Getting your steps in and raising your heart rate every day are crucial components of a healthy lifestyle. Here’s why they matter and how you can start incorporating them into your routine, especially if you're new to exercise.

Why Daily Steps and Elevated Heart Rate Matter:

1. Boosts Cardiovascular Health: Regular walking and elevated heart rate activities improve cardiovascular fitness by strengthening your heart and improving blood circulation. This reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.

Your heart is a muscle, and it cannot lift weights, you must work harder than your normal daily pace to elevate the heart rate and strengthen the muscle.

2. Aids Weight Management: Engaging in physical activity helps burn calories and manage weight. Increasing your daily steps and heart rate can help you maintain or achieve a healthy weight.

Can’t lose weight?  Increase your lean muscle to burn more calories at rest.  Your engine is too small for the fuel you shovel in and the fuel you are giving your engine maybe garbage that is clogging it and preventing it from burning calories.

3. Enhances Mental Health: Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, which can improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Regular physical activity is linked to lower rates of depression and overall better mental well-being.

Take a short walk and feel your mood change!  Stand up and stretch, move from anxious to focused and ready to tackle the situation.

4. Emproves Energy Levels: Regular movement and exercise increase overall energy levels and reduce feelings of fatigue. As your fitness level improves, daily tasks become easier and less tiring.

Sluggish and tired?  Get up and move!  It seems counter intuitive, but you gotta burn the fuel in the body to get energy. 

5. Supports Joint and Bone Health: Weight-bearing activities, like walking, strengthen bones and muscles, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and joint pain. This can help maintain mobility and prevent falls as you age.

Osteopenia and Osteoporosis are nothing to play with.  Doing things like walking builds bone density.  Resistance exercises in water or on land build bone density because the tendons pull on the bone as the muscles work and lay down stronger bone. Walking also helps circulate the joint fluid, squishing it out from your knees and then allowing new fluid to flow back in.  Creaky knees when going from sit to stand can be a symptom of being sedentary, the joint fluid does not flow out if you do not squeeze it out with standing or walking. 

6. Enhances Sleep Quality: Physical activity can help regulate your sleep patterns, leading to deeper and more restful sleep. Improved sleep quality contributes to overall health and well-being.

Think back to a time when you were moving to a different apartment or home, or doing some yard work, that strenuous activity help you sleep better at night.  Agreed?

7. Boosts Immune Function: Regular exercise strengthens the immune system, making you less susceptible to illnesses and infections. It helps your body fend off colds and other common ailments.

This also assumes you eat a diet that has fruits and veggies in it, as well as healthy fat and lean protein.  Your body needs the vitamins and minerals in real food (versus highly processed foods) supply.

8. Improves Cognitive Function: Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, which can enhance cognitive functions like memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills.

Suffer from brain fog or a cloud?  Start moving and waking up that body!  Get oxygen to your brain with even a short 3–5-minute walk.

9. Promotes Digestive Health: Regular movement helps to stimulate digestion and prevent issues such as constipation. It keeps your digestive system functioning smoothly.

If you gotta poop, take a walk…it can really get things moving!  Eating fiber rich foods is also important, as well adequate drinking water.

10. Builds Healthy Habits: Establishing a routine of daily steps and exercise helps build long-term healthy habits. It sets the foundation for a lifestyle that prioritizes health and well-being.

How to Start Moving If You’re a Couch Potato:

1. Set Realistic Goals: Begin with small, achievable goals, such as a 5-10-minute walk each day. Gradually increase the duration and intensity as your fitness improves. For example, aim for 3,000, 5,000 steps a day and slowly work up to 10,000.

2. Choose Enjoyable Activities: Find physical activities you enjoy, whether it’s walking, dancing, swimming, or cycling. If you like what you’re doing, you’re more likely to stick with it.

3. Create a Routine: Incorporate physical activity into your daily schedule. It can be as simple as a walk during your lunch break or an evening stroll. Consistency is key to building a habit.

4. Use Technology: Fitness trackers or smartphone apps can help monitor your steps and heart rate. They provide motivation and track your progress, helping you stay on target.  Set timers as cues to get up and move.

5. Start with Low-Impact Exercises: If you’re new to exercise, start with low-impact activities to reduce the risk of injury. Walking, gentle stretching, and water aerobics are great options.

6. Find a Buddy: Exercising with a friend or family member can make the experience more enjoyable and provide motivation. It’s also a great way to catch up and socialize.

7. Incorporate Activity into Daily Life: Look for opportunities to move more throughout the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away from your destination, or do light exercises while watching TV.

8. Listen to Your Body: Start slowly and pay attention to how your body feels. Avoid pushing yourself too hard to prevent injury. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts.

9. Celebrate Small Wins: Reward yourself for achieving milestones, whether it’s reaching your step goal for the week or completing your first full workout. Positive reinforcement helps maintain motivation.  Use non-food rewards or celebrate with a sticker!

10. Stay Hydrated and Fuel Your Body: Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet to support your physical activity. Proper nutrition and hydration are essential for overall health and energy levels.

Incorporating daily steps and elevating your heart rate are essential for maintaining good health and well-being. By starting with small, manageable steps and gradually increasing your activity level, you can make exercise a regular part of your life. Remember, the journey to a healthier lifestyle begins with a single step—so lace up those shoes and start moving!