These are words I’ve heard a lot in my lifetime; “But I don’t have time to work out”.  I’ve heard them from my own mouth, my friends mouthes, and random other people’s mouthes. I get it. Believe me- I TOTALLY get it! But as we age, finding time to workout is so imperative to our physical AND mental health.

I recently had to nurse an injury and its interesting how we forget how much better we feel when we’re working out regularly. Its so easy to get in that rut and just be lazy. But honestly, once I started to work out again within a week I started feeling better. After two weeks I started feeling great. And now I feel younger, more awake, more mentally crisp. My friends can attest for the positive shift in my mood. You want to know the true fountain of youth? I think its exercising!

Why do we need to exercise?

Movement keeps us young and happy!  No one says it better than Elle:

I’m no expert, nor do I truly understand (yet) the science behind it all,  but I’ve been doing a lot of reading on aging and centenarians who have maintained amazing quality of life. One top commonality between these centenarians that differentiates them from others (and their younger counterparts who are not doing so well) is movement. And we’re not just talking scooting your chair from one side of the room to the fridge to grab a beer, but actually getting up, going outside, and going for a walk.

Exercise prevents aging. Its a real-life vampire. Actually even better. Working out slows down the process of aging without making us crave a blood cocktail. When we work out and move our bodies, we increase certain hormones that fight off inflammation, depression, and metabolic dysfunction.

There are many forms of exercise:

You hate the gym? Ok. Who cares? There are SO many ways to exercise. The key is- find something that you love to do that requires movement.

Example: I LOVE ballet. I’m practically obsessed with it. Its definitely an addiction- but its a “healthy” addiction. As long as you find something you really enjoy and look forward to doing, it becomes easier to find time to fit it in.

I wake up super early in order to make it to my 8 am pre work ballet class. As hard as it is to get up, I love ballet so much that I’m able to motivate myself to push through. Once I started back into my workouts,  I immediately noticed that having ballet in my day made everything else less difficult. Things that had been putting me in a stressed out tizzy began just roll of my back. Deep breath and I figure it out. Seriously. Its amazing. (I better read this if/when I get stuck taking another break from my workouts).

A list of some light aerobic movements you may have never considered exercise (some of these are from an article I found on Nerd Fitness): 

Hiking/Walking with a friend (this can include your four legged furry friend)– its so funny in LA people consider walking up a hill at Roy Rogers park a hike. haha. For us hiking enthusiasts we know this is just an uphill walk. But whatever – its an uphill walk. Its fun. It gets you out doors. Its exercise you may not hate.

Larping –  Live Action Role Playing.  Might seem silly to those on the outside, but to those playing, it’s an amazing adventure that reminds us how awesome our imaginations are.  Also, depending on the game, you could be wearing a heavy costume, swinging heavy weaponry, and running for your life! – this sounds fun. Uh oh. Sounds kinda fun. Should I try it??

Geocaching – Geocaching is a adventure nerd’s dream brought to life.  Become a real life treasure-hunter (Lara Croft? Nathan Drake? You decide!), and get a great workout in while you’re at it.

Play a musical instrument – Did you know playing the violin for an hour burns about as many calories as walking around a track for an hour?  It turns out our brains can burn boatloads of calories too. So challenge your brain!

Fly a kite– not sure this really counts but seems like it could. Walking to the area you fly it. Standing up and holding your arms up. It has to count!

Sex– I mean, just putting that out there.

This article from Nerd Fitness is actually pretty amazing. For more ideas, read here: 25 ways to exercise without realizing it

Want to look and feel cute for your workout??

Having  workout clothes that you feel good in definitely helps motivate! To look chic but not “hi, I’m here to pick up dudes” at the gym, Danielle suggests Michi and Heroine Sport active wear :).

So, with all that being said- lets get out there and in the immortal words of Nike “Just do it!’

xoxo

QJ