It may not be the official start of summer, but June is here. The beginning of a new season is a good time to check in with where we are with our wellness. How are those goals we might have made back in January? Or, more basically, how are we feeling? Over the month, I’ll be gently reminding us all about the different pillars of our wellness. This week, we’re talking about movement.
So here we go.
Today is one of those times when I might seem overly concerned with distinctions. Sorry/not sorry. Exercise and movement, while related, are not the same thing. I am absolutely in favor of both of them (I mean, that’s my job), but when we’re talking wellness, we are not necessarily talking about exercise.
Movement is anything we do that is more energetic than pushing buttons on the remote while we sit on the couch. It includes things like weeding the garden, trudging up and down the stairs to put away laundry, walking a dog who clocks negative miles per hour and sniffs every plant along the sidewalk, and the like.
Exercise is a little more focused. We have a purpose when we exercise, whether that is getting stronger, working our hearts and lungs, improving balance, or beating that other team at pickleball.
Like I said, both are good for us. Even those of us who do exercise regularly need to think a little about movement. I’m pretty sure everyone has heard the phrase that sitting is the new smoking. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s increasingly clear in the research that putting in a half hour at the gym and then sitting the rest of the day is not our best path. Humans need to wiggle.
So: are we all getting our wiggle on?
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