Take Your Soul for a Walk
There is a pace that is your most comfortable speed, a pace that lets your whole being participate, a pace that is personal and may change minute to minute. And your body will probably tell you when you’re there, if you ask. Try an easy walk in an undistracting location, changing your speed, not hurrying, not too slow. Do a body scan to notice the sensations you’re feeling. Perhaps you will know you’ve found it when you notice an aha moment and your body sighs with ease. Perhaps this is the rate for your body and soul to be lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time for magic to happen…perhaps?
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Savoring the Sweet Spot
A hot research topic these days concerns how to build our brains and the types of challenges that do it best. One enticing finding is that if you’re doing something physical and add a mental challenge, you will hit the magic formula for efficiently creating new neural pathways, the brain-building sweet spot. For example, practice your Spanish flashcards when you walk. Or sing while washing the dishes for rhythm building and learning lyrics (or is that just a pleasure?). I wonder if walking would help me with my beloved sudoku. Hmmm? Probably not. Who knows what else research will discover, but this one simple idea strikes me as both easy to use and practical. What combos will you find? Let me know!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Walk! Yes, But When?
Make exercising easier by tapping into your personal preferences and rhythms. Take walking, for example: what time of day makes it an ideal walk? Roll out of bed and walk. Walk and roll into bed. Walk after meals, walk before meals. Take mini-walks all day. Then explore different intensities at different times. Do you like a crisp brisk walk in the morning and an easy saunter after dinner? The same idea can expand to include other forms of exercise. For instance, you may find, like I do, that I have to make a commitment to get around to my strength workout. Knowing my time of day for being most willing to exercise gives me ideas for when it would be easiest to do that determined workout. Getting to know yourself better lets you honor your quirky preferences. Walk? Now you know when!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Ankle Alphabet
Ankles are at a critical location when it comes to movement. In order to stay upright, to navigate all the variations in the surfaces you walk on, and to handle surprises in those surfaces, you need ankles that are both strong and flexible. And flexible means flexible in all directions! To give your ankle practice and build it for all that flexibility, practice drawing the alphabet with your toes while your foot is in the air. You have a choice of block capital letters, cursive lower case writing and everything in between. There are also creative options for additional fitness benefits. For example, spell gratitude-inspired words to fill your mind with positivity. Spell your alphabet with one foot while standing in line, thus strengthening your standing leg at the same time. What else can you create for your twinkle toes to do? Whatever it is, have fun with this one!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Exercise Your Eyes
Your eyes have habits too. Their “computer posture” includes looking at objects on a screen, and that screen usually stays the same distance from your face. Give your eyes a break by picking two objects in your environment, one up close (even closer than your screen) and one as far away as your space allows (maybe down the hall or out the window). Then do visual gymnastics, focusing on the details of the close object for about five seconds, then shifting to the far object and noticing its details for five seconds. Continue back and forth for a minute or two, noticing more details with each shift. For a variation, choose objects to the left and right and equally far away. Try shifting focus with and without moving your face. Then, hold your face still and move your eyes left and right, up and down, and in circles. If you’re feeling adventurous, try moving your eyes in figure eights and enjoy that dizzying view. Your eyes will love it!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Exercise + Nature + Senses = Immersion
Taking a walk in your favorite (or nearest) natural space is an easy way to expand your appreciation of spring. Nature, and especially trees, muffle civilization’s noises, creating space to hear the more subtle natural sounds. The exercise gets more blood flowing around your whole body, including your brain. Flooding your brain with extra blood (=extra oxygen) provides a fertile field for noticing more of the sensory input from nature, creating an upward spiral of physical and sensory experiences enriching each other. Focus on one element, like the crisp spring air, then pair it with each sense. How does the air feel on your fingertips? What smells is it bringing to you? Is it moving enough that you can hear it? Does it have a taste? How is it playing with the nature all around you? What words can you find to describe the uniqueness of the air-of-the-moment? Then take a deep breath to enhance the experience as a wonderful memory to keep you company while you do spring housecleaning!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Lopsided Loads Build Your Core
