Get moving...

Sometimes it is the simplest things that we can overlook in life, and yet it is often these very things that are the key to increased health and wellbeing.

One of these simple things is the importance of incorporating lots of movement into your life.

So, how does daily movement help reduce stress and increase happiness??? How does increased energy, boosting of your immune system and the release of neurotransmitters that help prevent depression sound for starters?

So why do we need to consciously move more?

We wake up in the morning and before long we are sitting in our car, are often sitting for most of the day at work, and then when we get home we relax by doing what??? Sitting! Sitting and having dinner, sitting and watching TV, sitting at our computer... are you picking up a theme here?

Kids seem to intrinsically know what we have become dull to - lots of daily movement = less stress + greater happiness.

But you don't see young children scheduling exercise in or working around a gym timetable. Kids make movement a part of their every day life... see some birds - chase them! Time for dinner - race you to the table!
We'd do well to follow suit!

In the words of Matthew McConaughey:

My rule is to break one sweat a day, whether that's going for a run, whether that's dancing, whether that's loving – just break a sweat a day."

Here are some simple ways to incorporate movement into your day without formally 'exercising':

1. Dance around the house when no one is watching (what the heck, dance even when they are!)

2. Get out into the sun in your lunch break and go exploring - what interesting shops, streets, trees & people are around your workplace or home that you've never taken the time to discover?

3. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving at least once this week

4. Take your cue off the feline and incorporate stretching into your daily routine (believe me, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it).
Need some ideas on how to stretch? Check out http://www.howtostretch.com/