Podcast - Make Movement A Daily Non-Negotiable

If you want to optimise your health, longevity and physical capabilities as you age, daily movement should be as routine as brushing your teeth. Here’s why…

BTW, the audio is always better than the read version because I go off on tangents and add more value! :)

Movement should be as routine and automatic as brushing your teeth.  You don’t negotiate with yourself when it comes to brushing your teeth.  You just brush your teeth to keep your teeth health and clean.  So why not do the same for your body?

Movement comes in many different forms – any kind of consistent movement is better than none.  But the secret to not only avoiding discomfort and disease…but to optimising your physical capability and performance as you age, is to be multi-dimensional in your approach which I’ll explain here in this episode.

Now, if you already proritise daily movement and nothing stands in the way of that, then I salute and commend you for that – and so this message will simply serve as a reminder for you as to why you should stay on path.

But if daily movement is a challenge for you – meaning, you struggle to stay consistent with daily exercise, then my goal is to hopefully set you on the right path here today.

The fist thing to remember is that Life is movement.  Meaning, you are meant to move – it’s not a choice, it’s a requirement if you want robust health, vitality and if you want to look forward to a functional life span.

As the saying goes, “if you don’t use it, you will lose it”.  And this applies to your physical body. Without movement life will head towards a steady and accelerated decline physically and mentally that you should not want to experience.

Now the problem is that many people don’t realise this until it’s too late.  They sacrifice taking care of their body for other more pressing priorities in their life...that is until it eventually catches up with them in terms of a health scare, obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue, self-loathing, some kind of trauma or ongoing discomfort that needs intervention.

And the longer you don’t make movement a non-negotiable in your life, the harder it is for you to make it one – because you’re not in the subconscious habit of just doing it without hesitation every single day. 

Movement is also medicine…And in the words of Longevity guru Dr. Peter Attia, Movement is the greatest longevity drug that exists. 

·      Movement is the number 1 healer of depression and anxiety

·      It’s crucial for maintaining your mobility, strength and balance

·      It’s the most effective way to slow down the biological process of aging

·      It’s the secret to maintaining a health body composition and staying in shape

·      It’s key to your mental clarity and focus…the list goes on.

So, given all of these amazing benefits and that you only get one body to live in and take care of, why on earth would you not prioritise movement and make daily movement a non-negotiable?

Now, one of the biggest things that stops people from continuing with regular exercise, is that they can’t SEE any difference that it’s making to their physical body or shape in the short term.  They commit to a workout plan, exercise program, sign up for a gym, studio…some kind of activity -  do it for a month, then quit.

I’m sure you know people like that.

Let me tell you, particularly as you get older, aesthetics is the LEAST most important reason to exercise or move your body every day.

If you do it only for Aesthetics –

1.     Chances are you’ll quit before you see the results

2.     You’ll forgo all of the other incredible benefits associated with daily exercise

Now, for me my body composition has hardly changed in 30 years because I have made movement a non – negotiable since my late teens and early 20’s.

But today at 51, it’s not the main reason why I exercise every single day.

I do it for the other two most important reasons –

1.    For how it makes me FEEL

2.    For longevity (health span & life span).

My driving force, my vision, my why is to be as physically capable for as long as I can possibly be so that A] I can say yes to just about any adventure or activity I love – hiking, mountain biking, snow boarding, surfing …B] so that I can run around and enjoy my grand kids when they come along the same way I did as a dad to my three daughters 20-25 years ago!

Plus, I want to be physically independent for as long as possible.  I don’t want to become a burden on my family because my body breaks down as we see so often with people as they get into their 60’s, 70’s and beyond.

So, daily movement is a non-negotiable for me because I do it for longevity, quality of life and how it makes me feel first and foremost – and staying in great shape is just a bi-product of that.

Now, having said that I do know that we are all different and we all respond to biological, metabolic and hormonal changes differently – but none of these changes are a reason not to prioritise movement.  Too many people use these changes or phases as an excuse not to exercise or they go on hunting for some miracle solution, when movement is one of the greatest solutions of all in terms of countering the negative impacts of these phases or changes.

So the question is, if you have not prioritised by movement and fitness for as long as you…so where do I start now?

It starts with the right mindset. 

When you have a functionality, capability and longevity mindset, you’ll be much more connected to movement and the importance of it every single day.

1.    Walking – aim for a minimum of 5,000 steps – 10,000 steps per day – walking briskly should take you somewhere between 45-90 minutes.  Do it first thing in the morning if you can; gets you outside in the fresh air at the start of your day, clear your mind, activate your senses, get it done before there are any distractions.  This is the #1 non-negotiable.

2.    Functional movement – whilst walking is the most important, it is a baseline form of exercise because it is very one dimensional.  In other words, it is great for your heart and cardio health, mental health and basic mobility, it doesn’t do a lot for your flexibility, strength, balance and performance.  This is where functional movement comes in, because it helps you to optimise your physical capabilities.  The 7 basic functional movement patterns are push, pull, press, row, twist, squat and lunge.  And all of these movement patterns can either be performed with body weight to begin with or weights or resistance bands.  Whether it be pilates, weight training, circuit training, power yoga, HIIT or some form of mixed modality training that covers these basis movement patterns, you should aim to do 2-3 sessions per week. 

Alternatively, get yourself some light dumbbells and a yoga mat, and do 3 x 20 minute sessions per week at home.

Look up on You Tube – 20 min at home workouts with dumbells, Cheryl Coulombe @LiftwithCee, or sign up for the Peloton App which as endless at home workouts you can place on your ipad and do, plus yoga, pilates, barr classes etc.

The point is if you want to preserve and protect your physicality, mobility and versatility you need to incorporate functional movement and resistance training into your weekly movement routine.

Use walking as a base layer and add a few sessions of functional movement each week on top. 

Whatever you do, when you make movement a non-negotiable, you improve your body, your mental wellbeing, self-esteem and your longevity – not just for the sake of how many years you’re going to live, but the QUALITY of those years.

Never forget that you only get ONE body, so you need to honor it and take care of it – and movement as a daily non-negotiable is the secret to that.

Thanks for reading!

ZT.