Exercise + Nature + Senses = Immersion

Taking a walk in your favorite (or nearest) natural space is an easy way to expand your appreciation of spring. Nature, and especially trees, muffle civilization’s noises, creating space to hear the more subtle natural sounds. The exercise gets more blood flowing around your whole body, including your brain. Flooding your brain with extra blood (=extra oxygen) provides a fertile field for noticing more of the sensory input from nature, creating an upward spiral of physical and sensory experiences enriching each other. Focus on one element, like the crisp spring air, then pair it with each sense. How does the air feel on your fingertips? What smells is it bringing to you? Is it moving enough that you can hear it? Does it have a taste? How is it playing with the nature all around you? What words can you find to describe the uniqueness of the air-of-the-moment? Then take a deep breath to enhance the experience as a wonderful memory to keep you company while you do spring housecleaning!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Lopsided Loads Build Your Core

Parents often carry their children on one hip, and many of us have probably done it ourselves. It's easy to carry grocery bags or our purses on just one side. I have a shoulder bag and it always somehow seems to end up on my left hip, meaning my right shoulder is getting most of the workout. It turns out that a lopsided load makes our core muscles subtly adapt and strengthen to the asymmetry, without the necessity of doing those infamous crunches! It's a great way to build muscles without spending any extra time. However, if you get too habitual, using the same side all the time, the muscle building is also lopsided. It's easy to increase the value by getting into the habit of moving the load around.

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Raising the Bar That's Already There

You're already exercising every time you move--movement is simply a part of your day. Choosing to use that existing momentum gives you a head start on building more fitness into your daily life. Take a movement you're already doing, like getting out of your chair, and make it more conscious by raising the bar. Pay attention to what you're already doing and choose baby steps toward more challenge. A goal could be to be able to get up and down from the chair without using your hands. The next stretch could be to count how many times you can get up and down in 30 seconds. All the while, your legs will be getting stronger, and you will also be reaping the consequent benefits in improved movement and fall prevention!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Exercise in the Dentist's Chair

Once on a teeth-cleaning day, I did an experiment that turned out to be a wonderful addition to my dentist visit. It all started when I got out of the chair mid-cleaning and was so stiff I could barely walk. I realized it's worth the effort to keep our bodies active even if our face is pinioned in place. I made a game of moving every time her hand and attention were out of my mouth: cross right foot over left, cross left foot over right, shrugging shoulders, shift to right hip, shift to left hip, stretching my arms in any available direction, wiggling my back, bending both knees with feet on the chair, trying cross-legged. (To keep your dentist calm, it's probably a good idea to tell her what's happening.) Then when she was back in my mouth, I could focus on the challenge of taking even breaths and keeping my whole face relaxed. The movement helped my body, and being proactive helped my brain, and having my teeth clean helped my smile! 

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Victory Stance Works Both Ways

It's natural for winners to throw their heads back and put arms up and wide when reaching the finish line. The Victory Stance expresses winning as well as pride. Since not everybody can be the first to finish the race, it's nice that Victory Stance also works in reverse. Putting your body in the Stance stimulates feelings of confidence. Claiming a bigger physical space translates into more expansive thoughts. Expansive thinking inspires an uplifted mood, leading to your own feeling of victory. Try it: Hands up and out! Chin lifted! Legs wide and stable! Hold that pose. Suddenly you're a star!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Waiting, One Foot At A Time

Make the most out of time spent waiting. Stand on one foot at a time while waiting for the elevator, using a handy wall or railing for extra support. If you're in a line with a cart, use the instability of the wheels as an added challenge. Standing on one foot while holding on builds your leg muscles. Using your hands less and less for support adds a balance challenge. A worthwhile starting goal is to be able to stand on each foot for 5 seconds, building up to a minute, without help from your hands. Research shows that five seconds on one foot is the threshold of standing strength that helps us with fall prevention, and more than that is even better.

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Argh? Self-Soothe. Ahhh!

You can think and act better if you’re not distracted by being upset. There are so many reasons to feel anxiety and/or stress: maybe you overdid a workout, learned something distressing, ate too much junk food, or are facing a hard diagnosis. What’s soothing to each of us is as individual as we are. Maybe a hot bath, sitting a spell in a rocking chair, or a leisurely walk does it for you–pick your favorite(s). I challenge you to also find a quick and mobile way for self-soothing on the fly. For me, I find that one hand on my belly and the other on my heart is a reflex action that reminds me to slow my breathing. And for long-term relief, if you see me dressed in bright blue and walking toward my garden, it possibly means I’m giving myself a soothing uplift. Or maybe I’m just Very Behind on my weeding!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Three-Point Landing

