 So I'm not crazy about soapboxes (I prefer the eye-to-eye view), but I get very adamant about the importance of incorporating exercise or movement into our daily lives.
I want to be clear that I am not what you would consider athletic. When I played kick-ball in elementary school I always chose the deep outfield to stand so I could talk with my friends about important life stuff (like Vanilla Ice and the future). I took gymnastics for most of those years, but when I tapped out of the young fearlessness and monkey-like tendencies that drew me in to begin with, I again was more into the gabbing portion of the class. But after years of cultivating awareness about what makes me register on the scale of Okay - Awesome, as well as years of sitting with clients who are aiming for the same, I have come to the absolute conclusion that adding exercise to your life is one of the most predictable ways to feel at least a bit better, if not enormously so. Feeling quite comfortable with my qualitative evidence, I'm not going to go into the research that says exercise might work better than anti-depressants and have better long-term effects on mild to moderate depression while concurrently providing other health benefits (but here is a Harvard newsletter publication that will). Instead I'm going to give you some ways to get started that will run you from $0 - $20. So here we go.* If you're curious about your local gym, but don't want to commit or aren't a fan of the membership prices...Check out their free passes. Crunch does a 1-day, Fitness SF has a 3-day, Bally and Gold's have a 7-day, and 24 Hour Fitness has up to a 14-day-pass. UCSF's gym is doing an open house week, where their facility is free from 5/6 - 5/14! That's over a month's worth of free gym time right there, more than enough time to figure out what you like, dislike, want, and need. Bonus tip: If you are wanting to practice your assertiveness skills, this may be a good time. Gym employees can get pushy about getting you to join, so know what you are willing to commit to or spend on a more ongoing basis. There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying "I'll think about it and get back to you." If you already know the gym isn't your thing and you are more interested in pursuing something like yoga...Employ the same strategy as above with local yoga studios (I have low- and no-cost options listed on my resource page). When I fell for yoga I had just graduated from school and was unemployed; Therefore paying a lot for classes wasn't an option for me. So I seriously dated around San Francisco yoga studios, taking advantage of intro offers and eventually landed where I felt comfortable. You won't know until you check 'em out. If you don't want to exercise outside of the comfort of your home (or room)...Order workout videos from Netflix (1-month free membership, then starting at $7.99/month), hop on YouTube (here's a list of 30 workout channels someone compiled. I can't vouch for them but it may be easier than sifting through thousands.). DoYogaWithMe.com offers truly free streaming yoga without asking you to sign up for anything. Bonus tip/disclaimer: **BE REASONABLE. If you are a beginner, don't attempt crazy workout stunts that involve heavy weights and body contortions. If you are only willing to try one thing...Add walking to your daily or weekly routine. If you are seriously forcing yourself to do this, start flat. Wander your neighborhood or stroll through the park. When you are ready to push yourself a little bit more, try to incorporate an incline. Get your heart beating a bit faster. If there's no way you're going to add exercise on your own...Do all of the above with a friend with whom you feel comfortable. All these endeavors can go from feeling a little daunting to feeling like an adventure (or at least a laugh) when done with a partner-in-crime. * You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting an exercise program. ** Seriously though, use good judgment. Comments are closed.
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