Movement 101: Hop to it!

Hey Folks! We're excited to welcome back Certified 21DSD Coach Angelique Trigueros. Angelique's article is part of a series contributed by our Certified 21DSD Coaches. Enjoy! – Diane and Team

We all hear about how important it is to “work out” but little time is spent assessing why we should do it. However, it is more than just a buzz word or something to avoid and only consider when it gets closer to January. Exercise actually has significant benefits that go past the outward physical changes your body undergoes with a well-established routine. Don't try to do too much at once because you will be asking yourself why you are putting yourself through it all! It is important to find an activity you will enjoy so that any aches and pains you get from it are worth it. Dip your toe into things that you are curious about.

So, without further ado, here are 5 ways to infuse even a little extra movement into your life without making a huge switch all at once. Remember, little changes will add up to big results!!

• Walking! The easiest of all exercises! Commit to walking 5-10 minutes daily. Pick the same time so that it becomes part of a routine and then mix it up from there. Park as far away from where you are going as you can (without forgetting where you parked!!) and walk it. Walking improves circulation and range of motion. Low impact.
• Yoga! You do not need to leave your home to attend a class if you don't want. This can be done with about as much space as a regular towel length. Keep it free and check out some reputable videos on YouTube. It is hard to go wrong with stretching which helps to improve digestion, range of motion, and flexibility. It also really moves the cerebral spinal fluid around keeping us mentally and physically sound. Non-impact.
• Hula hooping! Grab a decent quality hoop (I recommend one that is sized for an adult and has a weight in it) and just start whipping it around your waist! It is fun and funny especially if you involve others. This is great for coordination and circulation. Non-impact.
• Stair-stepping! If you recall “the step” of the late 80s and early 90s you can appreciate this! I am not one to just randomly hop up and down on a step–I kind of like several. If you have stairs in your home then you probably do this all the time, so I challenge you to do it just a few more times than you already do. That's right–just took a load of laundry upstairs? Go back down and up again three more times for that one task. Just because! Don't have stairs? Find them everywhere you go and do them with purpose! When you get really good with them you can bound up them or start skipping a step as you ascend. Moves circulation, improves coordination. Non and Low impact.
• Just dance!! Pop some music on that makes you wanna groove and do what you want! No rules here! This will get your endorphins flowing which will improve your happiness. Naturally, this is great for circulation and could be good for flexibility and range of motion depending on what kind of dancing you do. HA!! Maybe you can make your own YouTube videos and inspire others!

Always be kind to yourself and do not compare yourself to others. We are all on our own path and it is perfectly alright to be behind someone else. They can teach you things! And once YOU start, you are ahead of the next person and can help THEM!

Angelique Trigueros is a speech-language pathologist in the health care field, a certified professional life coach who specializes in wellness and mindset shifts, 21DSD Certified Coach, and a doctoral candidate in health psychology. She loves to run, hike and do yoga! She educates and trains health care professionals, progressive businesses and highly motivated individuals to use food to revitalize their lives, increase productivity, prevent and even reverse illness.