5 Ways to Get Exercise without Going to the Gym

We all want to feel happier, healthier, and more vibrantly alive. What if in just 40 days we could reach a new level of wellness and balance that we've never experienced before? In 40 Days to Better Living: Optimal Health (Barbour Publishing, July 2011), Dr. Scott Morris and the Church Health Center staff offer a straightforward and successful plan to get there.
40 Days to Better Living: Optimal Health offers clear, manageable steps to life-changing attitudes and actions in a context of understanding and grace for all people at all points on the journey to optimal health. With plenty of practical advice, spiritual encouragement, and real stories of those who have found a better life, this simple and skillfully crafted book inspires readers to customize their own path to wellness by using the 7-Step Model for Healthy Living as a guide. One of those 7 steps is Movement.

5 Ways to Get Exercise without Going to the Gym

By Richard Murphy, MS, ACSM-HFS
Manager, Exercise & Movement - Church Health Center Wellness

For most of us, it is no secret that we need to move more to be healthy. Getting more exercise helps us physically, lowering our blood pressure, increasing our heart health, and helping us to manage weight. But exercising also helps us in other areas of our lives. When we exercise, we feel better. We are happier, less stressed, and more positive. Finally exercise can help us to connect with God in unexpected ways. Getting regular exercise helps us to feel more connected to our bodies – the very bodies that God created. We are reminded when we move that God is working in our lives.

For many of us, however, getting enough exercise (or even a little exercise) is a challenge simply because it is difficult to find the time to get to the gym. The good news is that there are many ways to get moving without buying a gym membership:

1. Use a pedometer. A pedometer is a device that measures how far you walk, and will help you to keep track of how many steps you are taking each day. Once you know how many steps you take each day, you can try to "add steps" by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, doing a couple of laps around your house, or taking a walk around the block. Ideally, you can build up to about 10,000 steps each day.

2. Make the most of running errands. When you drive to the store, park as far away from the entrance as you can. Even better, try walking to the store. Once you get to the store and have loaded up your cart, take an extra "lap" around the grocery store. That lap will add around100 steps to your day (depending on the size of your store.)

3. Walk around your neighborhood. Four to five times a week, try to block out 30 minutes to an hour to go for a walk around your neighborhood. This can be a great activity before you have dinner. As a bonus, walking around the neighborhood is a great way to enjoy the company of friends and family as well as the changing seasons.

4. Work out while you work. If you work at an office, try replacing your office chair with a large exercise ball. This will keep you moving throughout the day, as well as giving you better posture. You can also bring some small hand weights and do bicep curls when you have a bit of down time.

5. Have fun! Find ways to enjoy yourself as you exercise. Turn on music and dance around your living room. Find a place where you like to walk, or find friends to join you in a walking group. The more you enjoy your exercise, the more likely you are to stick with it!

God created us to move, and exercise is one important aspect of the Model of Healthy living, which includes faith life, medical concerns, work, emotional health, family and friends, nutrition, and of course, movement. But exercise need not always include going to the gym. Instead, getting regular exercise can be built into our lives, just as good nutrition and an active spiritual life can be built into our days.

To find out more about the Model of Healthy Living and living a wellness-oriented life and to understand better how exercise fits into a Model for Healthy Living, check out 40 Days to Better Living at http://www.healthcareyoucanlivewith.com/40DaysSeries.