Don’t Start Exercising!…yet
Would you buy a house without checking over the property first and researching the market,or take a holiday to a foreign country without finding out what your destination has to offer? Holistic Movement Coaches love exercise with a passion. It’s good stuff! But making the decision to start is a big one, and starting only to fail can dent your future motivation, your wallet and your body. The thing is that starting an exercise programme adds more stress to the body. If your body has been under stress from a poor diet, poor sleep, and high workloads,adding extra exercise stress may not be the best way to start a long term successful programme. You can’t withdraw money from an ATM if you’ve got no money in the bank. If you’re going to add more stress to the body and use energy – you need to make sure you’re adding energy for your body to draw on. Just like spending money which you don’t have makes you broke, hard exercise without investing in the foundations of your health will just break your body. Two key foundations that we focus on at Holistic Movement Coach are diet and sleep. If you optimise your diet and your sleep your energy levels will greatly improve and the stress on your body will reduce. This will give you a better chance at starting and succeeding in an exercise programme without burning out or getting injured.
2 Quick steps to improve your diet:
1. Drink plenty of water. Your urine should be straw coloured rather than dark green
2.Eat food–read the packets. Reduce foods with labels that have lots of numbers as ingredients–these ingredients aren’t food. Fresh local vegetables and good quality meats are ideal–we’re not short of excellent produce in New Zealand or Australia.
Sleep guidelines to give you more energy
1.You need 6.5-9hrs sleep each night (not to be confused with watching TV in bed) for optimal health. There is some variation between people
2.Ideally go to bed by 10.30pm at the latest. Being a night owl doesn’t work for most people
3.Taking some relaxation time –walking on beach, reading a book, playing with your kids is great for your health. Time out is great for regenerating the mind and body.
Before you invest in an exercise programme, make sure that your body is ready to take on the benefits that regular exercise provides. Set yourself up for success.