March 21, 2023
“Happy 2nd Day of Spring! “The Season of Awakening!”
Finally, the weather where we live will be improving. So, we will also be coming out of winter hibernation like sleepy bears; we will venture out of our caves or homes to start yard cleanup and gardening!
What a wonderful feeling Spring brings our souls and the opportunity to bring Joy to Movement!
It is time to EXPAND our activity plan after our long winter hibernation. Our ancestors ate more than we do yet weighed so much less. The fat we stored was meant for energy in the winter when food was scarce.
Why is this?
They were always on the move. They were Hunters & gatherers. Unfortunately, modern times, modern appliances, and changes from farm labor to sedentary sitting jobs have dramatically dropped in calories burned over the last 100 years.
We were born to move. It’s in our DNA!
Movement is intertwined with the most basic human joys, including self-expression (dance), social connection (belonging to a gym), and vision (accomplishment of goals)!
It’s needed for the body and an excellent cure for depression, anxiety, and loneliness for your mind and spirit.
The power of movement releases those feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones naturally….. Releasing:
- Endorphins –” The Brain’s natural pain reliever” – a sense of well-being.
- Dopamine – “The Brain’s Reward System” – Pathway to pleasure.
- Serotonin – “The Natural Mood Booster” – Starves off depression.
- Oxytocin – “The Love Hormone or Cuddle Hormone”- Human connection.
This will increase your quest to feel better and prevent depression, creating happiness, meaning in your life, and connections to others.
If only we cut calories to lose weight without…… increasing our movement.
Once again, it is about calories in & calories out.
It is harder to keep weight off without physical activity and strength training to maintain muscle mass because muscle burns MORE calories, even at REST!
Do you have a MOVEMENT plan?
If nothing else, begin with walking, especially if you haven’t been particularly active.
Start with 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week.
Gradually increase the number of days until you are walking every day! Then increase the speed or time you spend on your walk.
Here is an important tip……give yourself time to warm up by stretching for five minutes and starting at a slow pace and …… another five minutes for a cool down.
A daily stretch routine will help you reduce work and aging relating injuries. As a dental hygienist for over 30 years, I have spent monthly visits to chiropractors, massage therapists, and even acupuncturists. If I only knew then what I know now.
Dental hygiene school, back then, did not prepare us for intervention. According to research for dental hygienists, Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) rates are as high as 60-96%!
MSDs are degenerative disorders of the muscles, joints, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels caused by repetitive trauma. They can include neck and shoulder pain, shoulder tendonitis, and neuropathy, all of which I have experienced over time.
Staying active and moving all these years saved me from more severe injuries and expensive surgeries.
This is where Moving with AGE-GILITY comes into play.
Even if YOU feel too old or out of shape to Move with JOY or view physical activity as tedious or painful …… it is never too late to START!
I have the perfect enjoyable answer for YOU to focus on the achievable benefits to help delay age-associated illnesses and conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, muscle atrophy, and bone loss!
Moving with AGE-GILITY is designed to setting SMART Goals:
- Specific – to what you want to achieve with a one-to-one consult.
- Measurable – learn how to monitor and track your results.
- Attainable – by setting realistic and achievable goals to build on.
- Relevant – a goal important and meanable to you.
- Time-limited – completing your plan promptly by setting a time frame.
So much more…… cool STUFF that I want to share with you ……to bring you the Joy of Moving with AGE-GILTIY in your Mind, Body, and Spirit!
Until next week, Happy Spring Equinox, Trust Your Truths, and MOVE with AGE-GILTIY!
Bye for now……