This weeks blogpost is about getting more active! I left you with a few questions on my last post. So here they are again!
1. What is so important that you want to get healthy for?
2. What is your dream/purpose in life?
These are big questions to answer. Take your time answering. I suggest these two questions because once you know the direction of your life, this becomes your compass by which you make your life decisions. Deciding to become active is a life decision. Think about how being active supports your dream. On my very first blog I outlined the benefits of physical activity. Correlate those with your overall dream! Physical activity can help you in your pursuit to be a successful CEO, parent, coach, mechanic, teacher, or whatever else you would like to do. Linking your physical activity to your overall dream can serve to “motifit” you!! Some people get active to lose weight, gain muscle, reduce pain, improve athletic performance, improve health, or reduce the risk of injury. All of these are great goals but many people relapse or terminate their program once the goal is reached (unless another active goal is made). In fact, relapse in implementing a physical activity program is the rule not the exception according to research. In linking physical activity to your overall dream your relapse has a greater chance of being short-lived and you are back being physically active for life.
Once you have thought about the above you now have your compass. Now lets start the getting active process. The first thing I would recommend is to fill out a PAR-Q form. This assesses readiness for activity. If you have a yes on any of the questions then it would be a good idea to get that area of concern checked by your physician before pursuing activity. I have posted the link below for you to get your form.
http://www.csep.ca/cmfiles/publications/parq/par-q.pdf
After this I would recommend filling out the Fantastic Lifestyle Checklist. It is a very useful tool in assessing lifestyle behaviours. The link below will take you to the form.
http://kinese.ca/main/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/FANTASTIC-lifestyle-Q-Full.pdf
This will allow you to become more aware of other behaviours that you may want to change or maintain to help support your activity program.
The last form (I know all this paper work!) that I would suggest to fill out is an activity inventory to recall all the activities you like to do. Click below to get the form. It was (and the other forms above) produced by CSEP as part of the Canadian Physical Activity, Fitness, and lifestyle Appraisal approach.
There are many methods and models for behaviour change. For those who would like help with a one on one focused approach I would recommend consulting with a CSEP Certified Personal Trainer, CSEP Certified Exercise Physiologist, or a CHEK Certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach. They can help you focus a plan unique to your needs.
So for now here is your summary of activities for you to do:
1. Get clear on your dream/purpose and determine what is important for you to be healthy for! Write it down in a journal or piece of paper. Then determine how physical activity can help you accomplish them. You can write it out like this: Physical activity can support my pursuit of ______________________ by providing ________________________. Then put it up on your fridge or mirror or keep a place marker in your journal for frequent referrals.
2. Fill out a PAR-Q and see a Doc if necessary.
3. Fill out a Fantastic Lifestyle form to see if there are any behaviours you would like to change or maintain to support your physical activity pursuits.
4. Fill in the Activity inventory to recall your favorite activities. If you know already – then get out and do them!
My next few blogposts will be on self-assessing your fitness levels. This will provide a baseline for those beginning an activity plan and a way to monitor fitness for those who are currently active.
Until then – may your life force be with you.