Live It Articles Head Outside and...

Walk, jog, bike, hike, play tennis, skate, ride a horse, do some gardening, wash your car or… you fill in the blank. This is quite a variety of activities, but they do have something in common. They all require physical movement. They are all part of an active lifestyle, and they all can be a part of your fitness regime.  Some of these activities are “aerobic”—they challenge your heart to work hard over a period of time and strengthen your heart muscle and cardiovascular system. They require sustained work of major muscle groups. They include walking, jogging, biking, hiking, and swimming--to name a few. Other activities are anaerobic, requiring short bursts of energy and intense movement, such as tennis. Still others are more focused on strength and flexibility—gardening, for example, requires leg, arm and back strength as well as the flexibility to stretch and reach where needed to get the job done. Even washing your car is being active—and is really fun on a warm day (especially if the kids are involved!) It beats standing still and watching the car going through the car wash, and it saves money, too!

Fitness should ‘fit’ into your everyday life
It can be something that you do together as a family. Plan a weekend family hike in a beautiful area near where you live. Plan an active vacation where you fit in lots of fitness activities. Walk with your husband in the evening after work, or walk around the baseball or soccer field while your kids are at practice, instead of running errands.  Even little things, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, add to the fitness and activity of your day. Over time, day after day, all of this adds up to a healthy, active lifestyle that will give you strength and energy.

There is no better time than now to get started!
It’s springtime! The beautiful weather is calling your name. Listen and step outside. Take a deep breath, put on your fitness shoes and get moving. Do the thing that appeals to you most, or do the thing that needs to be done around the house, then feel the satisfaction of a job well done and a body that is doing what God designed it to do.

Blessings, 

Jeannie Blocher
President, Body and Soul Ministries
www.bodyandsoul.org