Daylight savings time is upon us again. The clocks have all jogged back an hour, gifting us a little more time, whether we like it or not. Since the time change came hot on the heels of Halloween, most of us cashed in our temporal surplus immediately by getting an extra hour of sleep. What would we do with that hour if we could, though? Do the dishes? Organize the sock drawer?
What we do with our precious minutes and moments is up to us. We certainly have to spend some time on absolute necessities, like eating and sleeping, but we have the free will to regulate our other actions. We often get caught up, though, accidentally whiling away the hours on social media or watching television. Before we know it, the day is done and it’s time for bed.
That’s why it is so important to make time for things we want and need to do. This is especially true of maintaining our kinetic hygiene. Before we know it, it’s been years since we did any real stretching and we’re saddled with stiffness and pain. We need to maintain mobility and strength to practice proper posture if we want our bodies to last. So amidst the hundred odd things we find ourselves doing each day, we must find little moments to invest in ourselves.
We encourage you to be an opportunist with your kinetic hygiene exercises. Practice base-setting while standing in line at the grocery store, tying your shoes, waiting for a bus or a plane. There are little moments we can sneak in a stretch or an exercise but this also helps us incorporate these things into our daily life. We want to get to a point where we are practicing Pelvic Tilt and Chin-to-Throat without thinking about it, but the step before that is thinking about it and reminding yourself to do it whenever possible.
Often, we declare we will turn over a new leaf and exercise an hour each day. More often than not, we get too busy to incorporate that ideal amount of time into our bustling day. After a few days have gone by we give up on our lofty goal and settle back into a bag of cheesy snacks. Contrarily, if you only take five minutes a day, you’ve added some value above doing nothing. It’s great if you really do turn over that leaf, but we see more success with people that build a routine and slowly get in the habit of exercising. The successful folks tend to find time early in their day, too.
Take a moment – RIGHT NOW – and do something simple for your health. Practice setting base position, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Take a moment for yourself. Open up to the possibility that this moment can lead to more moments. Forgive yourself for being where you are and believe that you can improve. Look out for those little ways to make some time for yourself.