Parents often carry their children on one hip, and many of us have probably done it ourselves. It's easy to carry grocery bags or our purses on just one side. I have a shoulder bag and it always somehow seems to end up on my left hip, meaning my right shoulder is getting most of the workout. It turns out that a lopsided load makes our core muscles subtly adapt and strengthen to the asymmetry, without the necessity of doing those infamous crunches! It's a great way to build muscles without spending any extra time. However, if you get too habitual, using the same side all the time, the muscle building is also lopsided. It's easy to increase the value by getting into the habit of moving the load around.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Raising the Bar That's Already There
You're already exercising every time you move--movement is simply a part of your day. Choosing to use that existing momentum gives you a head start on building more fitness into your daily life. Take a movement you're already doing, like getting out of your chair, and make it more conscious by raising the bar. Pay attention to what you're already doing and choose baby steps toward more challenge. A goal could be to be able to get up and down from the chair without using your hands. The next stretch could be to count how many times you can get up and down in 30 seconds. All the while, your legs will be getting stronger, and you will also be reaping the consequent benefits in improved movement and fall prevention!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Victory Stance Works Both Ways
It's natural for winners to throw their heads back and put arms up and wide when reaching the finish line. The Victory Stance expresses winning as well as pride. Since not everybody can be the first to finish the race, it's nice that Victory Stance also works in reverse. Putting your body in the Stance stimulates feelings of confidence. Claiming a bigger physical space translates into more expansive thoughts. Expansive thinking inspires an uplifted mood, leading to your own feeling of victory. Try it: Hands up and out! Chin lifted! Legs wide and stable! Hold that pose. Suddenly you're a star!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Waiting, One Foot At A Time
Make the most out of time spent waiting. Stand on one foot at a time while waiting for the elevator, using a handy wall or railing for extra support. If you're in a line with a cart, use the instability of the wheels as an added challenge. Standing on one foot while holding on builds your leg muscles. Using your hands less and less for support adds a balance challenge. A worthwhile starting goal is to be able to stand on each foot for 5 seconds, building up to a minute, without help from your hands. Research shows that five seconds on one foot is the threshold of standing strength that helps us with fall prevention, and more than that is even better.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Exercise in the Dentist's Chair
The last time I got my teeth cleaned, I did an experiment that turned out to be a wonderful addition to my visit. It all started when I got out of the chair mid-cleaning and was so stiff I could barely walk. I realized it's worth the effort to keep our bodies active even if our face is pinioned in place. I made a game of moving every time her hand and attention were out of my mouth: cross right foot over left, cross left foot over right, shrugging shoulders, shift to right hip, shift to left hip, stretching my arms in any available direction, wiggling my back, bending both knees with feet on the chair, trying cross-legged. (To keep your dentist calm, it's probably a good idea to tell her what's happening.) Then when she was back in my mouth, I could focus on the challenge of taking even breaths and keeping my whole face relaxed. The movement helped my body, and being proactive helped my brain, and having my teeth clean helped my smile!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Unrolling Your Upper Half
An erect posture puts your center of gravity in the most stabilizing position, and more stable means better balance. We spend so much time in "computer posture” with torso curled forward and palms facing inward. Standing tall gives your muscles a chance to try something different. By turning your palms forward, or putting your hands in hitchhiking position, you move the shoulder blades into a better position for optimal functioning. Then tuck your chin back, feeling for the spot where your head feels weightless because it’s balanced atop your shoulders. These changes uncurl your upper back and give you a chance to stand taller. Standing taller creates the erect posture that creates stability. (The secret side benefit is feeling better!)
