We all know that regular exercise helps our bodies feel better. We know that yoga stretches our muscles. We know that we can build strength and stamina if we do excercise, whatever it is, on a daily or semi-daily basis. A huge benefit is that our body does not hurt as much. In this time where many do more sitting at computers and looking at phones, we get into muscular patterns that stress our spine and especially our necks and shoulders. Even if we know that exercise is good for us, it is sometimes hard to get started and to be keep it up. This blog post is to give some encouragement and a few tips, as getting started is can be the hardest part.
There are some other benefits beyond feeling less pain, flexibility, strength and stamina. When we do regular workouts, we get an endorphin rush that makes us feel good inside. The endorphins effect us like drug that feels like a dose of motivation and positivity in our bloodstream. It comes from inside us! Runners become addicted to this high, but it we can get it too, without having to go running. Our body may slim down if we do regular exercise. It helps if this becomes a happy side effect instead of a goal. Great benefits await to a regular exercise practice. It takes time to start to feel those benefits, kind of like planting a garden. We sow the seeds but we need to water them and eventually we see the seedling that then will bear fruit. A practice or habit that is new is like that. We have to get out and plant and water, making it regular. It won't be long until we feel better. Our body functions better. Walking and sitting is easier with less pain. When we lie down to sleep, we are able to sleep more soundly because we exercised.
But how can we get started if we have not done it in awhile?
First find some things you like to do. It has to be fun! You may want to think of it as "movement" instead of "exercise." Next, make a goal of how many minutes you want to start with. After a time of no exercise for me, I knew I needed to get back to it. My strategy was to start with only 7 minutes and then each day I would add a minute longer. Since I had not been exercising much, I started with some easy, gentle things, like some Tai Chi, Chi Gung and Eight Brocades practices. The Eight Brocades is a simple type of Chi Gung. I watched Youtube videos and did the exercises along with instructors of these modalities. I added Yoga, and Bollywood Dancing workouts, which are my favorites. Doonya is a channel that has lots of great workouts, too. Then I added more cardio videos with more dancing such as Zuumba (Latin Dancing aerobics) and then kickboxing combined with dance. I gradually upped the intensity of the workouts. In order too meet my energy level for the day, I did the gentle Chi Gung ones on days that I didn't have a lot of energy. I kept track on a calendar how many minutes a day I worked out. Some days I did zero minutes which I marked on the calendar. Even if I went a couple days with no exercise, I would get right back onto doing it again and try to sustain it.
It was less than a month until I got to 30 minutes or more a day. Now I do thirty minutes daily, at least, and I do more strenuous workouts because I have the energy. Eventually I will up the number of minutes from 30 per day. The really cool thing is that when I started doing more cardio practice, I felt an endorphin high. Now I am more hooked on exercise and remember how good it feels. I love mixing it up and going on hikes outside instead of exercising to Youtube. The yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Gung videos (7 Minutes of Magic Chi Gung Video here) stretch parts of my body to help me feel really good in those areas which for me are my neck and shoulders (Qi Gong for Upper Back and Neck Pain that is seated video here). These practices are designed to help you circulate the chi in your body and for healing.
I love Eric Goodman's lower back exercise session which is 11 minutes which is for "no back pain ever" if you do it regularly. His premise is teaches better posture and alignment with his technique and it really works in taking away the pain in the lower back. I value a mix of workouts so I don't get bored and so I experience different kinds of movement. Maybe you want to go to a class and exercise with others. Maybe you want a Fit Bit which is an electronic device you wear on your wrist that measures how many steps you take daily.
Make it fun, bring some music, and get on your yoga mat or get out and walk, hike or even run. Make a movement playlist from Youtube exercise videos you might want to try out that approach. You might want to look up songs you like and see if somebody made a dance or workout video for those songs. Let me know of any links and workouts you love. I would love to try them. When you workout, open a bunch of tabs on the computer of promising videos that you like and do them one-by-one until you are up to the goal number of minutes. I am cheering you onto greatness!
For those starting out slow, there are chair exercises and yoga classes. This is a good one that is seated called Qi Gong for Upper Back and Neck Pain. Look up Chair Yoga on Youtube and see what you find. Those over a certain age can find exercises that are really gentle for older bodies. Our bodies are more functional the more we exercise and the younger we feel. The better our health is and it is can be Can you convince yourself to start and see what happens? See if you can track changes in how your body feels.
The goal is not to be a triathlete. It is not bodybuilding. It is to have fun and get some movement in most every day. You don't have to compare yourself to anyone else and what they do. It is you comparing yourself with you. Can you add one minute a day? Can you do the moves a little better each time you exercise? It really doesn't matter as long as you are having fun. To exercise is to love yourself. Your body thanks you for it. Exercise need not be a chore, it can be delight, once you get into it. Remember to smile along with the people in the videos and you will fake it 'til you make it and you actually are smiling, from the inside out in a true authentic way.
