Inertia

When I was a science teacher in NY, one of the subjects in the curriculum was Newton’s Laws of Motion. The first law states that an object in motion will remain in motion, an object at rest will remain at rest, until acted upon by an external force. This is known as inertia.

In other words, if an apple is sitting on the counter, it will remain there until someone comes along and picks it up or knocks it down. In addition, if a ball is thrown it will continue moving and never stop until gravity pulls it down, or it hits a wall.

This same law can be applied to our own lives. It can be very difficult to get moving off the couch. We sometimes feel planted and like we’ve grown roots that hold us down. It will enter our minds that we should get up and do something…anything, but we don’t move.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Jim Ryun

When these feelings are pressing in on you, it is important to take action – any action. I personally try and avoid walking into the kitchen because I know I will be lured to eat something out of my boredom, loneliness, or depression.

Here are some ideas on increasing our movement:

1. Walk instead of drive, whenever possible.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV after dinner.
4. Do yard work: rake, weed, or plant (very fulfilling)
5. Walk while you talk on the phone
6. Stand instead of sit when you are on your laptop or tablet
7. Find a chore that needs to be done around the house.
8. Have a set of dumbbells near your seat and exercise your arms while you watch TV.
9. Dance
10. Walk the mall
11. Park further away from the door.
12. Watch your children’s sporting events standing or walking the sidelines.

A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can’t do. I always look on the positive side of what I can do.

Chuck Norris

For me, I have found that taking a brisk walk when I wake up in the morning helps me to stay active all day. I make sure to lay out my clothes the night before so I am ready as soon as the alarm rings. Yes, I have had to set my alarm earlier, but I find it is worth it to get my body moving. It helps my mental and physical state throughout the day.

The truth is that once we do get moving, inertia comes into play and nothing will stop us from moving forward and accomplishing our dreams. It also becomes almost impossible to remember the feeling of being sedentary and inactive.

The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.

Arnold Schwarzenegger