
Regular short periods of movement can have a profound effect on our health, fitness and happiness.
For many of us and particularly those in the western hemisphere, our environment presents many challenges. Our bodies are more sedentary than ever. We are sitting for hours in front of screens, be that laptop, phone or television.
Recent statistics show that half of us are either pre-diabetic or diabetic, one in three will develop heart disease or cancer, one in four of us have some kind of mental disorder and one in 14 will develop Alzheimers, a number that is doubling every five years. Not pretty reading.
The good news is that we can do something about it! Regular movement can play a key role in avoiding the above, with studies suggesting that regular movement can have long term benefits to our metabolic health, reduce the chance of serious illness and also boosts our immune function.
Incorporating ‘intentional movement’ as much as you can throughout the day is a great way to keep fit and healthy. That doesn’t necessarily mean getting your kit out of the wardrobe, dusting off your trainers and attempting to beat yourself up in the gym.
There are many ways to easily incorporate movement into our days – doing a few squats, lunges or push ups every 30 minutes can have significant metabolic benefits – little and often is the key, with one study suggesting that a short 1 minute 40 second walk was more effective in clearing glucose and reducing insulin spikes than just one 30 minute walk a day – The key is creating balance with consistency rather than intensity.
Make movement fun and inspiring and part of the day – go for a walk with a friend or walk while you give yourself time to listen to your favourite podcast or music.
For a more in-depth look at intentional movement and how you can incorporate it into your lifestyle, do listen to my video and download the pdf summary in the Resources section of the site.