Standing as solidly as possible makes your balance more secure. The most solid foot position is a triangle, with your weight distributed evenly between the base of the big toe, the base of the little toe, and the heel. It's easiest to start learning this awareness from the standing position. Shift your weight around to experiment with getting it just right. You can also discover your usual habit by looking at the wear on the tread of a well-worn shoe. Mine, for example, wears out first on the outer back corner, and somewhat less on the outer border (when the shoe gets really old!). And when I check in with my feet, I discover that I tend to put most of my weight on the outer edge of my foot. When moving, checking for Three-Point Landing is more complicated as you roll across your foot with each step. I like that challenge, because it makes me aware of what a complicated miracle walking is!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Look Both Ways When Crossing a Road

My daddy told me to look both ways three times before crossing the street. Modify this advice to serve you when you want to improve your balance as well as be a wise pedestrian. When you get to the road, stand tall and look consciously to the left and then to the right, stretching the neck as if saying "no". When all is clear, add a balance challenge by continuing to look left then right while crossing. It takes about three sets of steady head turns to get across the road, which would make my daddy proud! 

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Ankle Circles and Chicken Wings

Wake up with a smile and give yourself an excuse to savor your last cozy moments in bed. Ankle flexibility is crucial to staying upright since your feet need to adjust to variations in the walking surface. Starting your day under the covers by moving your ankles/feet in circles as well as up and down (pointing and flexing) makes sure your feet are ready to do their job the moment they hit the floor. And while you're at it, why not add some arms? Try lying on your back, tucking your arms by your sides with elbows at your waist and putting your hands palms-up beside your shoulders (like folded chicken wings). This posture opens the chest, stretches the back and gives your posture a boost. As a bonus, it feels good! Aaahh! 

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Climb Stairs for a Burst of Fitness

Going up the stairs is a golden opportunity to build strong legs, a major foundation for good balance. Take full advantage by keeping both toes straight ahead, giving your thighs the best workout. My sister learned in Pilates that placing your whole foot on the surface of the step is easiest on the knees. A wobbly foot means that your knees have to compensate, which adds unwanted work for that vulnerable joint. Firmly placing your whole foot gives your knees a welcome break. The bonus benefit of climbing up stairs is an aerobic boost. Very often, stairways are short flights with landings (resting places), making a versatile built-in gym! 

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Exercise in Disguise

If you don't know how to start exercising, I invite you to join me in thinking of ways to tuck various movements into the cracks of your days. Combining your creativity with a knowledge of what your body likes and wants most can lead to interesting experiences that build fitness on the sly. Pick times that seem like down time, and get creative. If you're waiting in line, stand on one foot for balance. If you're watching TV, try reaching for the ceiling. Stretching is always a good place to start--just move something and feel how it feels. Avoid too much multitasking (not so safe), let yourself be silly (if you dare) and have fun (to inspire yourself to keep it up). Please join me in this project: maybe we can start a secret, feel-good movement revolution! 

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Un-Dividing Attention to Reduce your Risk of Falling

My pilot friend studies reports of plane crashes. In almost every crash, he says, the accident included at least three things going wrong. That got me thinking that maybe this applies to falling "crashes" as well. For example, maybe you're a bit tired from not sleeping so well last night, so you're not picking up your feet as much as usual (#1). You're walking on a slightly irregular sidewalk and coming to the bump that shouldn't be there (#2). And maybe at that moment you hear a bird singing across the street, and turn to look (#3). You've now divided your attention and set yourself up for a fall. Un-divide your attention by pausing for a moment to reduce your risk of falling. I noticed that many of my falls happened when I was hurrying (not the same as walking fast), which was my habitual #1. When I considered the consequences, it was easy to change my habit. Now I have more attention for the birds!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Brr-rr-r-r! On Purpose

We have a big gangly nerve that runs to most of our major organs. It’s called the Vagus Nerve, and it’s a major player in our Rest & Digest (parasympathetic branch of the nervous system) behaviors. It has a weird bunch of likes, including gagging(!) and humming. One of its favorites is cold. You’ve probably heard of the practice of alternating sauna time with jumping into a snowbank–”Aaah” says the Vagus. We’re coming up to Polar Bear Plunge season, celebrated on New Years Day, where a bunch of scantily clad folks give their vagus nerve a feast by jumping into a cold body of water. The way to make a cold/cool shock into a Rest & Digest “Aaah” is to breathe deeply while shocking. You are cordially invited to find  your local Plunge! Or, if you like the idea and prefer it gently, end your shower with 30 seconds (and building up to more) of cool or cold water. And remember to BREATHE!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Life @ 3MPH

I grew into my walking-based lifestyle step by natural step, and never particularly noticed how much I liked it until a book fell into my lap in time to be my December read. (A Walking LIfe: Reclaiming Our Health and Our Freedom – One Step at a TIme, by Antonia Malchik) Chapter by chapter, this book gave me more reasons to appreciate my walking and lifestyle pace of 3 miles per hour. My reading coincided with observing the frenetic seasonal hustle-bustle that’s currently in progress, the contrast adding more joy to my appreciation. Walking puts me in a place with time to smell the pine trees; walking moves me at a speed that lets me be more aware of the slow turning of the seasons; walking gives my feet the opportunity to feel the earth beneath them. On these busy days, I invite you to give a gift to yourself: to stop, plant both feet on the ground, and savor a deep breath.

