You Don’t Have to “Exercise.” Just Move.

A dance professor at my college had an email signature that said: "If you do not dance, you will grow moldy." 

You don't have to dance, but one of the best things most people can do for their overall health and well-being is to simply move more. 

Only 54% of Americans meet the minimum guidelines for aerobic activity -- 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week.

Even fewer -- 27% -- meet the strength training guidelines of 2x/week, and only 24% check off both those boxes.

If you're taking classes at the gym, hopping on your Peloton a couple times a week, playing rec sports, or just showing up for your training sessions 😉, you're ahead of most of the population. 

While those recommendations are the minimums for cardiovascular and muscular health, most people just need to move more -- including those of us checking off the exercise boxes!

One of the biggest factors in our metabolic rate is our Non-Exercise Physical Activity (NEPA), or how much we move around outside of intentional exercise. 

Our current technology makes life much easier and more convenient, but it also means we move less.

Many people work at home sitting on their computers, which can sharply limit the amount of daily movement a person gets compared to commuting to and walking through an office building each day.

We can order groceries online and have them delivered to save time instead of walking up and down aisles, we can use DoorDash to have food from nearly any of our favorite restaurants brought right to our doors, and we can schedule deliveries or pickups from many stores. 

These can be excellent options to allow us to feed ourselves and our families well no matter how busy we are and even to save money on "impulse buys," but the tradeoff is fewer steps and less overall movement. 

You don't have to get 10,000 steps every single day, but aiming for the 8,000-12,000 range will promote longevity and overall health.

You don't have to do formal exercise every single day, but getting out of your chair and off your computer and moving around the house or around the neighborhood will keep your muscles and joints loose and feeling better. 

All movement counts: walking the dog instead of just letting it outside, playing with your kids, getting up and dancing to your favorite songs, walking around the fields while your kids are at sports instead of sitting on the bleachers, even gardening or yard work. 

This week, commit to moving more, whatever that looks like for you. If you need help coming up with a plan or sticking with it, email me at coachjustineh@gmail.com. I'd love to help you get moving so you can keep moving well for years to come.