This year’s theme for National Chiropractic Health Month is “keep moving!” When gyms and studios closed and many started working from home full-time, sometimes with children or other dependents at home to manage as well, established movement practices fell by the wayside. So, how do you ‘keep’ moving if you don’t even know where to start?

Movement Benefits

Let’s start with the “why.” Why start moving and why keep moving? We’ve all heard the stats on physical fitness, but here are some facts you may not know:

Long periods of inactivity actually change baseline vital signs like resting heart rate, respiration, and metabolic needs. Muscle fiber types can start to change and bone density can decrease. There’s also the mental component of movement. Moving the body around, interacting with different people and environments helps to keep our minds agile. This means movement is crucial for overall health, in particular as we age.

How to Start Moving

The human body and mind tend to thrive on routine. Whatever your current routine includes — whether you’re running marathons or remaining sedentary— is what your body likes to do. This feedback loop means that long-standing periods of inactivity lead to increased fatigue, tiredness, and lethargy, which makes it even more difficult to make a change. The initial effort to overcome that habit and begin a movement practice can be monumental. However, while our inherent affinity for routine can be a road-block to starting a movement habit, it can also work in our favor to maintain that habit. Establishing a movement routine can set you up for a lifelong healthy habit!

Start by doing anything — whatever you’re willing to do, no matter what it is. Maybe you start with a walk to the end of your driveway, or 2 pushups at each commercial break. You have to do the thing that you’re willing to do.

How to Keep Moving

Reminder: movement can be fun! Willpower might get you started, but it’s not what will keep you going. Picking an activity that you enjoy or sharing it with someone you have fun with can make a huge difference in your ability to remain consistent with your exercise.

Setting goals can also help you maintain motivation even on those days when you may not feel like it. Goals can be fitness-oriented like running a marathon, weight-lifting increases, or gaining muscle mass, or they can be lifestyle-oriented like picking up your grandkids, or walking the dog every day.

Safety

When you’re starting to move again after being inactive, safety is imperative. Assume that your capacity for activity will be diminished, be aware of your limits and focus on what’s working for you right now, rather than trying to compare yourself to others or to your previous fitness level. Be patient and go slow. Over time your capacity will increase and you’ll be well on your way to your goals! In the words of Confucius: “it does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”