I came up with the name of my business and social media, Get Up Keep Moving on a whim many years ago in a moment when I felt particularly energetic and I thought it would sound encouraging. Now I realize it sounds like I think everyone should be in constant motion.
Far from it.
I love down time.
You might have heard me preach about rest and recovery, or maybe read it in here in my Thoughtbox, the weekly brain dump.
Rest is when we’re getting stronger – reaping the benefits of exercise. Recovery days are super important to factor into regular training. Reading, gardening, a nap, a walk, an easy, breezy bike ride, meditation, yoga, foam rolling, and breathing are essential components for recovery. Type “breathing” into the search bar for lots of ways to recover and to relieve stress.
Get up, keep moving can be metaphorical, the act of gathering yourself, facing an obstacle with calm equilibrium when it seems insurmountable, or emotionally moving forward through any tough period. It can also suggest getting your butt off the chair, out the door for some air when you’re mired in work, or taking a few minutes to stand up and stretch.
The exhortation to get up keep moving can be literally get up. The keep moving part can happen however it works for you.
Kicking myself out of bed super early for a sunrise is never easy, but the day always feels so much better if I start it with joy!
Two things:
1. We are all stronger than we realize.
2. How to effectively use recovery days to allow muscles to get stronger.
Research suggests that each pound of muscle burns about six calories per day at rest.
The more muscle you have, the better your body can fight disease, process and metabolize calories, manage blood sugar and insulin, support healthier bones, and protect against age-related physical and mental decline. I urge you to balance strength training, cardio, plus rest for resilience, durability, and for your best quality of life, both mental and physical.
What I’m training for in my 40s, 50s, and into my 70s and beyond:
I train and rest to be the most fun, strongest grandma, and also a little bit of ego mixed in – some competition, personal records, or just to be able to hang with and hold my own with other (usually younger) athletes.
And yes, aesthetics too, I admit that I like to see defined muscles in the mirror or in a photo of this old chick.
All of it.
Onward~
x
Polli
