Mixing Up How I Move It to Lose It

This week has been hectic...but then if I'm being honest it seems like every week is hectic!

That means I have to make a conscious decision to move my body more and to set that as a priority...

In the past, it was easy for me to say I was "too busy" to exercise...or I was "too tired" because it had been a long day.

Because I have shifted my mindset for weight loss and now look at this as a health journey and that I deserve to have a healthy, energetic, slender body I know that I must make being more active a priority.

Really, this turns out to be a selfish thing...I just feel better when I move every day. Sure, some days I'm tired or it doesn't seem like I can fit it in...that is when a little creativity and determination come in. It is easy to get out of the habit if we don't make our health a priority.

So this week I committed to walking every night and doing at least 15 minutes in the morning. Every night I've gone for a nice long walk. By going with a friend who has a naturally quicker pace than I do it is easier for me to push this to a brisker, slightly-hard-to-breathe pace than my usual casual stroll! And one day this week I actually pushed her, which was a fun turn around!

Every night we drove to a different location for our walk. This gave us variety in the terrain and also in the views. One night we saw this incredibly beautiful, vibrantly colored bird that neither of us recognized. (Well, I recognize things like robins, herons, pelicans and not a whole lot more!) This inspired me to do a little research online...I found it...we say an Oriole...and since birding isn't my thing I have already forgotten which type of oriole it was! Oh well...I didn't know we had orioles here in Colorado, so I learned something and I am definitely on the lookout for it again!

Today I will be working in the yard most of the day, so my morning routine was just to stretch and get prepared. Tonight I might just have a casual stroll...again, to stretch out a bit...since I will have been digging and hauling for many hours during the day.

By having this variety...and even more...I keep it interesting and keep myself motivated. I make moving my body fun and therefore I keep at it! I love walking in the cool evening air and enjoying the sunset or dusk falling over the mountains. It is just one of my favorite times of the day. It also has the added benefit of getting me up off my chair (where I am most days since I work at a computer)...instead of moving from computer to couch and watching television, I am outdoors!

Pick a couple different places where you can walk (or ride your bike or whatever)...how can you get more variety into your activity? What fills you with awe or wonder or joy? What inspires you so you want to do it again? Those are the sorts of activities that, even if they aren't officially "exercise" can count...they get you moving your body, exchanging oxygen, and break you out of the rut of being at home or indoors.

I think I'm ready to tune up my bike and try that next week--how about you?