Wishing you many happy workouts!
~Thanks for reading, Shivrael
I am back in Mt.Shasta after visiting and teaching Thai Bodywork in Guatemala.
There are some other benefits beyond feeling less pain, flexibility, strength and stamina. When we do regular workouts, we get an endorphin rush that makes us feel good inside. The endorphins effect us like drug that feels like a dose of motivation and positivity in our bloodstream. It comes from inside us! Runners become addicted to this high, but it we can get it too, without having to go running. Our body may slim down if we do regular exercise. It helps if this becomes a happy side effect instead of a goal. Great benefits await to a regular exercise practice. It takes time to start to feel those benefits, kind of like planting a garden. We sow the seeds but we need to water them and eventually we see the seedling that then will bear fruit. A practice or habit that is new is like that. We have to get out and plant and water, making it regular. It won't be long until we feel better. Our body functions better. Walking and sitting is easier with less pain. When we lie down to sleep, we are able to sleep more soundly because we exercised.
But how can we get started if we have not done it in awhile?
First find some things you like to do. It has to be fun! You may want to think of it as "movement" instead of "exercise." Next, make a goal of how many minutes you want to start with. After a time of no exercise for me, I knew I needed to get back to it. My strategy was to start with only 7 minutes and then each day I would add a minute longer. Since I had not been exercising much, I started with some easy, gentle things, like some Tai Chi, Chi Gung and Eight Brocades practices. The Eight Brocades is a simple type of Chi Gung. I watched Youtube videos and did the exercises along with instructors of these modalities. I added Yoga, and Bollywood Dancing workouts, which are my favorites. Doonya is a channel that has lots of great workouts, too. Then I added more cardio videos with more dancing such as Zuumba (Latin Dancing aerobics) and then kickboxing combined with dance. I gradually upped the intensity of the workouts. In order too meet my energy level for the day, I did the gentle Chi Gung ones on days that I didn't have a lot of energy. I kept track on a calendar how many minutes a day I worked out. Some days I did zero minutes which I marked on the calendar. Even if I went a couple days with no exercise, I would get right back onto doing it again and try to sustain it.
It was less than a month until I got to 30 minutes or more a day. Now I do thirty minutes daily, at least, and I do more strenuous workouts because I have the energy. Eventually I will up the number of minutes from 30 per day. The really cool thing is that when I started doing more cardio practice, I felt an endorphin high. Now I am more hooked on exercise and remember how good it feels. I love mixing it up and going on hikes outside instead of exercising to Youtube. The yoga, Tai Chi and Chi Gung videos (7 Minutes of Magic Chi Gung Video here) stretch parts of my body to help me feel really good in those areas which for me are my neck and shoulders (Qi Gong for Upper Back and Neck Pain that is seated video here). These practices are designed to help you circulate the chi in your body and for healing.
I love Eric Goodman's lower back exercise session which is 11 minutes which is for "no back pain ever" if you do it regularly. His premise is teaches better posture and alignment with his technique and it really works in taking away the pain in the lower back. I value a mix of workouts so I don't get bored and so I experience different kinds of movement. Maybe you want to go to a class and exercise with others. Maybe you want a Fit Bit which is an electronic device you wear on your wrist that measures how many steps you take daily.
Make it fun, bring some music, and get on your yoga mat or get out and walk, hike or even run. Make a movement playlist from Youtube exercise videos you might want to try out that approach. You might want to look up songs you like and see if somebody made a dance or workout video for those songs. Let me know of any links and workouts you love. I would love to try them. When you workout, open a bunch of tabs on the computer of promising videos that you like and do them one-by-one until you are up to the goal number of minutes. I am cheering you onto greatness!
For those starting out slow, there are chair exercises and yoga classes. This is a good one that is seated called Qi Gong for Upper Back and Neck Pain. Look up Chair Yoga on Youtube and see what you find. Those over a certain age can find exercises that are really gentle for older bodies. Our bodies are more functional the more we exercise and the younger we feel. The better our health is and it is can be Can you convince yourself to start and see what happens? See if you can track changes in how your body feels.
The goal is not to be a triathlete. It is not bodybuilding. It is to have fun and get some movement in most every day. You don't have to compare yourself to anyone else and what they do. It is you comparing yourself with you. Can you add one minute a day? Can you do the moves a little better each time you exercise? It really doesn't matter as long as you are having fun. To exercise is to love yourself. Your body thanks you for it. Exercise need not be a chore, it can be delight, once you get into it. Remember to smile along with the people in the videos and you will fake it 'til you make it and you actually are smiling, from the inside out in a true authentic way.
Wishing you many happy workouts!
~Thanks for reading, Shivrael
I am back in Mt.Shasta after visiting and teaching Thai Bodywork in Guatemala.
