by Kerry Taylor
Recently I was sitting down with a potential 212er and I asked the question, “What do you want to get out of being a part of 212?” He listed off a few different things, but one that we really dove into was, “To get movement back into my life. Which will hopefully lead to me being more active outside the gym and me doing all types of stuff.” As we talked more about it, we started to list what some of those things are and potentially could be. So here is the list we came up with plus some of my additions.
Getting in the pool- A great activity to add into your life. This doesn’t have to be swimming, it can just be getting in the pool. To stay afloat, you have to keep your body in motion. But it will also take pressure off your joints and help recharge your body for other activities.
Shooting/ Archery- Depending on what type of event you’re doing with these implements, you can have a ton of movement or little movement. Also, you will have a huge increase in brain activity to be able to focus on your targets.
Hiking- Go on an adventure in a forest or up a mountain. I love the idea of getting lost in the woods and challenging myself to find my way out through all the different terrain. Use a pre-laid out path or create your own, everyone’s different.
Walking- A highly overlooked activity by most because of its low intensity nature. But, a lot of us would have great benefits from just going for a walk every once in a while. It doesn’t have to be “let me kill myself and lay in a pool of sweat when I’m done, so they can draw my chalk line” all the time.
Rock Climbing- A strategic activity that challenges the whole body to scale up an area with different grips and slots for your hand and foot placement. Every trip up can be different depending on where you decide to place your hands and feet. One path isn’t always the best way for everyone to reach the top.
Dancing- One of my favorite activities. I try to dance my big behind around. It may not look like what the pros do, but when the beat hits you and the energy starts to flow, just let you body do whatever comes to mind to do. Nothing is off limits, only you can decide that. If you really get into it, you will know the next day that you did something.
Martial Arts- All these amazing ancient systems of combat and defense will have you moving in ways you may’ve not thought possible for you in the beginning. Be patient young grasshopper, stay focused to move up the ladder in your skill sets.
Active Meetings- Instead of having your meetings in an office like usual, go for a walking meeting, or any type of movement session that allows you and your group to be together and discuss the tasks and goals at hand.
Joining a league- There are so many leagues out there for so many different activities and age groups, you just have to look around. We discovered a few years ago that there is a local kick ball league. That was an interesting season, but overall a great time was had by all.
Take the stairs/ Park further away- Make it a new habit to park further away from your destination and plan to walk. Never take the elevator, escalator or moving sidewalks. Movement is medicine. A body in motion should stay in motion.
As a coach, my job is to get you to move more than you already do and that comes in many forms. It doesn’t always have to be in the gym. The gym can be supplemented with some of these aforementioned activities. By no means is this “The List”, there are so many others that can be added to this list, but for the sake of trying to keep your attention, I only mentioned a few. If this sparked you to try something, try one of these out and see if it may become a new habit or hobby for you.
Until next time, continue to live life one degree above the rest.