“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl but by all means keep moving forward” -Martin Luther King Jr.
I absolutely LOVE this quote. At age 50 something, a mom of four and a wife to a retired ARMY soldier I can’t repeat this enough to myself daily.
Those RESOLUTIONS~
I know it is January and folks have made New Year’s resolutions of: I will exercise more, swear less, read a book a month, travel, focus more on me, and my favorite….I will eat better. Trust me I’m guilty of all of those and more. But as I get older, I have a little different perspective. I don’t make those resolutions and I eat the chips and salsa. Everything in moderation, within reason of course.
Let the Past be in the Past~
The days of me training and running marathons, Ragnar’s and ARMY 10 Milers were some incredible accomplishments. Yes, I’m all about the T-shirts. Running long was a great way for me to have that “me time”. Then I started running with friends during deployments. What a great way to help a fellow ARMY Sister out by chatting, venting and just having that companionship that we all needed during those times.
I’m in a different season of life where my body is saying “it’s time to step back a bit” Have I stopped? No. I just do things a little differently with “Keep Moving” as my go-to phrase these days.
Be in the Present~
I start first thing in the morning with Thanking GOD for another day, stretching in my bed and rolling out and continue with a few more stretches. Hydration is key at any age, it is 16 oz of water with a drop of lemon essential oil to get things moving daily.
What will I do today? Jump on the rebounder, run 3ish miles, row, elliptical or just walk outdoors or a little bit of all of that. If you haven’t caught on, I’m a cardio girl. Maybe it is a slow morning and I want to have coffee, read my daily reflection, then take the pup for a walk around our 40 acres or do a little Yoga. Is that moving? 100% .
Do I lift weights? Only my own body weight through push-ups, lunges and planks. Is that the correct thing to do, well we do lose muscle mass as we get older, that is a given, I want to focus more on stability and balance then lifting heavy weights.
“Being strong all around is important at your age to prevent injuries” say’s my old trainer Pete when we were stationed in MD “yes Jenn you lifting your body weight it still weight training”. That is so what I wanted to hear.
Try new things~
If cardio or weight training is not your thing try gardening, another favorite of mine, hiking and biking, kayaking, dog walking, I so want to try Pickle Ball, golfing or how about joining a Pilates or Yoga class. Your local communities on or off your military installations (Spouses Clubs, Mommy and Me Groups, churches) may have clubs you can join for FREE. Park further away from the entrances to the grocery stores or malls. You’re getting the point, anything that keeps you moving.
Find a buddy~
I never used to like to run with people or earbuds or go to the gym for fitness classes, until I started running with folks and joining those FREE classes at the gyms where ever we were stationed. The chatting keeps me breathing, the accountability of someone waiting for me, motivating and encouraging each other and I will say it…It’s “funner” to have someone to keep moving with.
I also LOVE my Apple Watch that gives me a reminder to take a breath, get up and move and calculates my activities of the day. Closing those rings daily is a goal. Even if you don’t get them closed I can make a plan for the next day, maybe set 10,000 steps daily. Also love that it monitors my heart rate. Reminder don’t start a new vigorous activity without talking to your physician.
Do what works for you~
I feel like 30-45 minutes or so a day with Saturdays off is plenty for me. Giving me a mental boost, supporting my heart and bone health, the feeling of having more energy and sometimes helps with my sleep.
Maybe it is 20-30 minutes every other day and changing up the activities works for you. Doing those morning and evening stretches to get things started and finished for the day. Check in with our own Taylor Hester, MilMC Contributor and Fitness Consultant she too has many ideas that have been shared to our IG and FB pages.
I will continue running my 5-mile Friday, yes until my boys return from deployment, it can’t come soon enough. Will I continue to mix it up? Yes, regular exercise to me is a powerful tool for maintaining my healthy lifestyle. I find including movement in my daily habits makes me feel better in my mind and body. Give it a try I promise you won’t be disappointed. I will be checking back in with you in March.
