Mindful Monday: Move that body!

This post is Part 8 of a 10 part series that is an extension of this post I wrote on the subject of the importance of introducing some regular Digital Detox time in our lives. In that post I listed 10 Good Reasons to introduce regular Digital Detox time into our lives. Each week for 10 weeks I will expand a little on each of those 10 reasons listed.  If you haven’t already, you might like to check out:  Part 1 – De-Clutter Your Mind, Part 2 – Reconnect to the Present, Part 3 – Conduct a Self-Audit, Part 4 – Get Outdoors in Nature, Part 5 – Chip away at those extra elusive little chores, Part 6 – Spend some time with your loved ones and Part 7 – Read a Book. This week we look at:

MOVE THAT BODY

This is one thing that I have to put my hand up and admit that I would not win any awards at! At just a smidge over 5ft and not blessed with a long lean athletic body, I have never been athletic nor have I been a sports lover.

When I was younger, though not a sporty girl, I did enjoy some sports such as tennis, netball, squash and aerobics!   Oh aerobics in the 80’s is so funny to remember. The fashion back then!  Those were the days of bright colours, big hair, leatards, scrunchies and leg warmers.  This is similar to how I use to deck myself out!

I’m not going to lie to you, I’m not a fan of getting all hot, sweaty, breathless and uncomfortable. These days I do enjoy a good long walk (especially bush walking), though I know I should do more. I like to try and achieve 10,000 steps per day as recommended (though I really need to improve on my attempts lately)! 10,000 steps is roughly equivalent to 8 kilometres so no walk in the park! (no pun intended lol)

Here’s an interesting fact for you: Did you know that 10,000 steps could burn around 20% of an individual’s caloric intake? True!

You might be a runner or have a passion for a particular sport or you could be like me and prefer the less sweaty & gasping for breath option of brisk walking.  Whichever you are, we all know that we need to move our bodies, right?  We all know that we need to walk away from computers, gadgets, phones, desks, chairs and our sedentary lifestyles each day to get in some movement.  Our bodies are not meant to live the sedentary lifestyle of our modern age!

We all know the benefits of getting outside into the fresh air and nature.  We all know that moving our bodies is essential for:

• increased energy
• relaxation and to clear our minds
• improving our moods and mental function
• helping to manage our weight
• promoting healthier blood cholesterol and blood pressure
• building stronger bones and muscles
• reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke
• fending off diabetes by improving the bodies ability to use insulin
• loosening up stiff arthritic joints
• counteract anger, depression and anxiety

So find the thing or things that you like to do.  If you’re like me, aim for 10,000 steps a day!  Sometimes it’s a push to get out there but when you’re done you feel so much better for it and you’re always glad you did it!

Ciao for now,

Image Credits:  The featured image and image used at the top of this post was taken by me when bush walking around Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.  The 80’s aerobic image and the feet walking image are not my own and have been hyperlinked to their source.

Important Note unrelated to this post:  There will be no more posts from me this week.  I need some catch up time for writing, editing and planning.  I haven’t had a chance to catch up since I got back from Tasmania and am finding that I’m typing posts up late the night before they are published which is not a good position to be in.  Meanwhile, I’ll be sharing some posts from the archives on Facebook so keep watch for that!  🙂

Linking up with One Mother Hen for #OpenSlather