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Three-Point Landing
Standing as solidly as possible makes your balance more secure. The most solid foot position is a triangle, with your weight distributed evenly between the base of the big toe, the base of the little toe, and the heel. It's easiest to start learning this awareness from the standing position. Shift your weight around to experiment with getting it just right. You can also discover your usual habit by looking at the wear on the tread of a well-worn shoe. Mine, for example, wears out first on the outer back corner, and somewhat less on the outer border (when the shoe gets really old!). And when I check in with my feet, I discover that I tend to put most of my weight on the outer edge of my foot. When moving, checking for Three-Point Landing is more complicated as you roll across your foot with each step. I like that challenge, because it makes me aware of what a complicated miracle walking is!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Look Both Ways When Crossing a Road
My daddy told me to look both ways three times before crossing. Modify this advice to serve you when you want to improve your balance as well as be a wise pedestrian. When you get to the road, stand tall and look consciously to the left and then to the right, stretching the neck as if saying "no". When all is clear, add a balance challenge by continuing to look left then right while crossing. It takes about three sets of steady head turns to get across the road, which would make my daddy proud!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Un-Dividing Attention to Reduce your Risk of Falling
My pilot friend studies reports of plane crashes. In almost every crash, he says, the accident included at least three things going wrong. That got me thinking that maybe this applies to falling "crashes" as well. For example, maybe you're a bit tired from not sleeping so well last night, so you're not picking up your feet as much as usual (#1). You're walking on a slightly irregular sidewalk and coming to the bump that shouldn't be there (#2). And maybe at that moment you hear a bird singing across the street, and turn to look (#3). You're now dividing your attention and set up for a fall. Un-divide your attention by pausing for a moment to reduce your risk of falling. I noticed that many of my falls happened when I was hurrying (not the same as walking fast), which was my habitual #1. When I considered the consequences, it was easy to change my habit. Now I have more attention for the birds!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Ankle Circles and Chicken Wings
Wake up with a smile and give yourself an excuse to savor your last cozy moments in bed. Ankle flexibility is crucial to staying upright since your feet need to adjust to variations in the walking surface. Starting your day under the covers by moving your ankles/feet in circles as well as up and down (pointing and flexing) makes sure your feet are ready to do their job the moment they hit the floor. And while you're at it, why not add some arms? Try lying on your back, tucking your arms by your sides with elbows at your waist and putting your hands palms-up beside your shoulders (like folded chicken wings). This posture opens the chest, stretches the back and gives your posture a boost. As a bonus, it feels good! Aaahh!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Climb Stairs for a Burst of Fitness
Going up the stairs is a golden opportunity to build strong legs, a major foundation for good balance. Take full advantage by keeping both toes straight ahead, giving your thighs the best workout. My sister learned in Pilates that placing your whole foot on the surface of the step is easiest on the knees. A wobbly foot means that your knees have to compensate, which adds unwanted work for that vulnerable joint. Firmly placing your whole foot gives your knees a welcome break. The bonus benefit of climbing up stairs is an aerobic boost. Very often, stairways are short flights with landings (resting places), making a versatile built-in gym!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Exercise in Disguise
If you don't know how to start exercising, I invite you to join me in thinking of ways to tuck various movements into the cracks of your days. Combining your creativity with a knowledge of what your body likes and wants most can lead to interesting experiences that build fitness on the sly. Pick times that seem like down time, and get creative. If you're waiting in line, stand on one foot for balance. If you're watching TV, try reaching for the ceiling. Stretching is always a good place to start--just move something and feel how it feels. Avoid too much multitasking (not so safe), let yourself be silly (if you dare) and have fun (to inspire yourself to keep it up). Please join me in this project: maybe we can start a secret, feel-good movement revolution!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Life @ 3MPH
I grew into my walking-based lifestyle step by natural step, and never particularly noticed how much I liked it until a book fell into my lap in time to be my December read. (A Walking LIfe: Reclaiming Our Health and Our Freedom – One Step at a TIme, by Antonia Malchik) Chapter by chapter, this book gave me more reasons to appreciate my walking and lifestyle pace of 3 miles per hour. My reading coincided with observing the frenetic seasonal hustle-bustle that’s currently in progress, the contrast adding more joy to my appreciation. Walking puts me in a place with time to smell the pine trees; walking moves me at a speed that lets me be more aware of the slow turning of the seasons; walking gives my feet the opportunity to feel the earth beneath them. On those busy days, I invite you to give a gift to yourself: to stop, plant both feet on the ground, and savor a deep breath.
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.
Brrr-rr-r-r!
Cold day? What if, instead of turning up the heat for your whole home, you choose to warm up just your body? Play the Inside Out Game to fire up the tiny furnaces in each of your muscle cells (the mitochondria, if you want to be polysyllabic about it). Any movement will stoke the inner flame: calisthenics, jitterbugging to your favorite music, cleaning out the attic. Adding layers of clothing is another way to warm up, and another chance for playful movement. Dance and stretch as you pull the sweater over your head, or make a humorous fuss as the second layer of pants sticks to the first one. Then notice that having on more clothes makes moving a little more difficult, and behold! you’re doing even more exercise. Considering that you’re simultaneously lowering your heating bill, I’d call it a win-win version of multitasking!
Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.