Day 5 - Move

You’re not a potted plant–MOVE!

Sitting is killing us.

I don’t mean like a bad movie is killing you, I mean like a gun to the head is killing you.

We’re made to move and when we don’t move bad things happen.

Dr. Joan Vernikos was responsible for helping keep NASA astronauts healthy during long space flights.

Early in her work she and her colleagues figured out that long periods of the microgravity environment of space flight reaped havoc on the astronauts’ bodies.

Bone density and muscle mass dropped alarmingly.

Over the years she figured out that long hours of sitting closely mimicked the microgravity of space.

No, your pen doesn’t float off of your desk, but hours of sitting staring into a computer screen rob your body of the benefits of gravity.

It’s having a negative impact on our cardiovascular and metabolic health as well as our bone density and muscle mass.

You don’t have to walk around the block you just have to let gravity do a little work.

I’ve got a couple of kettlebells and if I’ve been sitting for too long I’ll grab one of them and do 10-15 kettlebells swings or some kettlebell presses.

Or knock out 30 seconds of air squats and then go grab a glass of water.

Maybe you’re a jump rope ninja or a wall sitting beast, it doesn’t matter what the exercise is – just figure out 30 seconds of something and move around for a minute or so.

Reading Facebook while you walk doesn’t count. In fact, it subtracts 5 minutes from your life.

So, we’ve talked about brief micro breaks, let’s talk about more sustained movement.

I’m hoping by the time that you finish this challenge you’ll be as big a fan of walks as I am.

It gets you outside in the sun and the fresh air, it trains your body to burn fat instead of carbs, it’s weight bearing so it helps build bone density and muscle mass, and it’s a great way to meet people in your neighborhood and that can expand your level of community.

Maybe your schedule is tight and you’re not going to get in your regular walk.

No problem, grab your kettlebells and do 3 sets of 15 reps of kettlebell swings.

That will help get the blood flowing.

Be sure to check out a couple of YouTube videos to make sure that you have the form down. You’re using your hips to initiate the swing, not your shoulders.

If you’re going to the mall or the grocery store don’t worry about getting a parking place up by the front. Save the paint on the doors of your car and get some exercise at the same time. Park on the back row and walk. And be that person that takes the stairs instead of the elevator.

There are plenty of ways to build movement into your life, but you have to be on the lookout for them.

Today’s assignments: Eating real food is a given, same with walking and sleep – just be sure to do them separately, and today any time you’ve been sitting longer than 45 minutes, get up and move for a minute and throw in a serious set of body weight exercise.  Mix it up throughout the day.

Planks, squats, pushups, wall sits, jumping jacks, lunges – mix it up!