February has become the month for taking another look at your New Years Resolutions. Have you noticed there are more and more adds now in February for weight loss programs, gym memberships, and diets? We know that those who started out the year with a sprint toward a goal are by now losing steam. Reality sets in. Oh yeah, my life is a bit full and I don’t have time for what it takes to reach that big lofty goal. Time to make it more realistic.
I have a good friend who is a career coach. Her advice is to wait until February to set goals for the year. She recommends taking January to recover from the end of year craziness. It gives you a some distance from the previous year, so you can use it to inform you about what you want the new year to be about.
I like that idea. It is more humane. It allows some space to breathe and reflect. What is the rush anyway?!
Are you ready for a resolution reset? Fast forward to a year from now. Imagine it’s February 2020. What changes do you want to see in yourself, your life? What do you want to make sure you keep in your life this year? What is no longer serving your well-being and needs to go?
Here is the best part. You don’t have to worry about the answers. Let the questions hang around in the back of your mind as you go through your week. This mindset is enough to help you see what is working and what you need to change to be able to enjoy life a bit more.
What does this have to do with exercise? Your body and brain are ‘use it to keep it systems’. Every cell in your body – muscle, bone, connective tissue, nerve – are adaptable. All parts of you are made up of cells that adjust each day to what they are given. Think about that for a moment. You are made up of about 35 trillion cells! Each one of them can potentially improve when you exercise. They adapt to when you don’t move and when you do.
One perfect example is bone cells. After about 20 years old your bone mass is at its peak. That means that you are at risk to start losing more bone cells than you are producing. When you contract your muscles during strength training exercises, your bone cells get a signal to produce more bone cells. When your muscles don’t pull on your bones, more bone is lost than produced. Use it to keep it!
Enjoy the ‘pause’ this week. Check in on what is most important to you about your well-being. Then set your mind to exercise in a way that gives you more of what you want in the coming year. Then step confidently into the rest of 2019!
Keep Moving, Be Well,
Janet
Keep Moving Weekly 