changes in your life

Set an Example and Improve Your Health

by ultrapeg

From the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at health.gov, here are just a few proven health benefits of physical activity:

  • lower risk of a wide range of chronic conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes;
  • prevention of falls; and
  • improved cognitive function among others.

Some more good news:  the health benefits of physical activity are independent of body weight.  So it doesn’t matter if you perceive yourself as overweight or underweight. You will still benefit from exercise even if your weight doesn’t change. Frequently I hear people say “I need to lose some weight before I can come to your class”.  My advice – come to class whatever your weight, size or physical limitations.  There will be a way to adapt the exercise to your physical status whatever that is and your health will benefit.  In fact, I would even go so far as to say that if you keep the effort consistent over a period of weeks you will notice changes in your physical abilities and the way your body feels even if you don’t lose weight.  You may notice, for example, that your clothes fit better or you may see other changes in your appearance.  For many years there has been an ongoing discussion in the fitness industry as to whether it is better to be physically fit and overweight or unfit and thin.  My own opinion is that fitness and good health comes in all shapes and sizes.  Despite the physical form that our culture may revere as ideal, good health is far more important than measuring up to some myth of perfection.  Through the ages and in different cultural contexts there have been many variations in what is viewed as an ideal appearance.  Regardless of these fickle and changing perceptions, good health is indisputable.  We have all heard the expression “without good health we have nothing.”  All you need to do is get sick and you will see the wisdom in that sentiment.

Turns out, too, that you don’t need great amounts of high-intensity activity to experience these benefits.  Also, according to studies, the benefits of physical exercise outweigh the risk of injury.  It is not necessary to run a marathon or climb Mt. Everest to be healthy.  The importance of avoiding inactivity is so critical that even small amounts of exercise can yield significant benefits.  Reductions in risk of cardiovascular disease become evident with as little as 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.  Two classes per week will give you that much. And even better results can be seen with 200 minutes per week.  So add 50 minutes of walking per week (which can be broken down into two 25-minute segments, for example) and you are well on your way to better health, improved mood, reduced stress, enhanced endurance and numerous other improvements in quality of life in general.  If you commit to 6 weeks of consistent activity you may find that you actually begin to like it!  Make it a part of your life.  The benefits will continue to accrue and you may begin to notice a difference in how you feel about yourself.  In addition, you will experience improvements in your ability to perform everyday tasks like putting the groceries away and keeping up with your children or grandchildren. The strength, flexibility and balance training provided by yoga and Pilates will also help prevent falls, keep your bones strong, improve your posture and keep your muscles and joints pliable and functioning.

We have so little control over most of the events and circumstances that impact our lives.  So it becomes more important than ever to take control of what we can control while we can control it.  From that point of view it should be a no brainer to do what you can to improve your health, especially when that involves something as simple as adding more movement to your life.  It does involve a daily decision to make that choice.  But if you can’t do it for your own benefit, do it for those around you.  There lives will also improve by the example you set.

Committing to Change

by ultrapeg

Some version of the following statistic has shown up in so many posts and articles over the past couple of weeks it has almost become a meme: of the 45% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions, only 8% actually see them through to the end of the year.  The most recent attribution I found for this statistic is a University of Scranton study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.  If that sounds discouraging, take heart by noting that these researchers also found that those who bothered to make a resolution still fared twice as well as those who did not.

We’ve all seen the standard advice for sticking to your resolves – taking small steps, rewarding yourself, building your plan into your schedule, etc.  All those are good. But if you are still having trouble, a recent article in Yoga Journal titled Make This Your Year by Elizabeth Marglin suggests a novel approach. Instead of thinking of your resolutions as something specifically for yourself, try thinking of them as “bigger-than-self” goals.  Think of your goals as compassionate.  For example, if your intention is to physically move more think about how this will benefit the other important players in your life.  This will require you to be clear about your motivation. Why is this intention important to you?  The article poses a series of questions to help you clarify your intentions including “What do I want to experience more of in my life and what can I do to create that?”.

Once you’ve figured out what you want to do and why you want to do it, the next step is to commit. Create a new habit.  You’ve got plenty of experience creating habits, some good – some that make you unhappy. Take that experience and use it to your benefit. It may take a few weeks but the more you persevere, the more your brain will adapt. Research shows that we are capable of creating new neural pathways in our brains throughout our lives.  Build your intention into your life. When you struggle with following your plan, just let the habit take over and keep you on course. Remember that your plan is not just for your own benefit but has a larger purpose. Then don’t think “should I or shouldn’t I?”. Just do it. You will never regret following through even if it turns out in the end that the path you chose needs to be adjusted. No matter what happens you will learn alot.  Be open to that and enjoy the learning process.

The final step suggested in the article is to “Envision Success”.  What does that look like? If more movement is your intention maybe success means being able to hike with your grandchildren.  Or ride your horse comfortably and with confidence. Maybe there is a particular bicycle ride you’ve always wanted to try. Or a walk-a-thon that benefits a cause you support.  Perhaps you want to volunteer for an organization that means something to you. Keep that vision right up front. But be kind to yourself.  A compassionate intention requires self-compassion. Don’t let a day off derail your plans. Just take a breath and let it go. Don’t beat yourself up. Just put your schedule back together at the next opportunity.