I was sitting next to a high-level business coach recently (we’ll call him Bill) when he had a huge “ah-ha” moment. We’d been talking about how difficult it can be to organize and prioritize tasks. Suddenly a light went on–Bill realized he hasn’t been heeding the lessons he teaches his own clients, specifically, learning to focus!
That got me to thinking about fitness advice I might be telling my Baby Boomer and senior clients that I don’t consistently follow.
After giving it some thought, I realized that I don’t always do what I preach, either. So here we go…true confessions!
1) Stand up without pushing with your hands–all the time!
This is advice I’ve just recently begun giving all my clients. It’s so important to keep our legs strong to lift us off the floor, chair or toilet, to get us out of a car or to enable us to climb a flight of stairs. But we often use our arms to push out of a chair–without even thinking about it. We have to allow our legs to take on that burden and stay strong.
2) Practice mindful eating.
This means paying full attention to the experience of eating. Enjoying the taste, texture and colors; focusing on how the food makes you feel and when you start getting full. It means not eating while preparing dinner (my downfall), watching TV or driving. Mindful eating leads to a greater appreciation of the whole experience, and helps some people better control their food intake.
3) Get up and move every 30 – 60 minutes.
I’ve written before about the public health problem of sedentary behavior. Most experts recommend we get up every hour to decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes, back aches, obesity, heart disease, etc. The American Diabetes Association is the first organization I’ve seen to officially recommend standing and moving every 30 minutes for folks with diabetes; this act pushes blood sugar out of the bloodstream and into muscles to be used for energy.
So I’ll be more mindful of letting my legs lift me off a chair or sofa, I’ll eat when it’s mealtime–at the table–and enjoy the experience, and I’ll stand up more often when I work on the computer!
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