VLOG:
Although my heart breaks for small business/private gym owners through this pandemic, I remain steadfastly inspired as I watch so many of the people I respect redirecting to re-invent themselves and their formulas for business. I was motivated to spend time redirecting my routines as well.
For me, the gym serves many of my self-care, physical wellness, and social purposes. It has also been the metric I used to determine the level of dedication to my personal and professional ‘pursuit of excellence.’ Admittedly, this is a pretty high bar if your goal is to be a healthier human.
During this differently paced year, I have made the time to redefine my perception of balance, a paradigm shift if you will. Attending the gym has been sporadic, and for me, a lack of structured habits can lead to sedentary behaviour. I am suggesting that we create a new self-care habit over the next thirty days. Create it! Just like that. Regardless of your current athletic status. Doing so can help generate the mindset required to make staying healthy, in a time of flux, a very attainable goal. Physical wellness relies on mindset. Period. Full stop. When you actively nurture your mindset, it becomes possible to reach goals, physical and otherwise.
Some of the most compelling reasons to include 15 minutes of movement every day are as follows:
Improved memory and brain function (all ages)
Protects against many chronic diseases
Improved metabolic rate/aiding in healthy weight management
Lower blood pressure and improved heart health
Improved quality of sleep
Increased endorphins - improved mental health
Helps to combat cancer-related fatigue
Strengthening muscles helps to improve joint pain and stiffness
Maintain muscle strength and increasing balance
Increase life span/improved outlook
For example, if your goal is to increase the amount you move from your desk each day, find an activity that increases your heart rate and brings you joy. Be sure to do so even when you are running late or don’t ‘feel’ like it. Creating a habit helps you overcome the idea that performing tasks happen only when you ‘feel’ like it. For me, if I only did the things I ‘felt’ like doing, I wouldn’t accomplish much at all in my day. Commit to your new habit for one month. Make that goal important enough to plan your day around the time you need to get it done. Make no excuses, zero, for thirty days. Perform this task and then bask in the joy of it. If you are just starting, pick a smaller goal, like walking/speed walking/jogging for 15 minutes, Zumba, jumping jacks (low impact or high), etc., every single day, no matter what (aside from injury). Carve out 15 minutes a day, just for you. This exercise of altering your mindset will change your life if you make it a habit. Once it is part of your daily routine, you can then change the activity inside the box and expand the time you invest in keeping yourself healthy with another self-guided activity until our gyms reopen.
Wanting to change is powerful, but it is not enough. Willpower is a resource that can run out. Find an activity that brings you joy in movement, and it won’t be a chore to actively create a wellness mindset.
Shannon Leroux
Chaarmz Magazine Fitness Editor
Chief Experience Officer
Shannon@SIIVVA.ca
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