News Taffy

Living an active lifestyle is a term we often hear but have you ever really thought about what that means? One definition of an active lifestyle is one that contributes positively to physical, mental and social wellbeing and which includes regular exercise and other types of physical activity. The opposite, a sedentary lifestyle, has been linked to a number of illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and a shortened lifespan. Sadly, most Americans seem to be choosing a sedentary lifestyle.

Do you live an active life? From the moment my feet hit the floor, I am busy moving throughout the day whether it’s taking care of our 5 animals, mowing the lawn with a push mower or working out at the gym. Even when I am writing or working as a standardized patient at NYIT, I find ways to keep moving. The payoff is that at 56 years of age, I am fit and energetic enough to enjoy doing a variety of things like hiking, swimming and sightseeing on vacation or to accomplish most jobs I need to do without being exhausted at the end of the day.

Are you satisfied with your life or is your current level of health holding you back from doing the things you’d like to do? If you spend most of your work day in a chair and then spend most of your evening sitting in front of the TV or computer, you are shortchanging yourself of the opportunity to do so much more with your life. I strongly encourage you to make some changes now before you find yourself spending your time at the doctor’s office and your extra income on medicine.

Find ways to be more active throughout your day. Get up early for a walk with the dog. Use a push mower rather than a riding lawn mower. Go bowling with friends instead of out to dinner and a movie. Make it a habit to do some sit-ups, pushups and jumping jacks while watching TV. I know it will be hard and even discouraging at first. You’ll get sweaty, out of breathe and have sore muscles in places you didn’t think could be sore. But the rewards are worth it when you look not only look good in a swimsuit but you can actually swim well enough to get your diving certification and go on a dream vacation.

Don’t be the grandparent in the nursing home, be the grandparent teaching the grandkids to play tennis or dunk a basketball. Make everyone at the class reunion do a double take because you not only still fit into your old jersey but look like you could still play just as well as you did at 18. I promise that if you stick with exercise long enough to see real results, you’ll begin to enjoy it more and even look forward to it.

You’ll be more successful adding exercise to your life if you keep it fun, keep it simple and make it social. In other words, do something you like, at a convenient time and place and do it with others. There’s a world of things to do besides sit, so get up and go for it!