Keep it Simple… Be Active

I was training my client last week and we were watching this little kid trying to use one of the machines and you could tell that he was way too small for it. He couldn’t even sit properly in the machine and the handles were too big for his little hands. She said that kids that young shouldn’t have to go to the gym and worry about reps and sets to be active. Children should be outside playing with friends and siblings. It is sad that children these days have to pay for recreation and organized sports instead of just going outside. Growing up, my sister and I were always outside playing with each other and friends. We would play outside in every season. We were lucky enough to have the Greenbelt in our backyard. We would play in the forest, play with our dogs and just enjoy nature. It wasn’t structured or monitored, it was free, fun and natural.

Being active and healthy is natural, that’s the way God made us. He made us to be active and healthy. He put nutritious food all around us in the ocean and on earth; all the plants and animals for us to eat. He also made the lands and waters for us to enjoy and explore and be a part of. In the past most of the population were naturally active. They walked everywhere and swam to stay healthy, for transportations and for fun. In our generation we all are living the lives of kings and queens and we are getting lazy because of technology. People don’t want to go out and do something physical due to lack of energy, time, interest, or availability.

The truth is, it doesn’t take much to be active and you don’t always have to go to the gym. A friend of mine hates the gym but he is very active. He runs, plays golf, soccer, snowboards, and plays other sports with his buddies. That’s an awesome way to stay fit and healthy. I encourage you to find what you are passionate about and pursue that passion. It can be organized like a sports or other recreation with friends or by yourself. It can be a leisure activity that you enjoy doing when you have free time like swimming or running. It can even be spontaneous and free like going to the park with your kids, wrestle or a good pillow fight! Just enjoy it and do it as much as possible because the more you do, the better off you are. When you enjoy it, you will want to do more and more. On top of it being fun, you will have reduced stress, increased stamina and muscle endurance. It will reduce your chances of life threatening illnesses and keep you looking and feeling young.

If you feel that you are too busy in life because of your responsibilities, then there are still choices you can make and things you can do to be active; take the stairs, stand up more often, hold and walk with your baby, instead of a chair sit on a stability ball, or walk to shorter destinations. These are all things that you can do to improve your health and quality of life. Along with a conscious balanced diet, you can live an amazing and long lasting life. So wake up and be active everyday my friends, it’s one of the great gifts God gave us to enjoy!!

Until next time…keep fit and have fun! (sorry I had to)

God Bless

Daniel

Picture 1: Tiff and I wake boarding at the cottage
Picture 2: Capri and Tiff Paddle Boarding
Picture 3: Capri playing in the lake