Are you driven by your ‘why’ or ‘why not’

We just returned from another great trip to Indiana and Michigan to review fitPrescriptions Injury Prevention Program with our Indiana-Michigan Power clients. As always, we had a wonderful time seeing our friends and meeting new ones. They are such a fine group of hard working people that we have had the privilege to work with over the last several months. They have been engaged in the program for about 14 months and still going strong. We go to provide encouragement, show them new exercises, motivate them to keep going strong and remind them to stay true to their “Why.” The “Why” I am speaking of is a crucial component to any behavior change. Why are you changing your behavior, why are you exercising on a regular basis, why do you do this even when you are busy, tired and disinterested? Your why must be stronger than your why not! In other words, why not just skip today, why not work behind my desk today, why not wait and start my program next week and the list goes on and on. Establishing a strong why will take the habit from your head to your heart and once it is tied to an emotion you are more likely to com-plete the task than not. I hope that makes a little bit of sense to you.

If you are wanting to add a healthy habit to your lifestyle think about all the reasons you would want to do that. For me, it is definitely to combat the side effects of a sedentary lifestyle, which will limit me as I age. I want to be the Lolly (Grandmother) that can swim, bike, hike, play outside, and keep up with my grandchildren. I also desire to retire healthy so Mike and I can enjoy traveling, hiking, biking, and just be-ing active together. All of this takes some intentional lifestyle changes.

The side effects of a sedentary lifestyle are alarming, to say the least. Lifestyle related chronic diseases are plaguing our country. Let’s look at a few side effects:

» Cardiovascular disease

» High Blood Pressure

» Type 2 diabetes

» Colon Cancer

» Higher risk of breast cancer

» Depression

» Anxiety

» Compromised posture, muscle aches and pains

» Higher risk for Dementia and Alzheimer’s

» Higher risk of blood clots in the lungs

» Sleep problems

» Higher risk for stroke

» Weaker Immune system

» Osteoporosis

» Elevated Cholesterol

» Less Productive

Truly that is just a few of the side effects of a sedentary lifestyle, but you get the point.

To fuel your “why” one step further, A new study published in May 2016 in the journal of the American Medical Assosciation (JAMA) offers some pretty strong incentive. It finds that people who get more physi-cal activity in their leisure time have reduced risk of 13 types of the 26 types of cancer that were analyzed. The study, by Steven C. Moore, Ph.D., NCI (National Cancer Institute), and colleagues, appeared May 16, 2016, in JAMA Internal Medicine. The cancers that were mentioned were breast, lung, colon, liver, esoph-agus, kidney, stomach, endometrium, blood, bone marrow, head and neck, rectum and bladder cancers.

Keep in mind that physical activity is moderate intensity exercise. You do not have to run 10 miles or go to the gym for hours. Just choose to be active every day. You can walk 2-3 miles, stroll your grandchild, garden, ride a bike, hike, swim, take an exercise class, resistance train, and move more than you sit! Keep your “why” at the forefront of your mind and why not will soon disappear.

See you in the gym!