Walking, running, swimming, climbing stairs – even fidgeting! – any activity that gets you moving is good for you. And vigorous exercise helps dissipate stress hormones like adrenaline.
Some tips:
- Start with something you enjoy or are already doing.
- Think of exercise as movement. There is no right or wrong way to move your body. Find movement that you enjoy doing!
- If you want to start walking in the morning, have your walking clothes and shoes next to your bed so when you wake up its easy to get ready to walk out the door
- Keep it simple! Movement doesn’t have to be hard. It can be joyful and even relaxing. If walking in the morning is a new habit, start small and slowly increase your walk over time.
- Experiment with how to make movement work for your life eg, short bursts of movement throughout your day.
- Build in accountability. You could walk with a friend, meet a friend at the gym, join an online accountability group.
- Nest your movement habit into another habit such as dropping kids off at school or eating lunch.
- Reframe you movement experience: you’re not aiming for perfection, but consistency. When you can’t do it all, aim to do something.
Exercise is one way we can take care of our physical bodies. If you want help with caring for your physical health, Press On: Building resilience & mental wellbeing provides you with tips and input on how you can build regular exercise into your life.
