How do I know my life is all spent?
My get-up-and-go has got up and went!
But, in spite of it all, I’m able to grin
And think of the places my getup has been!
Sometimes, it feels like our “get-up-and-go has got up and went” before we’re ready. Creating the motivation, energy and time to do what we want to do, or know would be good for us is certainly an uphill battle. But what a worthy battle! Our lives are on the line—perhaps not the length of our life (though sometimes this can be the case, too) but certainly the quality of life.
One of my go-to questions for myself, in making a determination about how to occupy my time, is “will I want to have done this later?” Shifting the focus from the present to the future allows me to look past momentary matters, where important goals are easily displaced by distractions, and my low energy level seems paramount. The question reiterates that what I want most ought not be sacrificed for what I want now. It empowers me to get up and go!
There are many worthy ways to spend our time; attending to the physical aspect of our being is only one, but what an important one! Exercise (at whatever level is personally appropriate) enriches our lives on many levels. A Mayo Clinic article1 encourages:
Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life.
1. Exercise controls weight
2. Exercise combats health conditions and diseases
3. Exercise improves mood
4. Exercise boosts energy
5. Exercise promotes better sleep
6. Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life
7. Exercise can be fun
Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
Clearly, getting out for a walk or run is something you will want to have done when you feel better, sleep better, and enjoy better health, sex, and energy. So how can you overcome the entropy and just do it? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Plan a time for it. Planning ahead to fit exercise into our schedules is powerful. When there is a time set aside, it is much more likely to happen.
2. Make a goal. A specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound (SMART) goal, written down, posted where you can see it and shared with others helps a lot!
3. Involve a friend. Having someone else counting on you and having social interaction during exercise both offer extra impetus to do it.
By the time your life is spent, you will want to have a life-full of places you’ve got up and went. Now is the time to go and do it!
1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389?pg=2
