Playing with Movement: "Rules of the Game"

Since relocating to PA from Brooklyn, my fitness routine has been all over the place. Well, that's actually true of the last year or so! While I still make it a point to exercise at least four times per week, I miss training in the gym on a program and competing!

I plan to join a local gym in the next few weeks and figure out my next fitness goal. However, for now, exercising with Peloton videos, repeating workouts from Park Slope Crossfit's Zoom days, and trying out various online programs are enough to keep me going.

No matter what I do, I like to keep in mind these suggestions from Todd Hargrove's book, Playing With Movement:

"If you want to 'play' with fitness as a way to improve general health, here are some 'rules of the game' to keep in mind. Have as much fun as possible within these basic constraints:

• Aim for at least half an hour and up to two hours of physical activity almost every day.
• Movement should be varied in terms of volume, intensity and type. Most activity can be fairly light. Walking is the most natural and beneficial movement for human beings.
• Occasionally include some high intensity work that significantly challenges your strength, power, and/or capacity to sustain high energy output for a short period of time. Climbing, running and resistance training are logical choices.
• Include movements that challenge coordination, balance, and range of motion. Or to put this in even simpler terms: Move around a lot at a slow easy pace. Frequently move with some urgency or pick up something heavy. Every once in a while, move like your life depends on it."

They're a great reminder that exercise can and should be fun, and sometimes, simply going for a long walk is better than not moving at all.