How To Have An Active Summer
To have an active summer, all you need to do is to just do it. Yes, that’s right, find that sport, hobby, or activity that you enjoy and get out and do it. You don’t need to run 10 miles every day or play in a tennis tournament every weekend to be considered active. Being active is all about moving your body in a way that supports healthy joint mobility and allows you to develop strength and fitness. For each of us, this means something entirely different. How, when, and why you’re active is tied directly to how you’re feeling physically and emotionally. To help you have an active summer, we’ve put together our best tips and advice on how you can incorporate activity into your day-to-day. Too many of us mistakenly believe that being active means a rigorous training program or huffing and puffing around the block – it’s time to put an end to these myths. Follow our tips on how to have an active summer and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. Move Every Single Day So often when we think of exercise and activity we think of sports like running, swimming, hiking, bodybuilding, or kayaking. This thought process creates inherent and automatic barriers to being active. It’s easy to think “Oh, I couldn’t join a gym” or “But I’m so out-of-shape” or “My joints are so stiff”. The good news is that simple regular every day movement is considered to be exercise and activity.
- Carrying the laundry outside and hanging it on the clothesline. You have to pick-up the laundry basket, carry it outside, put it down, pick up each item and hang it on the line and later you have to repeat the process in reverse. That’s a lot of bending, lifting, and standing – in other words, activity and exercise.
- Doing the housework. Think of all the bending, lifting, pushing, scrubbing, and elbow grease that goes into keeping your house clean. Washing the floors, vacuuming the carpet, moving furniture, wiping counters, etc. – this all adds up to a lot of movement.
- Running errands. It might seem trivial, but all of the movement you do while running errands adds up. We’re guessing you have to walk around a few stores, walk to the mailbox, carry shopping bags and purchased items, etc. – again all ways you’re using your muscles and joints.