Four things

Fitness does not happen just in the gym or just with a trainer.  This should not be big news.  Here are some things we can all do in our regular lives to increase our fitness:

• Stand on one foot.  Balance is a skill that pays off in the long run.  It helps us avoid injury, or worse, embarrassment!  Practice while doing the dishes, brushing teeth, in line at the store.

• Squat.  I love chairs, but they steal strength and range of motion from us.  Those of us who would like to avoid ending up in a nursing home need to practice squatting and getting up and down from chairs and the floor without using our hands.  Need to pick up the dirty socks from the floor?  Squat to do it.  Package on the porch?  Squat to lift.  Or we can challenge ourselves to squat for time:  can we make it through the commercials during the game in a squat?

• Cut the added sugar.  It is just extra calories.  It’s addictive, inflammatory, and bad for the environment.

• Sleep.  We are not robots.  We need to rest.  Those of us who struggle with the whole productivity thing can justify it by noting that we work better afterwards; the rest of us can just luxuriate knowing that our bodies and minds will be healthier for it.