Exercise for Self Care

By Rafet Khaliq

Discover your thing!

We all know about the benefits of exercise it is widely documented and there are endless pieces of research advice and information as to why should exercise. Yet, with all this information and constant bombardment, why is it that many of us still do not make a move to exercise?

Allow me to stir some thoughts as to why this may be, and what simple moves we can make to utilise this widely available and wonderful therapy called exercise. In this article I shall provide information as to the well-known benefits of movement, summarised in bite size text for you to easily absorb and I will finish with a challenge to you the reader, to discover YOUR thing and run with it!

We shall touch on behavioral blocks and why it is we don't do what we know will make us feel better, look better, and enable to deal with life and all the challenges that can come with it! So what is it that stops us from that little bit of beneficial movement? 

I believe that the biggest block is quite simple, you haven't discovered your activity that keeps you regular in that action. It's those age or cliches, discipline, discipline discipline!

So, what creates this? Well passion for a sport or activity and a complete feeling of comfort that yes, this is what I want to do and actually, I enjoy it! So let's explore that word enjoy as I believe it can be different things to different people. To some it could mean having a laugh while playing badminton, to another it could mean pushing hard while riding a bike to the point of sheer exhaustion while the body goes into anaerobic respiration pumping lactic acid into the muscles; wait a minute how can that be enjoyment. Well believe it or not that is what some go back for, the feeling of reaching new goals or gains. That might not be your thing, and for the most of us it probably isn't. So how do you discover yours? The answer is quite simple, it is just that you go out and discover for yourself. If you don't try something, how will you ever know?! How does this begin and how do we introduce this in our lives.

So before setting up my challenge to you let me summarise or reiterate some of the benefits of movement and some that have been prescribed by the Almighty.

The Salaah has been woven five times throughout our day… giving us the opportunity to use our bodies in positions that we may not otherwise have used, getting us up off our desk and out our beds. The process of standing, bowing, sitting with pauses in between not only have spiritual benefits but also mental and physical health benefits too. Prayer movements enhance flexibility and general muscular fitness, resulting in moderate physical exercise particularly to the larger muscles and encourage health and wellbeing. Many of the main activities in Islam require physical movement and endurance; Safa Marwah, Hajj and Umrah if done while in good shapes make it easy, well many who embark on these, often once in a lifetime journeys, are overshadowed by their concern of the hard physical aspects, which brings us nicely to the hadith by Sahih Bukhari which states ‘Indeed, for your body has rights over you’. 

Benefits of physical activity might help bump up the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitter called endorphins, reduces negative effects of stress and reduce the feelings of anxiety in fact whilst your exercising quite often helps to clear your mind of unwanted or worrying thoughts, regular physical exercise can help keep your thinking, learning and judgment sharp, help you reduce the risk of depression and also help you sleep better, not to mention the weight management with the high intensity exercise. But we know all this, don't we? What is it that makes your neurotransmitters go off the charts to produce feel-good chemicals and why not embed the movement of prostration in your life as a bare minimum.

After all, when we are feeling slumped and tired after a long day of work or looking after the family, the last thing on your mind may be to go and do some physical activity, however it is completely counter intuitive, quite simply most of the time, the more exercise we do the more energy we have! Not only this, research has also shown that regular medium to intense exercise will mean that we are actually biologically younger. What!! Yes, but you have to be doing it regularly for a long period of time in order to reap these rewards.

So let me help you now discover your thing, and a natural way to self-care as we know embark on this journey. First off, start small, I mean really small; just get moving! Whether that be five sit ups or walking on the spot for 30 seconds or running on the spot for ten. It doesn't really matter, the gauge is, are you slightly challenging yourself and either getting out of breath or doing something that you would never have done. 

Okay, let's build on this now, get regular, make it fun and disciplined. Book it in a diary if you must. Commitment and yes, I say it again discipline is key! And if you are enjoying the gains or the moment, you're more likely to stick at it. Do this for several days, for a fortnight at least; and if you don't like it try something else.  

Next, find a partner or a group, introduce friends or family and start discovering a sport or activity now that you have built some proportion of fitness, share the khayr! There's nothing wrong with solo endeavours also. 

I personally have recently engaged in women's boxing classes which I am looking to continue and also to reignite my discovered passion of basketball. This journey shall begin as I am just about to purchase a basketball which will be my signal and catalyst to start this wonderful game. What is your signal?!

So there it is, my challenge to you, start something small, do it regular and let your discovery begin…. if it doesn't fulfil your mind and body with an enhanced well-being then simply try something else until you also come to a point to discover your thing!

#becomeyourbetterself

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