Now that you’ve finally made a conscious and active decision to kickstart your fitness lifestyle and enrich your well-being, you’re probably now staring into space, gazing into the distant lands of ever-lasting procrastination. “What do I do next?” “Where should I start?” has now become your mind’s theme song and without taking immediate action, it might just turn into a number 1 hit. Now put your worry to rest because the route to the promise lands of improved health, increased happiness and that dream physique you’ve always wanted is really nearer than you think, with entry barriers so low they might as well not exist (because they don’t). There is no meet up spot and no special clothing requirements (honestly). In fact you could start right now, from wherever you happen to be reading this blog and do one of (or all) of the following :
- Stand up and gently jog on the spot for 30-60 seconds. Take a two minute breather and then repeat this 2-3 more times.
- Stand up straight, looking ahead with your arms out in front of you and slowly bend your knees, crouching down into a squat. Now slowly rise up and lock your knees out to return to the standing position. You can hold onto a chair or table in front of you for extra stability. Squat and rise 6-10 times in a row, then take a two minute breather and then repeat 2-3 more times.
If you haven’t exercised for a long time, then these will surely make you feel different in a short while.
Recent research suggests you may not need to go to the gym every day to get the health benefits of exercise, although we highly recommend it and urge you to join your local. After all, an Olympic athlete needs to train on a running track in order to excel and achieve success, right? In truth however, physical activity of any intensity could make a difference to overall health and life expectancy. In fact, the British Medical Journal published a study which shows that spending more than nine and a half hours a day sitting, as opposed to standing or walking, is associated with an increased risk of death. According to Public Health England, around 24,000 of deaths in England each year are amongst people under the age of 75, and 80% of these are preventable.
At Commando Camp we suggest that the public health message might simply be “sit less and move more and more often”. Once consistency here is attained, one might find that their natural progression being regular gym attendance, or even the hire of a personal trainer. Whichever route is taken, the ultimate goal is to develop a life enhancing habit, which is enjoyable and becomes a part of life as essential as brushing your teeth every morning. The power is yours!