by Richard Owen
Choosing a physical activity, doesn’t have to include gym membership to reap benefits on that ageing body of yours.
Find out what your inner child or inner teenager is telling your weary frame and ust start moving. Movement is exercise on its own. Get up from in front of your plasma screen T V, open your window and scream out, “Look out world here I come”. Walk outside, breath, walk around the block, stop, smell the roses, stretch. It’s not that difficult once you push yourself off that lounge.
Ring a friend and go for a walk together in a park or a garden, or just do some gardening on your own. Gardening can be a form of meditation, a stress release, a stretch, a communion with nature or a great way to get cheap healthy food.
The therapeutic nature of gardening can help people relax and forget worries, get over depression and stimulate the senses whilst getting outside in the fresh air. Grow herbs and spices for the fragrances, edible plants for cooking and flowers for the magnificent colours of nature. Your feeling healthier already.
Repeat the mantra “everyday in everyway I’m getting better and better.” Just by reinforcing health with positive statements such as that above will in itself lead to a healthier attitude. When starting out again on your comeback tour to health, try and remember some of the activities that made you happy as a child, then teenager, then young adult. If it was a sport that you may find a bit too strenuous these days, then just take up a modified form of it. The main thing is to take it up and get keen again.
If for instance you were a surfer as a teen but find duck diving with a board a bit much these days, buy some fins and take up bodysurfing or try one of the new water sports like paddle boarding. You never know till you try.
The main thing is to have fun, pick something you like to do. Trying something new has added benefits for your ageing mind as well. New research has shown that taking up a new activity opens new neurological pathways in the brain. This has been seen to help stave off the onset of dementia related changes. Mind and body co-ordination exercises are particularly beneficial.
Try Chi Gung or Tai Chi both are non strenuous dynamic exercise regimes that use the mind body combination in conjunction with breath. Millions and millions of Chinese practitioners over centuries cant be wrong.
Yoga and Pilates also incorporate the workings of the body with the mechanics of the breath, helping improve muscle memory while stretching and lengthening the body. Take a class, you know how good you will feel after.
Dance yourself fit. This beautiful form of self expression is one of the most enjoyable ways to fitness. Dancing increases aerobic fitness, works the heart, the lungs and strengthens bones. It increases your self confidence, muscle tone and strength all while you look deeply into your partners eyes. One of the most fun activities available in almost any style is also one of the best ever workouts. Just choose a style and dance.
Keeping physically active can be as easy as one foot in front of another or as structured as you wish. Exercise needs to be a bit of a mixed up affair to keep it from becoming boring. Becoming a moving being again is the start. Some aerobic activity for heart and lungs a little weight bearing exercise keeps bones healthy and strong, joints need regular movement and stretching. The whole metabolism needs to speed up to keep the weight down.
Get going, get started everyday in everyway you become stronger and stronger.
