It’s that time again: the beginning of a new year – the best time to make new-year resolutions that impact our lives. Top on my list is regular exercise. It may sound trivial, but I can’t even remember the last time I exercised. As I learned more about the benefits of regular exercise, I realized that it is something no one can afford not doing it. Therefore, I am documenting why I decide to make regular exercise part of my new-year resolution so I can always come back here whenever I feel tempted not to stick to it.
The benefits of regular exercise impact every aspect of one’s daily life because it:
- Improves your immune system so you can stay healthier and love longer
- Reduces risk of developing medical conditions including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. (Studies from Journal of National Cancer Institute have shown 3.8 hours of exercise per week may reduce breast cancer risk by 58%.)
- Builds strong muscles, bone, stable joints; improves flexibility and reduces injury
- Improves mental health. People who exercise regularly are less likely to be depressed
- Improves one’s appearance, delays the aging process and boosts self-confidence.
- Promotes better sleep, which leads to concentration & productivity
Overcome my barriers to regular exercise with practical tips
- Can’t stay motivated – I’m too tired to exercise after working all day. Without exercise, you’ll have no energy. It’s a vicious cycle. Breaking the cycle with physical activity is the best way. Try simple steps: get up 30 minutes earlier to exercise or walkout during lunch break; prepare ahead – keep workout clothes and shoes in your car; plan physical activity for times of the day when you tend to feel more energetic, and remember why you’re exercising.
- Can’t find the time for Exercise. We know fitness is important, but our days are so packed with other things, exercise seems to be the easiest one to skip. Well, the key is to make it convenient for you and make activity part of your daily life. If you don’t have time for a full workout, shorter spurts of exercise accumulated throughout the day offer benefits, too.
- Cross-training is an easy way to add variety to your exercise program and reduce risk of injury. Alternating between a high-impact activity, such as running, and a low-impact activity, such as cycling, can help you avoid overuse injuries and keep you interested. Keep in mind a well-balanced exercise routine includes aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training.
- How often should we exercise? WHO recommends one hour a day of moderate activity most days of the week to maintain good health. Some people may assume that more is better. Wrong! Doing too much too soon or performing intense exercises on a daily basis may backfire on your body and muscles. To me, setting my goal to exercise three days per week is realistic, safe and effective.
It is easy now for me to see why regular exercise is wise. In addition to the benefits it does to our mind and health, the expression “use it or lose it” also holds true here! If you don’t use your body, you will surely lose it. Your muscles will become weak. Your heart and lungs won’t function efficiently. And your joints will be stiff and easily injured. Inactivity is as much of a health risk as smoking! I am committed to making regular exercise my lifestyle choice to become a healthier me starting this year.
For those of us who have been far away from home for so long, it’s hard not to be sentimental at times. As emotional as I am, a small trigger can bring me into tears in seconds =) When my feelings of nostalgia get the better of me, I will immerse myself in nostalgic music to release all my emotions. To me, nothing better to epitomize nostalgic music than Pianist Yanni’s Nostalgia and the sound track in movie Cinema Paradiso.
Yanni’s Nostalgia
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
“Cinema Paradiso” is a 1988 Italian film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Its international version won the 1989 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Told in flashback, it tells the story of the return to his native Sicilian village of a successful film director Salvatore for the funeral of his old friend Alfredo, who was the projectionist at the local “Cinema Paradiso”. Ultimately, Alfredo serves as a wise father figure to his young friend who only wishes the best to see him succeed.The film intertwines sentimentality with comedy, and nostalgia with pragmaticism. It explores issues of youth, coming of age, and reflections in adulthood about the past.
为什么叫自己小恐龙呢？其实呀，小恐龙是指我们公寓池塘里那一群小鸭子们。这是我和Gary给它们昵称。从今年三，四月份起，院儿里的公鸭子就开始和母鸭子频频“约会”： 时常看见一对对异性鸭子在草地上散步，追逐。不久，我们就发现池塘里多了六，七只小小的，毛茸茸的小鸭子。它们象一个小纵队似的紧紧跟在鸭妈妈的身后。鸭妈妈也非常尽心地保护着小鸭子们。开始我们有点儿奇怪：鸭爸爸呢？ 翻翻书才知道鸭爸爸通常在鸭妈妈生小鸭子时就把她“抛弃”了，怪不得只有鸭妈妈带着小鸭子们，这原来是鸭子界的自然规律！不太公平哟。
遗憾的是，也就一周左右的时间吧，这拨儿小鸭子就陆续减少，最后全都消失了！听院儿里打扫的工人说，晚上院里经常有野猫出没，小鸭子那么小，又不会飞，不是给野猫吃了，就是饿死了。好伤心呀！很久都不再去池塘了。
几周后，很偶然的，我们又惊喜地发现了一拨儿新出生的小鸭子跟在鸭妈妈身后游泳！初春的湾区，早晚的温差还是蛮大的，我们注意到，晚上鸭妈妈都会领小鸭子们游到池塘中间的一块大石头上，然后它们都爬到石头上，鸭妈妈把小鸭子们压在自己的身下，这样，即可以给小鸭子们保暖，又可以保护小鸭子不受野猫的侵袭。好尽责的鸭妈妈呀！不幸的是，小鸭子们又一次一只一只地减少。难道它们这么难生存下来吗？记得那天我看见池塘边有一只小鸭子，它歪在草丛里，已经奄奄一息了。我把它捧起来，带回家，把它放在装有棉花的盒子里，把盒子放在暖气旁，喂它东西，可它还是斜躺着，一动不动，只是小声的叫了几声。到了下午，它已经四脚朝天，死翘翘了！(待续)
