cells. Remember the pool of water?
• Supports better and deeper sleep. Just don’t do too much strenuous movement right before bed. Exception — stretching and relaxing yoga can be beneficial right before bed.
• Puts the spark back into your sex life. Regular physical movement can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who engage in consistent movement are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who tend to be sedentary.

My Favorite Tips And Tricks

Take the stairs whenever you have a choice, park further away in the outskirts of the parking lot, walk or ride a bike instead of driving to the corner store, squat and use your core when you have to pick something up. You get the idea. These are among my favorite forms of “movement” besides going for long hikes in nature or on the beach, yoga, pilates and Zumba.

Discover your favorites, then practice them regularly. Your body will thank you, you will be most grateful. The sooner you incorporate regular consistent movement into your life the better and the more enjoyable life will be as you age.

Live Vibrantly!

ps. This is a direct excerpt from my book, “Live Vibrantly! 10 Steps to Maintain Youthfulness, Increase Energy and Restore Your Health” . If you are curious to know more about how movement, what you eat and how you live affects your body on a physical, mental and spiritual level then I invite you to check out my book where I go deeper and into more detail. Get your copy and your bonuses here!