Updated November 16th, 2022
Introduction
By now, we have all heard about the vast benefits of daily exercise. We are told daily from healthcare professionals, friends/family, and social media that exercise can help us move better, feel better, and live longer. If all of this is so obvious, why can’t we make exercise a part of our daily routine? I believe it is in part due to generational changes. People who grew up before smartphones, computers, and all of the other wonderful technology we have today lived a completely different life when it came to exercise. There were less desk jobs and more physical jobs that required “exercise” all day. Now we see exercise as finishing up an 8 hour shift at a desk and working ourselves to the bone at the gym for an hour. Is it any wonder exercise doesn’t seem so attractive?
I’m here to help you make exercise a daily habit. This doesn’t mean I want you to go to the gym for an hour or more everyday. There are ways to incorporate exercise into your current daily routine without taking too much of that precious time you have with technology. Can you tell my thoughts on new technology yet? While we have experienced some amazing discoveries and enhanced communication over the years, it has led to a very sedentary population that doesn’t even have to leave the house anymore for groceries, shopping, etc.
Know Your “WHY”
The first step is to figure out why you should be exercising every day. This “why” should not be because somebody told you to do it or because it’s the healthy thing to do. This should be personal to you. Why do you need to be healthy? Why do you need to live longer? Why do you need to be mobile or strong enough to get off of the floor or hike up the stairs into your home?
I will tell you my “why” as an example. As I approach fatherhood, I think more everyday about my future. Will I be able to run around the house or play sports with my child? Do I have the strength to carry them up a mountain on my back? What will my child think of me when they see me dedicated to exercise and movement every day, will it influence them to do the same? And even further in the future, will I be able to get on/off the floor to play with my grandchildren? These are a big part of my “why”. I want to be healthy and stay in shape so I can be there for my children and grandchildren in the future. I plan to experience life and travel with them to build memories to last a lifetime.
So think about what your “why” should be. What is so important to you that would last longer or be even better if you exercised every day? When you figure it out, do yourself a favor and write it down. It will mean more to you.
Custom Exercise Program
Exercise in general is very beneficial for your health, but what type of exercise should you be doing? One of the keys for sticking to an exercise program is to determine both what you need and what you enjoy. Some people love to get on a bike or a treadmill for 30 minutes and get it all over with, but other people don’t enjoy staying on a machine for that long. As much as I hate to admit it, some people don’t like the idea of exercise at all. If you are one of those people who can’t stand exercise, read the activity pairing section below instead.
For those that enjoy and/or tolerate exercise, I have attached some videos below of a few that you can start with. These are exercises that most of the general population can do, but the further down you scroll, the more intense the exercises become. Find a few that you like and incorporate them into your daily routine. Exercising doesn’t always have to involve going to the gym for a couple of hours.
Scheduling
Think back to the last big project you had to complete at work or the last time you planned a surprise party for someone. How did you get it all done when you already didn’t have enough time in the day? Either you got lucky, or you most likely planned out when and how you were going to complete each task. Planning ahead of time helps you stay on track and get everything done more efficiently. So how does this compare to exercise?
If you can plan both how and when you’re going to exercise, you will be much more likely to actually do it. When we physically put something on our schedule (whether that be on paper or on our phone), we get a daily reminder to get the task done. Although scheduling in “you time” doesn’t seem necessary, it helps remind you to take care of the only body you have. So pick just one day next week that you plan to exercise and put it in your phone to give yourself a helpful reminder.
Positive Reinforcement
One very easy way to stay more consistent with exercise is to reinforce your good behavior. It doesn’t matter if you exercise for one minute or 30 minutes, you did more than you had yesterday. Even if you feel like you didn’t do much at all, you need to reinforce the fact that you got up and moved/exercised.
If you are someone who is in need of a physical reward, rather than just a word of affirmation, here are a few examples of some rewards that won’t negate the exercise you just completed:
Watch a show/movie.
Have your favorite meal (hopefully somewhat healthy).
Call a friend to brag.
Put a check mark on the calendar.
Purchase something exercise related (I don’t suggest doing this every time, unless you are rich).
If rewards seem to be helpful for you, plan out rewards for when you meet exercise–related goals as well. We will talk more about goal setting in the future.
Activity Pairing
My favorite form of exercise and the one I do most often is called activity pairing. I take the normal tasks I do every week and add exercise or extra movement to them. Take a second to think about your daily/weekly tasks, probably things like dishes, laundry, lawn care, vacuuming, meals, etc. How can you add more movement to these activities? Let me give you a couple examples of what I do:
Laundry:
Do you fold your laundry sitting or standing? Try standing or switching between them throughout.
Do you fold all of your clothes first, then put them all away while staying in the same position? Try folding a few at a time, then walk over to put them away to get more steps.
Want to be an overachiever? Leave the laundry basket on the floor and do a mini squat to pick up each item (that’s a lot of free squats!!).
Meals:
Do you eat sitting or standing? Try standing every once in a while to see how it changes your digestion and posture while you eat.
I like to pair movement with my meals in two different ways. Either before or after I eat, I require myself to do some form of movement or exercise (like some of the videos above or just simply walking).
You can also pair movement with other tasks like brushing your teeth, reading a book, or looking at social media (in order to scroll through Instagram, I need to do 20 squats first…).
Conclusion
The way we think about exercise today is obsolete. While time in the gym usually helps build muscle and improve your overall health, it CANNOT counteract the 8 hours of sitting at work or home on a lazy weekend. Our bodies crave movement so give them what they need. You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to get rid of daily soreness, headaches, or fatigue. You need more daily movement in any way that you can get it.
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