I prefer to think about “Movement” rather than “exercise,” because our bodies are built to move. And the exercise industry is fraught with dangerous messaging.
Exercise is certainly movement, but the term can come loaded with a whole lot of unnecessary baggage. Generations ago, formal exercise was only for a very specific population, and most folks had activities of daily living that gave them the motion needed for a healthy system.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Mobility and Stability
When are born with mobility. Babies are floppy little unstable bundles who can bend in half and need to learn to stabilize.
What does this mean?
When starting a program, you want to start with core stabilization and range of motion, always seeking balance between strength and mobility. We don’t sacrifice one and prioritize the other, they have to thread together.
Over time, we can lose mobility, or range of motion, becoming less flexible which then affects all our movement patterns. Mobility must balance with stability so we have our full range of motion, and we’re in control of it instead of flopping around like a fish.
So we layer mobility in the upper and lower body with core/spinal stabilization. And, let’s establish an aerobic base.
AEROBICS (Ew)
No! It’s okay! it’s not as bad as you remember. If you hated bouncing around for an hour getting all puffy and pink and sweaty and feeling like you want to die, I have some seriously good news.
The aerobic threshold needed for general health and fitness is a lot lower than we think it is (WHAT? Tell me more…)
You don’t need to get all out of breath and sweaty. In fact, you should be working at a pace that allows you to speak.
NOTE: Able to speak does not mean able to sing or monologue. Walk with purpose—not a stroll, but like you have to pee or don’t remember how much time is left on the meter. All movement counts- push it a bit but no need for full intensity.
Also! An aerobic dose is ten minutes. It is recommended that we receive 3 doses (30 minutes) a day. They can be performed all at once (a half hour walk), or split in half (15 minute bike ride in the morning&evening), or fractionized into three ten minute sessions (a morning/noon/evening routine.
Fractionizing workouts is a great way to fit fitness into your day. Lower the threshold and step through. Walk five minutes in one direction and then turn around. (I can recommend some great songs to walk to if you’re interested).
Okay, panic subsided? Onward.
TYPES OF MOVEMENT
Aerobic/Cardio: Everything from walking, hiking, jogging, swimming, dance class, circuit training. Anything that gets your heart rate up and changes your breathing. 30 minutes of aerobic activity five days a week reduces risk of cancer, diabetes, and stroke. Aerobic exercise can be fractionated, that is, split into shorter sessions. Ten minutes is considered an aerobic dose. There are benefits to doing multiple smaller doses, as well as doing one longer session.
Strength training: Body weight exercises, dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, weight machines. It’s recommended that we perform 2-3 sessions of strength training a week. Strength work is crucial for overall health from fall prevention to joint support to metabolic health. When performed in a circuit, keeping the heart rate up, strength work can pull double duty and count as aerobic training as well.
Stretching: Restoring length to our muscles and keeping the body in balance is an important component in body mechanics and overall health. Ideally stretching should be part of a daily self care, like brushing the teeth.
Activities of daily living: Walking, climbing stairs, interrupting sedentary behavior. Every way in which we move our bodies counts. This varies quite a bit from person to person and seasonally.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
For health purposes, it is recommended that adults accumulate 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. This is traditionally broken down into 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. Think about the frequency of the habit and not just the intensity. If we go hard twice a week and then spend most of the rest of our times working at our desk, that’s very different than going not-so-hard on a regular basis.
Every day we’re training our bodies on what to expect from us. Stillness begets stillness and movement begets more movement.
GETTING STARTED
It can be overwhelming to take it all on. First, take an honest look at where you are and what you’re currently doing. Starting from scratch takes a different approach than kicking it up a notch. Be willing to be a beginner and take it slow. Milk the benefit out of each shift before adding in another layer. Our bodies are incredibly adaptive, don’t put the cart ahead of the horse.
I don’t like giving too much “general advice” because so much varies based on personal circumstance. After my neck injury, my doctor told me I needed to start walking more and I wanted to scream.
FROM SCRATCH: Start with what you can do. Aim for 5-10 minutes of what you can do. Do that three to five times a week.
What he didn’t understand was the agony and effort it took just to get my shoes on my feet. He didn’t understand that lifting my arm and grasping a doorknob was enough to send me back to bed. Even asking me to walk for 5 or 10 minutes would have been an inappropriate request. I was so frustrated and so discouraged.
So I made a smaller ask of myself. What could I do? Well, I could get those shoes on my feet and get out the door. I could do that. And if at that point I needed more painkillers or a rest, guess what? I’d accomplished what I said I’d do. So, maybe five minutes is too long for you. Start with what you can handle and take it from there.
The important thing is to remember WHY you’re doing this. WHY is it important to you? Keep your focus positive, there’s no hating ourselves healthy. I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work.
Pretty Good Ugly 