Energy Out

As many of my friends and confidants know I love to blog. I do not always take the time to sit down and write out blogs even when I have great ideas for them. Throughout the past couple years I have found that the art of blogging has been a great way to refresh my mind and in an effort to blog more I am going to try to write a weekly blog post on topics that you, my friends, suggest to me via social media. My goal is to write one blog post a week. I will be sharing my opinion on the topic suggested so if there was ever something you wanted to know about me then this would be a time to find out. 

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Being Physically Active without Running
As a nutrition educator I often teach people about the importance of physical activity. Following the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans I teach that children should partake in at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day and the average adult should participate in at least 30 minutes. These numbers are the bare minimum and one can always do more. In fact to maintain a healthy weight you want to make sure that you balance your energy in--eating and drinking-- with your energy out--physical activity.

Often times in my adult classes when I ask about physical activity I hear groans and excuses that typically add up to the phrases: I don't like to do it, I am lazy and unmotivated, I can't afford a gym membership, I don't like to run. All of these are barriers that we allow to control our lives, but if we are to live healthy lives then we need to break down the walls that prevent us from physical activity. One of those barriers is the idea that running is a great way to stay physically healthy and many people, myself included, do not like to run. A good friend of mine suggested I share some ways to get physical activity without having to run. Without further ado here's my top 5 suggestions:

1. Find physical activities you actually enjoy doing. Let's face it some exercises are more enjoyable than others. We don't need to torture ourselves to make sure we are being healthy and fit. Consider bike riding, kayaking, going on "fast walks", yoga, etc. 
2. Utilize exercise machines. If you don't want to get into running you could always use exercise equipment whether that's at a friends house, ones that you buy yourself, or at a local gym. You could use a stationary bike, take a spinning class, walk on an incline, go at a slower pace on a treadmill so you can push yourself, but control your speed, try using the rowing machine or stair climbing machine.
3. Go Swimming.Yup, it's true! Swimming is a great workout and one great way to stay fit. Not everyone has access to a year-round pool or body of water, but this is a great way to exercise at least in the summer. If you have access year round that's even better! This allows you to work on your cardio, but you don't have to support your own body weight since the water is keeping you up!
4. Find ways to turn your everyday activities into more active ones. Find ways to incorporate exercising while doing chores you already have to do. Do squats while putting the laundry in the washer/dryer, do arm lifts with canned foods before you put them away in the pantry, jog with your shopping cart as you go through the grocery store, do arm circles while watching your favorite TV show (it's also a great way to get the kids and others away from you!), and my personal favorite: do exercises during the commercial breaks of your TV shows.
5. Have a good motivator. I know this isn't an alternative to running, but it's a very important tip for exercising. We all need motivators. What motivates you is going to be different than what motivates me, but we all need to have a goal/motivation to help us when the workout gets tough! One great motivator to have is the knowledge that living a healthy lifestyle will help you to live a longer more satisfying life because of the energy you will receive from being active. As someone who used to hardly ever be active and is now on a daily basis, I can attest to the improved energy that I have acquired from getting my energy out more often. 

Hope you enjoyed these 5 suggestions and that you have gained something beneficial from them! If you have a topic you'd like me to post on next week please comment either below or on my Facebook.

Grace & Peace my friends

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Sources:
 http://straighthealth.com/pages/five/alternatives-to-running.html
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/