Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Stairs and Piano Keys

When I see patients and encourage them to engage in regular movement, I encourage them to do something they find fun. Go for a run in the park with your dog and throw a frisbee with her! Jump on a trampoline with your kids! Do a water aerobics class, and wear the brightest, fanciest-colored arm floaters you can find! Go run through a sprinkler!

Notice I said "movement," not "exercise." Too many people associate exercise with hitting the gym and doing a set routine of exercises, lifting weights, running on a treadmill, or taking the stairway to nowhere. And lots of people consider that a chore more than actual fun. If it isn't fun, we figure, why do it? It's not long before we stop out of boredom or losing sight of a goal.

In Sweden, some people took the idea of making "exercise" fun and, uh, ran with it. They made taking the stairs much more fun that it usually would be. Check out this video. And do something fun today!



(Disclaimer: I have no association with The Fun Theory or with Volkswagen.)