Fostering Healthy Habits: Making Movement a Daily Routine

How can we make more with less? With the seasons changing and the end of the year fast approaching, we are coming to a time of self reflection where setting new goals may start to feel overwhelming or unrealistic. Making time for our physical health is a commitment and an investment and with that thing called life getting in the way, it can be easy to say "no" to new exercise feats.

So in a fitness obsessed society where we are hardwired to believe that more is more, how can we adopt a "less is more" approach to our physical fitness goals? Let's start with quality over quantity. You can't always prioritize an hour or more to your workout every day but you can find ten minutes to move whether it be the first parts of your Pilates mat workout, a short walk and the series of five, or maybe just a much needed stretching session. There will always be a reason not to exercise but think about your "why"; why do you want to do your mat routine more, why do you continue to do the ab series every day? Things do not change over night, so capitalizing on your motivation is key to success in changing your lifestyle.

Most habits are formed after 21 days and the longer you adhere to ten minutes a day, the more energized you will feel, the better mind to body connection you will foster, and the desire to do more past the ten minute mark will start to grow. Make life more realistic and commit to what can work best for you in your life. At the end of the day, your exercise only allows you to better understand your body. Our physical health is unique to us as individuals. Make time to learn about you by making time to move. All movement is good movement! And as Joe put it, "Change happens through movement and movement heals".

By Andrea "Andi" White