Been reading and listening to Dr Michael Mosley's series on small life changes and additions called "Just one thing" that can benefit health (physical and mental) and cognitive function. I've done martial arts since I was 19 (I might even be good at it one day!) and it's pretty cool how many of the "just one things" can be included under that activity umbrella. Things as simple as learning a new skill, standing on one leg, specific types of exercise like squats and press-ups, breath control (or awareness), mindfulness, visualisation and meditation can have appreciable benefits. And of course the other aspects of just moving generally, regular exercise, better proprioception, socialising, setting goals, flexibility, confidence building, etc are all part of it too. Tai Chi gets a specific shout out but I think any martial art can have similar benefits.
I'll second the Tai Chi thing, honestly I'm doing more of that on a day to day basis now than what I've done for boxing conditioning for the last 20 years. But the "just move" philosophy pins it down nicely doesn't it. There's no need to overthink it, no need for expensive DVDs or gym equipment, you can just move in a million different ways and few to none of them carry any risk. What does carry risk? Sleeping and sitting a lot and eating poorly. I like to clean, almost to an obsessive degree. I pick up other people's trash, wash their dishes, laundry, and so on. Even that is a way of "just move" that also benefits others around me. We all (at least I think) picked up martial arts to benefit ourselves, but boxing taught me how to move, fall, get back up, Tai Chi taught me how to breathe like a beast. And now when I pick up other people's garbage, I don't see it as cleaning. I see it as opportunities to train. If I see you dropped your M&M wrapper on the ground, I'm picking it up with a Super Hero Landing. I'll never bend over again.
