The body is made to move. Stay fit for life.

The day seems incomplete if I do not participate in some type of physical activity.  As a kid, if there was running, jumping, or climbing to be done, I was doing it. Once I learned how to ride a bike, that’s where you could find me, even though the only place I was allowed to ride was up and down our quarter-mile long, gravel driveway.  It didn’t matter. I was moving!

Tennis and racquetball were the games of choice in college.  A few of my regular partners enjoyed seeing how long we could keep a volley going.  There was no reason to keep score. We weren’t playing to win. We were playing to move.  

I guess it’s not surprising, I met my husband in the gym.  We both worked there. Our first “date” was a racquetball match.  After 38 years together, I think it’s safe to say we both won.

Every morning we walk at least five miles, rain or shine.  We’re working on our third time around the Earth. There is no doubt this daily ritual has contributed to our physical fitness as well as our marital longevity.  Depending on their ages, our boys accompanied us either in strollers, on bikes, running alongside, or walking. When they got older, they would teasingly ask, “Who’s walking Mom today?”

The human body is made to move.  Being physically active does not require any special attire, particular equipment, or designated location.  Exercise can be done here, there, and everywhere. This section is dedicated to surveying the benefits of physical activity for both our personal and interpersonal health and well being, as well as exploring their  implications for establishing and maintaining A HeARTful Home.