Back to my series of self-care blogs.
It’s September, the air is getting crisp and the leaves are starting to change, yes Fall is beautiful and defines the prelude to the winter. It also manifests that time of the year when people start to close themselves in. It’s getting cooler, therefore more people are staying inside and not getting as much exercise as needed. Your joints become stiffer and less mobile, then it eventually moves its way up to the muscles of the body. They become tight and immobile. As a massage therapist, our schedules start to book up a little quicker because everyone needs some much-needed muscle relation, but it’s also the time when we see more injuries due to the lack of exercise.
So what do you do?
Maybe your schedules or bank account could allow you to add the extra expense and time to join a gym and purchase a membership. There’s plenty of franchises out there that are geared towards keeping their prices low to give incentive to the average person to stay limber and keep up with exercises. But what if you’re not the gym type? What if you’re someone who enjoys working out by themselves?
If you have an internet connection, you can download free workout apps that remind you to get up and get moving. You can look up just about anything on YouTube that comes on a DVD. You can practice something new like yoga, there’s plenty of fantastic virtual yoga instructors who make their services available on a YouTube channel. Keep those muscles moving, don’t sit for too long. Your sleep will improve, and your overall mobility and muscle mass will be retained or improve in the long run.
Try not to be sedentary. That’s ultimately THE worst thing you can do. You need to move, you need to keep muscle tone, you need to take the time each day to do something. No matter your age, or body type, you need to take at least 30 minutes out of your day to do something. If you’re able, you can bundle up and take a brisk walk. Go to a local mall, there’s nothing wrong with being a mall walker! Hey, you’re helping yourself who cares who’s watching you. If they are, give a wave and keep on strolling.
Find a pal you can move it with, keep each other motivated, keep each other accountable. Give the incentive to do a “biggest loser” during the fall and maybe restart in the winter. There are endless ways to exercise, don’t give up!
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