Moving Because I Have To

What are five simple exercises to do at home?

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I do not exercise. And I don’t mean that I do not exercise regularly. I mean I do not exercise. I actively choose not to.

Am I healthy by normal standards? Absolutely not. But am I lazy beyond normal sanity? Yes!

I like things easy, so exercising has never been something I willingly make time for. The only real movement I get comes from doing household chores, the occasional deep cleaning, and walking around within the four walls of my house.

I don’t even take the time to do proper breathing exercises. During a check-up, I was told that I tend to take very small breaths, and I have also noticed that I sometimes hold my breath without even realizing it.

So, if I were ever going to exercise, it would have to be simple. Nothing complicated, nothing that makes me question every life decision that brought me to that moment.

My five simple exercises would probably be:

  1. Walking
    Probably the most realistic option for me. I already walk around the house, so this would simply require me to do a little more of it intentionally.
  2. Stretching
    Simple stretches feel less intimidating than an actual workout. They are something I could imagine doing without mentally preparing myself for battle first.
  3. Chair Exercises
    An exercise that allows me to sit down? Now we are speaking my language. Simple seated movements seem much more approachable to someone starting from absolutely nothing.
  4. Breathing Exercises
    Considering I apparently forget to breathe properly sometimes, intentionally paying attention to my breathing feels like something worth working on.
  5. Simple Mobility Exercises
    Gentle movements of my shoulders, arms, ankles, and legs sound manageable. Nothing extreme, just getting my body to move more than it currently does.

I know that none of these sounds particularly ambitious. But maybe that is exactly the point. For someone who does nothing, doing something is already progress.

Exercise of the Mind

Given that I am generally a very lazy person, I do not do much of physical exercise.

The one thing I love doing is exercising my mind! I love learning new things! Learning something new always makes me happy and excited. Now, let’s be completely honest, the excitement is there in the initial days and usually tappers down after that, but nonetheless, I prefer it to exercising!

Whenever I do exercise, I prefer to dance. And no, I am not a good dancer. I wish I were but I am not. I did go for dance classes for 6 years but all I can do is be a background dancer. I have no sort of aura a dancer should have. On the other hand, using it as a means to add some sort of activity in my life seems like a good option.

Daily writing prompt
What’s the most fun way to exercise?