Your sedentary lifestyle is killing you. No, seriously it is. Sitting for long periods of time without any movement or physical activity elevates your risk of death at levels of smoking and obesity. And even though this might seem like some farfetched data, it affects you directly. Also read: Is Yoga the Best Form of Exercise?
That’s why to get moving. Even if you work out every day for 1 hour, it’s not a reason to lead a sedentary lifestyle for the remaining hours. Think about it this way: there’s a disconnect in the way we lead our lives versus how we are supposed to. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to move to do just about everything, so human anatomy evolved to need continuous movement. But today, we travel in cars, work at desks, and order our meals via smartphone apps. Also Read: Want To Be A Better Runner? Then Give Up Gluten.
In other words? Our bodies need movement, but our contemporary world of luxury and comfort doesn’t and its time to bridge that gap.
So don’t wait for your ‘gym hour’ to get moving. Go for a walk now. Take the stairs. Practice yoga for 10 minutes. Train your body to enjoy movement and soon you will feel fitter, without too much effort. Also, I found this website called Earth Runners and it has some amazing walking and running shoes. Since I am a huge advocator of the barefoot movement, I am hooked on this website. Also, if you tend to suffer from anxiety, moving often will help relieve some tension.
This does mean that you replace therapy for mental health with only walking, but when stressed, going for a quick allows you to breathe deeply which inturn, helps you to calm down. Simply put, the body NEEDS movement when dealing with anxiety. The next time you are trying to calm down, just put on your shoes and go for a walk for 20 minutes. You can read about more it in this wonderful article by Mind Body Green on the benefits of walking for anxiety.
PUT THAT CHEESE BURGER DOWN 