Finding the balance in movement

August 09, 2017

You may have considered what your life looks like in the overall balance of what you do, and how you balance your time and energy with family and friends, work, rest and recreation, personal development, etc. But have you ever considered the balance of what you do within the realm of those subgroups, and more specifically in relation to your health and fitness?

Old habits die hard – mental v. physical

There are many benefits to exercise, both physically and mentally and we need to ensure we are getting the most out of it. Old habits die hard and often when it comes to it we stick to doing what we know and what we enjoy, repeating it over and over again several days a week, every week to achieve our exercise goals. But to a certain degree this doesn’t really work for most. You may find that your fitness time is compromised, not because you don’t recognise the need to do it, but more because you become tired of doing the same thing over and over again and lose your motivation. Perhaps this is when you need to change your fitness activities by engaging a friend, or even by joining a club/gym/group and making a financial commitment to the cause. For many, however, failure happens because of a lack of mental stimulation. For example, if you’re a walker or a runner and you go away for a short getaway, how much easier is it to pound the pavement in a new, unfamiliar and stimulating environment? The same can happen when you listen to some good music, or an audiobook whilst exercising. The time ticks by really quickly and before you know it your time has elapsed and you have moved further and with greater ease than when you’re back at home plodding along the same old beaten track. The mental stimulation helps the physical performance. The same is true of the reverse and Health & Fitness by many of you will attest to the improvement in mental state and productivity that follows a period of sustained physical exertion.

ACTION:

Review your exercise regime. Is it merely routine or fresh? Do you need to change the environment you exercise in, the type of exercise you perform or make healthy choices about when you do that exercise to gain the best of the benefits in the rest of your life? Or perhaps you also need to review what you do after that exercise?

Thoughts from Scott Ward