Exercise Contract

I’m currently taking a class on health promotion and our teacher had us make a contract stating that we would make one health improvement during the 5 weeks of the course. I thought of what I should do and really wanted to improve the amount of sleep I get every night, but after browsing through the material required for class that first week I decided that being more active was more important at the time. So I made the contract, starting with small baby steps. Beginning small gives one better chances at success than starting a big exercise program that only gets us too exhausted to continue. I had said that for the first week I was going to walk 10 minutes a day, three times a week, and that I would add 10 minute increments for the next 4 weeks. That first day I got out of the house, set the alarm for 5 minutes and went for a walk. When the alarm on my phone went off, I turned around and walked another 5 minutes back home. I had done 10 minutes and even though I could do more, I was determined to start small so instead of walking more, my son, who had gone with me, and I, decided to walk many times through one of our neighbor’s sprinklers that were getting the side walk wet. Fun! As the weeks have gone by, the 10 minutes have turned into 20, 30, and often I find myself being active more than one hour. I walk, ride my bike, swim, and have on occasion, as I notice my endurance building up, jogged. It feels great!
 

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Exercise has incredible benefits. Not only is it good for heart health, but it is also good in cancer prevention and treatment, diabetes management, bone health, and even at fighting psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Oh, and as I am finding out, it’s great at improving one’s sleep too.
 
I want to encourage you to become more active. Begin small, even just 5-10 minute quick walks around the block, but do start. Maybe make a contract and reward yourself for the small accomplishments. Two beautiful new house plants are part of my reward. In no time you will start noticing great improvements in your health.