04 Apr 2026 Movement matters

Posted at 8:00 PMh in Health & Beauty by

By Karl Lenser

With this issue of 501 LIFE focused on living your best life, I thought it would be prudent to address the importance of physical movement as a means to enhance and improve your life. There are many benefits to incorporating an active lifestyle, such as more energy throughout the day, reducing the risk of developing life-limiting diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, in addition to obesity and low-back pain.

Unfortunately, a common misconception is that individuals need to spend a superfluous number of hours working out at a fitness center to receive health benefits. The good news is that simply investing 30-45 minutes of movement four to five days per week will significantly impact one’s overall health. The key to obtaining the physical benefits of movement is finding ways to move and being creative with a mindset that looks for opportunities to burn calories and enjoy the activity.

For example, taking the stairs instead of an elevator is one simple way to add some physical activity to your day. If you have a sedentary office /desk job, set a reminder to get up and take a walking break, as sitting for long periods of time is detrimental to the lower back (especially with poor posture) and overall health. Studies have shown that even highly conditioned athletes, such as triathletes and marathon runners, are susceptible to some negative health risks if they are sedentary for extended periods (it’s rare, but it can happen). 

Walking is always the “go-to” activity as it is a simple and natural movement, in addition to being a good calorie burner. Now that warmer weather has arrived, getting outside for a walk or bike ride is a much easier option than on the dark, cold days of winter.

Joining a fitness center is a great investment in one’s health, as it offers many options to improve cardio fitness, in addition to strength, balance, and flexibility. Another benefit of joining a fitness center is the social aspect that is vital to living better and enhancing one’s overall health. Group exercise classes provide a great example of merging the physical fitness portion of wellness into the social component. Working out with others makes the workout more enjoyable and provides a wonderful opportunity to develop new friendships.

The human body has more than 600 muscles that are designed to move and put into action. Failure to consistently use these muscles greatly increases the risk for health problems that can make it difficult to live your best possible life. Everyone can benefit by getting physically active and enjoying the social, mental and physical benefits that will help you live better.

Physical movement is inexpensive medicine and is an investment that has amazing rewards and benefits. People who are moving are improving!

Karl Lenser
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