Any Exercise Is Better Than No Exercise!

I think I'm gonna want that put on my grave marker, I say it so much: Any Exercise Is Better Than No Exercise!

If you only have time for a 5-minute walk, take a 5 minute walk!

If you have an injury that won't let you exercise for more than a few minutes, exercise for a few minutes!

If you feel like the little bit you can do won't matter, it matters!

First of all, any amount of moving will help to raise your metabolism, which I covered in my "Move More" post. This makes you burn more calories, which in turn makes you slimmer, which in turn, makes you healthier. Why? Because It ALL Makes A Difference! (Title of blog, in case you needed reminding one more time.)

And second of all, when you DO get to where you can put in more time/effort for physical activity, you will be that much more fit to get started and make the most of it.

And it might, just maybe, be the thing that finally gets you into action about setting aside time for full-blown workouts. Gosh, I hope so! But even if it's not, any exercise is better than no exercise.

Hey, listen- I'm a big proponent of long, thorough workouts. I love them, and I do them often. But today, due to a thunderstorm this morning during my regular walk time, all I could do was an afternoon walk in the Texas heat with the dog and my 20-year old daughter. It was NOT what I would call a cardiovascular workout. It's wasn't even really what I would call a workout. Between the dog (who is fickle on a leash), the heat (waaaaaaay too hot to be exerting myself much) and talking to my daughter (who really needed some mom-gab time), getting a true cardio workout was impossible. But you know what? It was the best I could do today. And that has to be good enough. I could have said to myself "What the heck? It won't even be enough of a workout to shower- what's the point?" But I didn't, because I know that any exercise is better than no exercise. (And because I know that one scheduled exercise day without exercise could lead to two, which could start me on the sedentary path, which I never want to be on again.)

Here are a few ideas:

- Do push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, something during the TV commercials to a 1/2 hour show.

- Do calf raises or modified push-ups on the counter (feet on floor, hands on counter edge) in the kitchen while you are waiting for your microwave popcorn to finish.

- Do walking lunges while you walk through the house: http://www.5min.com/Video/Walking-Lunges-30427368?sid=247 (trust me- you'll feel this one the next day!)

- Go for a quick walk whenever you can fit it into the day.

- Go dancing. (Dancing, any kind, is GREAT exercise!)

- Sit on an exercise ball at your desk instead of a regular chair. (I'm sitting on one right now!)

The power really is yours to decide if you will do nothing or something. And in the case of exercise, something, unless under doctors orders to do otherwise, is always better than nothing.