Physical Activity

Forget comparing ourselves with the neighbour who jogs – start with the simple act of moving. On our lowest days, this might mean just dragging ourselves out of bed – but it’s a start and getting ourselves in motion can actually help us feel more energized and put our minds in a better place.  

Watch Trevor’s Tip Video: Think Movement.

The days we feel least like doing something active are the most important days to do it. Those are the days when we will feel best after doing it.  

Watch Ric’s Tip Video: Physical Activity, Stick With It.

Often we’ll bend over backwards for those we love. Think of your physical activity as necessary for helping your children, partner, friend, or pet. By helping them, we’re doing ourselves some good too – it’s a win-win situation.

Negative thinking can really grind us down, so try flipping things around. Think of the good stuff about physical activity – more energy, better sleep, better appetite, clearer thinking – to help get us going. A positive mind frame will lead to positive action.

When we’ve managed to get ourselves going – even for the simplest of things like washing the dishes, for example – we should take a moment to recognize that any kind of physical activity is really difficult when depression is at its worst. We can use the momentum to carry ourselves on to our next small task.

It doesn’t have to be complicated – just keep things simple. If the most you can do is take a short walk, start there. The next day, try to do a little more and build on that.

It’s more likely that we’ll do something if it’s easy and convenient. Walking or running don’t require much equipment and are easy to do from nearly anywhere. The same goes for swimming or exercise class — if it’s easy to get to and the timing is convenient, it’s more likely that we’ll go.

If we don’t like an activity, chances are we’re not going to do it. But if we enjoy a particular activity — whether it’s walking, biking, or ping pong — we’ll be more likely to do it and stick with it over time. The important thing is to pick something we like. Then we’ll look forward to it and feel better when we do it.

Involving other people is a great way to motivate ourselves to get active and be social. Join an exercise group or exercise with a friend. You’ll stay connected and you’ll have support to help you stay on track.

To make sure we don’t “forget” to do some physical activity, give yourself reminders. This could be as simple as a sticky note on our mirror reminding us to go for a walk in the morning.

While it might not always be possible, taking a little break during our work-day to go for a walk, swim, or yoga class can make a world of difference. Our minds will be fresher, we’ll be more productive, and we’ll feel good.

A simple way to increase daily physical activity is to walk or cycle whenever we have to commute somewhere.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to get our heart rate up is by skipping the elevator in favour of the stairs.

Taking part in activities such as hikes or walks with friends or family members is a great way to have some fun with your fitness.

To get the most benefit out of any physical activity, we should try to get our heart rate up, work up a sweat, and keep at it for at least 30 minutes.

Physical activity needs to happen throughout the week. One or two exercise sessions won’t do us much good. Shoot for about 2-3 hours of moderate physical activity over the course of each week. It might seem like a lot, but we could aim for five separate 30 minute sessions each week. Spreading things out over the week makes it much more manageable.

Variety is the spice of life. We should make sure we vary our physical activity so that we don’t get bored. Check with your local community centre for different programs on offer.

Don’t break the bank when it comes to physical activities. Unless we are going to be using them regularly, avoid buying health club memberships or expensive equipment.