Unless you are bed ridden or unable to move, you are exercising to some small degree every day All movement counts. We have been lead to believe that exercise only occures in the gym or through participation in some type of structured activity like crossfit, orange theory, running 5 k's, etc., While it is true that the more structured the movement, the more beneficial (includes cardiovascular, weight resistence, flexiblity, core strength training), all movement remains beneficial. Walking, washing the car, mowing the lawn, shopping at the mall, playing with the kids, swimming, cleaning the house all count.

The effects of movement, like health, fitness and wellness in general, are dose dependent. They are not an all or nothing proposition. Remember that centenarians or super centenarians (people who are 100 or 110 years old) have never really excercised in the sense of how we now define exercise, yet they have achieved a milestone of age that is well beyond the 78 year life expectancy of the average person. Research has demonstrated that only 30% of the longevity is attributed to genetics, meaning that 70% is due to their lifestyle, which includes an active lifestyle, but certainly not overly structured exercise.

The moral of this story is to get up off of your ass and move. We must change our opinion of what exercise really is and, in general what is a healthy lifestyle. Even small healthy choice changes can product big dividends and increase your odds of a youthful longevity.