Today is National Family Health and Fitness Day. Are you ready to celebrate with your loved ones? In today’s blog I am sharing a few excerpts from my upcoming book – Create The Vitality You Crave: Epigenetics 101 to Unlock Your Healing Power – that focuses on fitness or movement. But first I want to start with the basics of “small and simple steps” and compounding interest.
Compound Interest
We all know about interest, one way or another. We are either earning it or paying it! From the time we are young and working, we are counseled to start ‘investing in our future” so we can take advantage of the long-term benefit of increasing compound interest for our fiscal health. Well, unfortunately, we rarely hear anyone talk about the principles of compound interest as it applies to our physical health. This too is something we have to start working for, early, or we will have to pay, one way or another.
I’ve read more than one report that states that our children (perhaps your grands if you’re my age) are expected to live shorter than their parents, because of the toxins they are surrounded with – toxic food, toxic water, toxic air, toxic clothes, EMF, etc. And heaven help them if they are also growing up in toxic families!!
We must start now – every single choice, every single day matters!
“Wellness is a connection of paths: knowledge and action” states Joshua Welch. What compounding principles are you taking to create wellness in your family? What action steps are you going to implement? How about movement?
Implementing the Joy of Movement
In her book The Joy of Movement, author Kelly McGonigal shares this inspiring statistic:
“In the United States, daily physical activity—as captured by an accelerometer —is correlated with a sense of purpose in life. Real-time tracking also shows that people are happier during moments when they are physically active than when they are sedentary. And on days when people are more active than their usual, they report greater satisfaction with their lives.”
Other experiments in the U.S. and UK have forced moderately active adults to become sedentary for a short time, only to watch their well-being wither. Regular exercisers who replace physical activity with a sedentary activity for two weeks become more anxious, tired, and hostile. When adults are randomly assigned to reduce their daily step count, 88 percent become more depressed! Within one week of becoming more sedentary, they report a 31 percent decline in life satisfaction!
“The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961.”
~Kelly McGonigal
Read that again. The average American only walks 4,774 steps per day, and research shows in the study mentioned above that when regular exercisers reduce their activity, the threshold where anxiety and depression begin to rear their ugly heads is 5,649 steps. Isn’t that shocking? We wonder why so many people are depressed! Anti-depressants are prescribed at an alarming rate globally. The Western world had a market size valued at $15,651.0 million in 2020 and is expected to be over $21,004.8 million by 2030!
What if our best medicine was simply to add nourishing food and regular movement? I think one of the greatest benefits of movement is connecting our bodies to our spirits. That is why movement uplifts your mood and provides joy.
Making it a Family Affair
Whether you’re a young family with toddlers, have teens, are empty nesters, or are a family of 1, there are so many ways that you can improve your family’s health through fitness.
Practical Tips for Families
- Active Family Time: Make physical activity a family affair. Go for bike rides, hikes, or play sports together. Together you can determine your favorite family activities. This not only promotes physical health but also strengthens family bonds. Oh, and remember to hydrate before, during, and after!
- Set Realistic Goals: Start with small, achievable goals and gradually increase the intensity and duration of physical activity. Celebrate milestones to stay motivated.
- Limit Screen Time: Personally, I think it’s more than just screen time for kids we need to worry about. From the stats above, ah… most adults need to get off the couch, too! With that said, encourage children to engage in physical play rather than spending excessive time on screens. Set limits on screen time, for the whole family, and promote active alternatives.
Conclusion
Investing in family health through regular physical activity is akin to making a wise physical and fiscal investment. The benefits may not be immediate, but consistent, small steps can lead to significant long-term rewards. By understanding and applying the principle of compound interest to health and fitness, families can enjoy healthier, happier lives.
To learn more, and get real tools to help you and your loved ones Create The Vitality You Crave, click on this link to stay up to read reviews and stay up to date on launch date.
