Choose to move
Most every day I hear people say that family is the most important thing in their lives. Yet consistently they act as if that double bacon cheeseburger were the most important thing in their lives. Because in a very real way, when you choose the double bacon cheeseburger (or the cookie dough ice cream or the hot cinnamon soft pretzel at the mall), you are choosing that indulgence as more important than your loved ones.
More important than your own life and health.
Incredible.
The same principle applies to exercise. When you choose a sedentary lifestyle you choose a shorter lifespan with more health problems and reduced functionality.
Think about that for a moment. Who would consciously do that?
Every single day, many times a day, we have opportunities to enhance and extend our lives and improve our wellbeing by choosing to move. This holds true for the big decisions you make about your health (“I’m going to train myself to run a marathon.”) and the small decisions you make every day. (“I’m going to take the stairs instead of the elevator.”)
We are so conditioned to having things automated that we don’t move nearly as much our bodies are designed to. We circle the parking lot, looking for the parking place that’s close to the door. Even at the gym. We stand on escalators, even though our legs are fully functional. We drive from one end of the strip mall to the other when running errands. Gads!
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I want you to become conscious of these choices and commit to finding new opportunities to be active, even when you don’t need to. The principle is: “If I can move, I will move!”
Because unfortunately the day will come when you can’t.
Lucky for you that day is not today; why not celebrate the fact that you can? Enjoy your body’s abilities rather than take them for granted. Be thankful for your body’s strength and stamina. It is an amazing gift.
Choosing the more active path rather than the sedentary one means you have your physical well-being in the forefront of your mind at all times. And it’s part of the self-reinforcing virtuous cycle (remember that?!?) that I call the Physicality Principle.
Will taking the stairs instead of the elevator make a significant difference in your weight loss goals? No, probably not. But it’s part of your healthy living plan and it’s one more tool in your arsenal to live long enough to be a burden to your children! HA! That’s my plan anyway!
Losing weight is hard, but when you make conscious choices about how you want to live it gets a little easier. And you’re so worth it!
Let’s go get it!