3 Reasons to Move your Body

Starting an exercise routine often goes hand in hand with starting a new diet. Intuitive eating helps you reclaim your satisfaction in eating, it also helps you reclaim satisfaction with movement. You need to figure out how do incorporate movement into your life, forever and consistently. You are more willing to do that when your goals are realistic, you plan for things that could get in the way, your reasons to move are stronger than "weight loss", you understand why it's important for you and you enjoy it!

Through the years, physical activity recommendations have evolved with our increasing understanding of the relationship between physical activity and health. So, how much exercise do we need to be doing to actually improve our health? The new Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18-64 years and for Adults aged 65 years and older, were released in October 2020 by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. They were developed in response to increased interest in understanding how various movement-related behaviours (e.g. physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour) interact to influence the overall health of adults. According to these guidelines, the new physical activity recommendation targets an accumulation of at least 150 minutes of MVPA per week (1). 

To practice this principle:

1. Write out a list of activities you enjoy or would like to try. Adding movement to your life doesn't mean you just have to go to a gym. Swimming, biking, yoga, walking, pickle ball, strength training, Zumba, tennis, badminton, Pilates, spin bike, boxing, volleyball, etc.

2. How would doing the activities you enjoy impact your life? Do you enjoy or dread the activity you do now? Hint: you should enjoy the activity you do.

3. Do you rest your body when needed or continue to push through even when sore or exhausted?

4. What reasons do you move that have nothing to do with weight loss? 

References

1) https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210901/dq210901c-eng.htm