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Brrr-rr-r-r!

Cold day? What if, instead of turning up the heat for your whole home, you choose to warm up just your body? Play the Inside Out Game to fire up the tiny furnaces in each of your muscle cells (the mitochondria, if you want to be polysyllabic about it). Any movement will stoke the inner flame: calisthenics, jitterbugging to your favorite music, cleaning out the attic. Adding layers of clothing is another way to warm up, and another chance for playful movement. Dance and stretch as you pull the sweater over your head, or make a humorous fuss as the second layer of pants sticks to the first one. Then notice that having on more clothes makes moving a little more difficult, and behold! you’re doing even more exercise. Considering that you’re simultaneously lowering your heating bill, I’d call it a win-win version of multitasking!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Pandiculation…?!?

Yes, even pandas pandiculate, with the help of a tree. But perhaps the most accessible example is your local cat. Pandiculation is a full-bodied tensioned stretch, often with yawning, that helps your cat, and you, wake up. Short, deep and spontaneous, this luscious stretch gets your blood moving, which prepares muscles for movement. It’s effective for releasing the stiffness accumulated while being inactive or sleeping. Follow your cat’s example and enjoy its rich sensations the next time you’re en route from sleep/sedentary to up-and-at-’em. Just tense your whole body, push out your fisted arms and legs, and add a yawn for good measure. Maybe it’ll even make you purr!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Dizzy and Ditzy

Undependable balance and quirky brain function–Dizzy and Ditzy–are big topics, and this is a Tip, not a tome. Leaving the hard parts to your doctor, let’s nibble at one corner and notice that these are both possible symptoms of dehydration. Since it is suspected that 75% of the population is dehydrated, it makes me wonder how many of our aging-inspired aches and pains are simply our body asking for water? And since I know I’m one of those 75%, and maybe you are too, I cordially invite you to play a two-part water game with me. Part 1: Learn Your Baseline. How much water/fluid do you drink? For a few days, count and record your water in a way that doesn’t depend on your memory. For example, I set out my allotment, my daily goal, in three jars in the morning. Drinking something other than water is duly noted. Part 2: Raise Your Baseline. Add an extra daily cup or two over the next week. Somewhere along the path, do an online search of symptoms of dehydration, add Dizzy and Ditzy, and see if your body may be responding to being wetter. Hmmm?  I wonder if yesterday’s extra water was any part of why I slept so well last night…?

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Sneaking Through The Woods

Walking without making a sound is another way to stretch your walking skills, and is how animal trackers move silently through nature. Put on your soft-soled shoes and your soft eyes and head for the woods! Place your feet silently in three parts to let yourself feel twigs or other potential noisemakers under your feet before you put weight on them. Start by placing the little toe corner softly on the ground, then roll your foot to include the big toe corner. Next, gradually add weight as you lower your heel and shift your weight. (You may notice that this very slow movement adds meditation and balance dimensions to your walk.) Start your practice on an open even path, then add challenge by walking through tall grass or the woods with their unpredictable surfaces; unevenness lets your toes practice discovering where the ground is. For visual “silence”, avoid touching nearby saplings or bushes because a small bump at the bottom of a moveable plant will make the high-up leaves wave wildly, and you will no longer be invisible!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.

Seasoned Feet

It’s easy to take walking for granted. One foot in front of the other, right? (Yawn!) But fall brings a seasonal change that can change your mind about that. Autumn may start out dry with fallen leaves itching to be kicked and crunched. That makes a simple walk into a dance with its own rhythm instrument. Then it’ll rain (finally). The leaves became sodden and intermittently slippery. The walk becomes more of a mindfulness dance, where consciously planted steps are best supported by slightly bent knees that support a grounded body, and treads on shoes are much appreciated. Next up are puddles, muddy or otherwise, which call for their own kind of splash dance. And just when you’re accustomed to those walking styles, you’ll get to experience winter with its ice component. No more yawning!

Suggestion from Mariah Kaye, Senior Fitness Specialist, offering more fitness choices through MoveAnyWayFitness.com.