Yesterday I earned my “100 Move Goals” award on my Apple watch, which means I reached my move goal 100 times. That is super exciting, but what’s even better is that I earned that award within 102 days of wearing my watch, meaning I have moved my body everyday for 100 days in a row (minus two days)! Daily movement has become somewhat of a passion of mine now and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon, if ever really. So I wanted to make this post to share the benefits I’ve realized over the last 100 days as well as some tips to help you not only start daily movement but make it a habit!
Now I just want to start off by saying that I don’t mean full-fledged workouts. Wherever you are in your health and fitness journey is fine whether you want to dive into HIIT sessions or start walking. These benefits and tips will be applicable to you no matter what your activity level is. All that matters is that you’re moving in whatever way makes you feel good, and trust me you will feel good!
Before you start daily movement, I want to tell you the ways it has improved my life. While most things in life have pros and cons, I can’t think of any negative effects from moving. Obviously, you have to be wary of injury, even with walking, but aside from that I can only think of benefits. Here are 5 benefits of daily movement that I personally experienced:
Increased focus and energy levels. No matter what time of the day I workout, I always feel energized afterwards. Workouts in the morning increase my focus and set the tone for the day. Additionally, when I move in the morning I am more likely to move more throughout the rest of the day as well. Conversely, I find that when I wait until the evening I feel so much more sluggish throughout the day. Now, that doesn’t mean I necessarily enjoy every workout, I certainly struggle with my motivation before and sometimes during, but I always feel better after!
Happier. Exercise isn’t just physical, it also improves your mental and emotional health. One of the greatest benefits of exercise is the release of dopamine and serotonin, which are hormones in our body that regulate our mood and make us feel happier. Whenever I feel stressed or any other negative emotion, I know that a workout will make me feel better, and it always does. Overall, I find myself to be much happier when I’m active.
Healthier habits. Once I got into the routine of moving my body, which I consider to be an act of self love, I found myself developing other healthy habits as well. While I was already being mindful about food, I noticed my choices shifted to healthier, more well-balanced meals. This is partly because when you start working out you realize that food really is fuel, and you find that certain foods you used to eat don’t fuel your new lifestyle anymore. I also drink a lot more water throughout the day which is something I’ve always struggled with.
Improved strength. One of the most exciting developments is that now I can do at least 10 full push ups whereas a few months ago I could barely do 1. Obviously when you start to prioritize your health you are going to see changes in your body, but beyond the external changes are the internal ones. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way my body looks now, but for me it’s the new strength! Now that I’ve gotten into this habit of daily movement, I feel more at home in my body and the most confident I’ve ever been. Not just because I look great but I feel great too!
Better sleep. Now, I know I just said that activity gives me energy, but when I’m ready for bed I sleep so much better. When you sleep your muscles repair themselves from the tears created during exercise, so sleep is hugely important for recovery. I’ve found some activity before bed actually helps me sleep better because while my mind may feel energized, my body is ready for rest. Yoga before bed is a great way to unwind your mind and body before falling asleep.
Okay so now you know how daily movement can benefit your body, mind, confidence, and overall life but how do you actually do it? Here are 7 tips to help you commit to your new habit so you can reach your goals!
Be accountable to something. In my opinion, accountability is the number one thing that will help you smash your goals. Whether it’s another person or yourself, being accountable will keep you on track on the days where you lack all motivation. I can’t tell you the number of times I lacked motivation or was just being lazy, but because I was accountable to someone else I did it! Both methods work but it really depends where you are with your motivation. If you are already highly motivated you’ll be able to be accountable to yourself, but if you’re struggling to find motivation I recommend asking someone to join you. Having someone else on the journey helps you both stay focused.
Follow/create a workout program. While you certainly don’t need to be following a specific program, I think it can be really helpful. These plans are designed by professionals so you won’t be overdoing it, and being able to tick off each workout is nice, especially if you’re a visual person like me. And you definitely don’t need to pay for a program either, YouTube is a great place to start out if you want to build a habit before committing with money (I personally love Cassey Ho from Blogilates). If a pre-made workout program isn’t for you, I suggest creating your own plan to help you stay on track.
Sometimes less is more. I think a big mistake a lot of people make when they’re first starting out (myself included) is trying to do too much too fast. We fall into this trap where we feel like we have to do hour long sessions at the gym or sign up for a marathon. But here’s the secret no one tells you…if you’re not doing anything now, you don’t have to try to do everything, by just doing something you will start to see results! I think a great goal to aim for is 30 minutes of daily activity. Everyone can find 30 minutes in their day and while it’s hard to believe just 30 minutes will make a difference in your body, it will! The key here is consistency, 30 minutes of hard work daily is way better than an hour every once in a while.
Make sure to have variety. Another thing that prevents people from sticking to their goals is that they get bored of what they’re doing. I totally get that, and I still experience that! A downfall of some of these programs is that they give you a one-week schedule and tell you to do it every week for a month, which can get super repetitive. One of the things I like about Centr is how much variety it has! They have so many different styles of workouts from HIIT, boxing, MMA, jumprope, yoga, and pilates, with over 7 trainers! So everyday I’m doing a different style of workout, targeting a different muscle group with a different trainer. Centr keeps it fun and fresh! Repetition is important for building strength but it can be boring! Make sure you find/create a program that will keep you engaged long-term.
BONUS TIP: If you do choose a repetitive program, I recommend taking notes on how many reps of each exercise you can do. That way you can see how your body is getting stronger, and your progress can motivate you when the workouts feel repetitive.
Embrace active rest days. While you definitely deserve rest days, and should take them to help your body recover, rest days don’t have to mean taking the day off completely. Especially when you’re just starting out it’s important to move daily to enforce the habit. While I looked forward to rest days in the beginning, I’ve found that as I’ve gotten used to being active, my body never wants to have a day off completely. On my active rest days I enjoy going for long walks with the dog, a yoga class or a nice stretching session. When it comes to rest, the most important thing is to listen to your body, whether that’s taking the day off completely or taking an active rest day. And actually, if your body feels up to it, continue to workout, it’s your body and you know what’s best for it.
Don’t skip the warm-ups and cool downs. This is a huge one! I know so many people who don’t think warming up or cooling down is important, but it is. It’s just as important as the workout, and should be considered part of it rather than separate because it’s definitely not optional. While soreness is totally normal, and a sign of an effective workout, being so sore you can’t move isn’t good. Most likely if you’re that sore you won’t be active. And what’s worse is injuring yourself because you didn’t stretch properly before and after. If you take anything away from this post, it should be to always warm up and cool down surrounding any movement!
Treat yourself! There is something to be said about positive reinforcement, and that is that it works. When you reward yourself for reaching your goals, you’ll be more motivated to keep going. One of the ways I treated myself was investing in an Apple watch after I completed two 6-week programs, and it has completely revamped my training! Now I have a more accurate way to track my progress, earn awards for meeting goals like the 100 Move Goals, and even compete with friends and family. It’s also another tool for helping you stay accountable to yourself by trying to close your rings everyday. Whatever you decide to treat yourself to, don’t forget to reward your amazing progress, you deserve it!
Those are my top tips for embracing daily movement! One last note. You are 100% going to lose motivation during this journey. Everyone does, because motivation is not a sustainable driver, but you know what is? Discipline. I’ve been doing this for 100 days and there are days I can’t be bothered but I do it. And you know what, I always feel better when I do. As Adrienne Houghton would say “self-discipline is sexy”! So get out there and start moving your body. I promise you won’t regret it.
