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Small Steps
A journey of a thousand miles begins with
a single step.
Lao-tzu
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|  | There are people out there who are constantly moving. They love to bike, hike, paddle, run, swim, surf, walk or zumba, and they would love nothing more than to spend their day being active. There are people out there who would prefer nothing better than to spend their day in front of the computer or reading in their favorite chair or enjoying quieter more sedate activities. I'm one of those people that tend to remain at rest. I enjoy walks once I've started. I've even looked forward to training for events throughout my weight journey. But I am definitely one of those people that if I don't get my exercise done in the morning I have a 98% chance of not getting it in at all. But I don't really want to start my day off with activity. I'd much rather sit and drink coffee and plan the day ahead. So...what do I do?
I know walks are important (to me as well as the dogs). I know that stretching (like yoga) and strengthening (using weights) will keep me active and able as I age. But just because I know something is good for me doesn't mean I actually put that knowledge into action. So, what do I do???
- I wear my pedometer to get feedback on my activity level throughout my day. It entices me to add just another couple of steps.
- I take the dogs for a walk. Even if it's a short one, I'm still moving.
- I'm currently working on adding a few quick & easy modified exercises into my day. I have a reminder in the bathroom to do a set of counter push-ups when I'm there. When I'm leaving my office, there is a sticky note to remind me to do side leg lifts. Maybe I'll put a note on the refrigerator to grab my water bottles and do some arm curls. Or a note on the TV remote control to do seated leg lifts (for legs and abs). Sure my family sees these, they smile and shake their head, but it works for me.
- Work in my garden.
- Continue to try new incentives and motivating strategies.
- I've set reminders on my phone and computer to get up and move. I'll be tweeting my exercises when I can. Follow HappyDhuck on Twitter.
I know I've written many Small Steps about starting or trying this or that to get me moving (again). I don't see these as failures because they didn't last. Rather, it reminds me that persistence and never giving up on myself, even when my decisions & choices weren't perfect (which happens quite a bit), has gotten me where I am today -- an 86 pound loss maintained for 4 years. Click here for more on my journey of persistence over 21 years.
So... I'm going to continue to try different things to keep me moving even if they don't last. It's all part of the journey and my success.
What will you persist in trying this week?
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| Some strength exercises to try. This link is from the National Institute on Aging. I most often suggest links that have exercises for older adults because most of these are great exercises for individuals who may have physical limitations and none of them require me to get down on the ground.
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That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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