By Judy Okolo
There is a moment at many Nigerian parties that tells you more about wellness than any medical test: when the DJ plays your song and your mind says, Get up! but your knees quietly negotiate the terms.

We laugh about it. Old age don come. We avoid the stairs, ask someone younger to carry the bag, or choose the nearest chair. Yet these small adjustments can become a pattern: we move less because movement feels harder, and movement becomes harder because we move less.
That is why movement is not simply about exercise. It is about protecting your independence.
The real prize of growing older is being able to rise from a chair without assistance, climb stairs, carry your shopping, bend down, travel, dance at celebrations and move confidently through your day.
Your body adapts to what you repeatedly ask it to do. Challenge your muscles and they have reason to remain strong. Practise balance and your body keeps learning to steady itself. Move your joints regularly and you help preserve mobility.
Stop using age as an excuse to move less. Instead, train for the life you want to keep living.
Walk with intention. Walking is one of the simplest forms of movement available. Walk around your neighbourhood, office compound or shopping centre. Where appropriate, add a few minutes at a brisker pace.
Build strength. Twice a week, challenge your major muscle groups. Chair squats, wall push-ups, resistance bands or suitable weights can help. Strength matters when you need to lift a suitcase, carry groceries or get up from a low seat.
Practise balance. While holding a stable surface if necessary, stand briefly on one leg or practise heel-to-toe walking. Balance is not something to remember only after a fall.
Break up sitting. Lagos traffic, office work, television and our phones can keep us seated for hours. Stand, stretch or walk for a few minutes every 3060 minutes.
Make movement automatic. Walk after lunch. Stretch after waking. Take the stairs when practical. Dance while getting ready. Small movements repeated consistently matter.
And please, do not wait until you can afford a gym membership, buy expensive equipment or find the perfect workout plan. Your body needs movement more than it needs fitness accessories.
If you have been inactive or have a health condition, start gently and seek appropriate professional guidance.
Your future body is being shaped by what your present body repeatedly does.
So move for more than weight loss or appearance. Move so you can keep saying yesto the trip, the stairs, the dance floor and everyday life.
This week, choose three simple movements and schedule them into your day.

Until next time, lets glow intentionally.

Judy Okolo is a Pharmacist and a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach