Staying Active

How often do you have physical activity in one day? According to www.cdc.org, children should have at least an hour of physical activity per day. I agree with this statement because an hour a day, even though it seems like a lot, isn't difficult to accomplish.

I used to be an inactive, couch potato when I was younger. I didn't feel the need to watch what I was eating and didn't do any physical activity outside of a sporting practice. I changed my ways. The older I became the more I realized that this lifestyle wasn't going to have a successful ending on my part. So I took to heart exercising at least an hour a day, and focused on staying active.

What does staying active mean? This phrase doesn't mean lifting weights, or running for an hour straight. This phrase simply means to get moving and use your body as a tool to stay fit. One common way of staying active, which I do a lot, is walking. Most people think of walking as a simple task that everyone does all the time, but in reality, most people spend their days in a confined space or sitting in a chair. Walking is a physical activity that can be done by most people and should be used more than what is actually done. I go on a walk with my family at least three times a week and try and do them on days I don't have other physical activities already planned. Would it hurt you if you walked and had a practice of some sort? Of course not! The minimum requirement for physical activity in one day is one hour, meaning a person is welcome and recommended to do more than that.

Other basic forms of staying active consist of running, lifting weights, core activities, or jump roping. All of these activities are great for staying active because it gets the muscles in the body moving, and allows for the body to gain strength. Ultimately if your body sweats, the physical activity is working.

My final piece of advice for staying active is to stay determined. Many people, after starting some sort of change, quit before actually trying the change to its full potential. At first this might not be a "fun" thing to do, or may be very difficult. Stick through it. After a couple weeks you will start to feel better in more ways than one. Then staying active will no longer be a chore, but be a lifestyle.