We will regularly use this page to share thoughts with the many of us who are not experienced, or are long-lapsed, in being very thoughtful about looking after their health. Here we will look to give hints and guidance on getting started, building enthusiasm, enjoying progress, exploring options for more fun, understanding the benefits you’re piling up and becoming confident you can pick up on the body’s messages about our health and wellbeing. And the improvements we can continue achieving. Pretty much indefinitely.
Getting Started – The Most Difficult Step?
There’s a broad consensus that getting started is the most difficult part of being active and in taking clear responsibility for our own wellbeing? Is it? Does it have to be? Maybe.
For any of us starting something new, that we don’t know too much about offers challenges. We know early on we’re going to feel strange, even awkward. Our senses and nervous systems need to get used to whatever it is we are picking up. Unless we’re really interested or keen on the possible new experience it’s easy to “give it a miss”.
But you really shouldn’t when it comes to being active. Because there are important things about that most sophisticated of biological systems that’s your body that will increasingly malfunction if you “take the rain check”. So here’s the pitch.
First off we are designed to move. Modern lifestyles in many ways are unnatural. By not exerting our bodies at all – being seated much of our waking time in office chairs, in front of the telly, in transport – they were most days? Possibly still some days in our PJ’s? – some important mechanisms supporting our wellbeing will be switching off. These include cell cleansing and renewal and fat metabolism processes. These “shutting downs” really lay us open to disease. Being active has the opposite effect – it opens up an extending pathway of wellbeing.
OK, that’s got to be of some interest to a good proportion of us?
Well add to that, the 100% guarantee that our bodies will repay our activity efforts with ever increasing benefits when they are regular and gently progressive, this has to be worth thinking about? Forget what your banker, fund manager or any other financial adviser might tell you, this investment in yourself is far ahead of any other you can make.
And what’s more, you can – indeed should – start exploring this journey to increased activity at a pace you are comfortable and happy with. Lying in bed, not even moving your feet. Immediately, anyway.
One of the biggest benefits you’ll get from being more active you can start to receive right there on the sack. Breathing better. Breathing is one of the few of our bodies systems that will work by itself, or which we can have some control of.
Very few people breathe well. Just put your hand on your chest. Feel anything? Now put the other hand on your tummy? Feel anyway there? Probably not? If you were breathing well your tummy, and your rib cage, would be moving as you in- and exhale. And that big inner core muscle the diaphragm would be exercising like bellows. This video is a guide to deeper breathing.
Some of the benefits of breathing more actively include improving your body’s: cellular health and energy efficiency; core muscles’ stability; ability to move and exercise; ability to relax and reduce stress; heart rate; respiratory capacity; blood pressure; immune system; and healing processes.
Not a bad start just lying in bed is it?
There are many further options to gently starting your personal journey towards strongly influencing your own health and wellbeing. And achieving the huge confidence that comes from knowing you’re really well.
We’ll be regularly sharing further thoughts and people’s experiences on ” Getting Started” on this page. Do be in touch with us at info@fitterforlife.com if you think we might help with you personal journey to improving wellbeing.