Obstacles to Physical Activity and How to Overcome Them
It’s so patronizing to assume that people aren’t living up to physical activity recommendations simply because they are too stupid to know what’s good for them. Unfortunately, I don’t think the health and wellness world is going to drop that tone any time soon, so the materials we read and the messaging that makes it to the news is going to continue to be, “Hey, guess what?! Physical activity is beneficial for your health! Aren’t you glad we told you?!” Then, it’s the job of curious and self-reflective movement educators like myself who, once knowing better, can do better.
I think there’s a lot of things that get in the way of regular physical activity for most people, but here’s the three I think matter most.
When it Comes to Movement, Less Really is MORE
Over and over again I have seen that intentional movement every day, for ANY amount of time is far superior to doing nothing at all, or even doing one super strenuous thing one day a week. What we want is to train our bodies and minds to maintain, and maybe even expand, functional ability over our lifespans. It is the long game we are after. Also, we want to figure out the incredibly difficult conundrum of making enough time and space in our lives to nurture our bodies and minds. Everything about our modern lives fights this and so trying to just make room for movement in any way is a big win all on its own.