We Are Meant To Move

I mentioned in a previous blog post why I take the longer, harder route going through a particular park near my apartment in NYC. Instead of taking the relatively flat sidewalks around the park, I eagerly take the harder route straight through and up a steep elevation, climbing what seems like countless stairs. Mother Nature’s StairmasterTM! It’s never a breeze, even now that I’m in better shape, but I always do it—gladly.

I take this route because two years ago there’s no way I could have made it up those stairs. For several years I had health issues including undiagnosed insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, a severe vitamin D deficiency, and a magnesium deficiency to boot. I couldn’t get out of bed without crying from back, hip, or leg pain, much less go on an urban hike. Climbing up the stairs in the subway would leave me counting each one, praying to get to the top, with legs like jelly when I did. Schlepping a bag of groceries home was an extreme workout for me at my lowest point.

This all came after a lifetime of never giving a second thought about how I would get my body to do anything, physically. I always knew that if I wanted something enough I could accomplish it, physically. And I did, through years of playing soccer in the Olympic development program, becoming a Division I All-American and a professional soccer player. Even through recovery after major surgeries, there was never a thought in my mind that my body wouldn’t do what I knew it could do. It was a gift; one I appreciated, but one I also took for granted.

Three years on from my lowest point, I can honestly say that any day I get up without pain is a good day, and the days that I do have pain aren’t so bad either. That’s because the pain I do have is not from a body in distress, but from a body that’s been put through its paces. In that pain I find joy. Joy that my body mostly does what I tell it to, when I tell it; that it isn’t in open rebellion against me, and that I don’t cry just getting out of bed anymore. Now, I bop up the stairs of the subway without much thought, and at the top my legs feel strong and good, just like they do when I get to the top of the stairs in the park.

We are meant to move. Our bodies are happier in motion. They just work better: our digestion is better, waste elimination is better, we sleep better, our bodily processes are more efficient, our memory and cognition are better and, ultimately, we just feel better. But if you’ve ever dealt with chronic pain, from whatever cause, you know what feels like to be unable to move freely the way you want to, and it sucks. And if you’ve never had chronic pain, count your lucky stars. Be grateful for it, and show your gratitude by moving your body.

The latest CDC guidelines call for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (conversation during is fairly easy) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (conversation during is difficult or impossible), every week. Most Americans adults don’t even come close to achieving this. Those 10,000 steps per day are a great start (high-five!); you can and should do more.

Finding time for more movement isn’t always easy, but I challenge you to think back on the last few days, and examine how you spent your free time (time not at work or commuting). Better yet, keep track during the next two or three days. You’ll probably find a lot of time wasters (lookin’ at you, social media), or inefficiencies in your schedule that could be rectified with a bit of planning, discipline, or creativity, giving you back 20 or 30 minutes a day to spend on movement training.

While no one else can make movement a priority for you—sustained motivation is ultimately intrinsic—here are a few things that I’ve personally found very helpful:

Ø Team up. Grab a friend, family member, or a colleague and make plans to work out together.

Ø Plan your movement sessions. Put them on your calendar (with reminders) just like you would a haircut or date. If you make it important, you’re more likely to do it.

Ø Be a kid again. Try new activities that you’ve been curious about or that are outside your usual repertoire. Remind yourself that it’s OK to look like a novice or newbie; everyone was at one time.

Ø Find the good. Concentrate on all the good that movement is doing for you, your body, and your life, now and in the future.

Ø Treat yo self! Find a way to (responsibly) reward yourself for doing what’s good for your body. Whether it’s buying a new pair of workout tights after your 10th class, or putting a gold star on your calendar for each day you move, acknowledge the time and effort you’ve put in, in a way that reinforces your efforts and that doesn’t sabotage all the hard work you’ve put in.

Ø Get a trainer or coach. You don’t have to go it alone. Investing in a partner who is focused on you and who can help keep you accountable, motivated, and challenged might be just what you need to kick-start or sustain your movement training.

While all the above can be very effective, one of the most important things you can do to sustain movement in your life is to find the joy in it; or the gratitude for having a body that obeys your commands with a minimum of effort and pain; or the meaning in taking on and accomplishing something you thought you couldn’t. And even better, these lessons in joy, gratitude, and meaning apply to life outside of the gym, and can help you create positive change in many other areas of your life.

If you’re looking for help in getting started or sustaining progress toward your movement goals, please connect with me. We’ll work together on a plan to get and keep you moving!