| Our bodies are designed to move is a simple fact, but it's easy to forget this concept and go days without moving much. Lack of movement, not age, is the major determinant of health throughout life. As young kids we naturally move (play) all the time - it comes naturally to us. As we grow older and especially in adulthood, life (school, work, kids, household chores, errands, social events) gets in the way of movement and we often forget what play is. Reintroducing play and joy in your daily life will have immensely beneficial positive impacts on your health. |  Play brings smiles to kids faces and involves spontaneous and varied movement. |
Exercise doesn't have to be something we dread. As adults we too often think the only way to get movement is to exercise and exercise to many is thought of as a chore. Forcing ourselves to suffer through 30-60 minutes of exercise a couple days a week is not that good for us, and definitely not something fun or playful.
When we can find ways to play through movement and make it fun (think smiling, laughing, playing with others) it fills in the missing piece to our life and becomes something we want to do and want to do often.
When we can find ways to play through movement and make it fun (think smiling, laughing, playing with others) it fills in the missing piece to our life and becomes something we want to do and want to do often.
What are some ways to bring playful and fun movement into our life on a regular basis?
Dancing - whether a dance class, dancing at a wedding, dancing at a concert, or dancing at home. Dancing especially unstructured and spontaneous movement is so good for us. Dance parties at home with my kids was a weekly highlight for me.
Playing with kids - playing with your kids, grandkids, or friends kids is a guaranteed way to get a variety of movement in your life while smiling the entire time. Running around playing tag, playing on the jungle gym, crawling around on the floor with a baby, or playing sports with kids are all great ideas. When my kids were young I would always join them in the jungle gym, or kicking a soccer ball, or shooting hoops, or riding bikes, scooters, or skateboards around - so fun and such a good workout!
Playing with your dog. My dog loves to play and engaging with him is so fun. Playing fetch, playing chase around the house or yard, playing tug, or wrestling - he loves it all and gives me so much joy and movement.
Playing sports - pickleball, tennis, basketball, soccer, volleyball, table tennis, whatever sounds fun. The more variety of sports we play the better. And try to laugh and have fun rather than take it seriously all the time. The goal is find joy in movement.
Get outside and just have fun. Interact with nature - run barefoot through the wet grass, climb a tree, dig in your garden, skip rocks across the river, swim in a lake, scramble up the rocks. Again pretend you are 8 years old and do what your younger self would do.
The goal with each of these is to find something that causes you to smile, laugh, lose track of time, and move in new and varied ways outside normal exercise. What are your favorite ways to play and bring joy to movement?
RSS Feed