My challenge to you this season is to not exercise for the sake of exercise, but instead to incorporate fitness into your every day. Like brushing your teeth, try to make fitness a natural extension of your daily plan. Make your fitness “purposeful”.
This summer fitness plan can be very simple. If you are up early with the children, walk them around the block as a kick-start to your day. If you normally rush off to work after a quick morning coffee, add your walk on your way to work. Park your vehicle in a lot over a block away from work. Once at work, favour the stairs over the elevator. It really is simple.
Once you start to form the habit of thinking of purposeful fitness, you will see how easy it is to incorporate it into everything you do. For example, pull out your bicycle and ride to pick up your mail instead of the standard car drive. Walk, bike or even roller-blade around the neighbourhood with the family pooch. Since Rover needs his walk anyway, make it part of your day with purpose.
Millbrook has many gorgeous trails to explore. Here is an opportunity to give a child an appreciation of nature and teach them about plants and animals. Hike through the fields and pick wild flowers to make floral arrangements for gifts–a thoughtful gift for both yourself and your gift-receiver.
Joining the children for a session of jump rope skipping is an awesome cardiovascular workout. Smash a birdie over the backyard badminton net to gain quality time with your family and friends.
If your schedule is full of everyone else’s extra-curricular activities, you may want to fit in purposeful fitness during these times. For example, kick the ball around the field at your child’s soccer tournament. Or toss a ball on the sidelines at your spouse’s baseball game.
The best fitness plan is one that you can most easily incorporate into your busy schedule. It must become an extension of you, not just another thing to add to your “to-do” list. See you on the trails!
Blessings on the road to health.
By Kimberley Payne
Kimberley Payne, a former Personal Trainer who lives in Millbrook, combines Christian commitment with ten years’ experience in the health and wellness arena. Visit her Website www.kimberleypayne.com
