How to Exercise
So you know that exercise is important but maybe it is not a part of your everyday routine.
You know that it is good for your heart and lungs. You know it is good for your mood, helping you get better sleep. It can help increase focus and productivity.
But maybe it has been a while since you’ve exercised, maybe you’ve had a significant lifestyle change (gained weight, lost weight, experienced an injury, pregnancy, mental health etc). Or maybe you’re new to exercise but intimated by all the info and not sure where to start?
Well, here’s my advice on “How to Exercise”
Disclaimer before we get started, my first piece of advice is to always seek professional assessment before starting a new form of exercise. Medical clearances are crucial to make sure it is safe to exercise. (Both from a systemic health and musculoskeletal perspective).
Commit time every week
Don’t just pencil it in and hope you’ll get it done. It’s important to actually time block and book in your dedicated exercise time. They should be non-negotiable time-blocks just like any meeting or appointment would be.
Start slow and progress
The worst thing you can do is jump back into exercise five times a week at peak intensity. Your body isn’t going to love that and you’ll either end up quitting or getting injured. Slow and steady wins the race here. Try adding 2 days a week of 30 minutes and build up from there.
Get rid of the all or nothing mindset
Just because you aren’t able to complete a one hour workout every day doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do anything at all. Even as little as 10 minutes of movement can make a positive impact on your overall health.
Be honest and realistic with yourself of where you are starting
My approach to fitness is meeting my clients where they’re at instead of where they want to be. It’s unrealistic of us to think that we can lift all the weight, do all the reps and perform all the advanced forms of the exercise when we haven’t been moving our bodies in a long period of time. If we don’t acknowledge where we are starting unfortunately we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
Find movements and activities you truly enjoy
Even if your best friend loves to run miles or your cousin is really into CrossFit, that doesn’t mean those are the only ways to work out. Whatever is going to work best for you, is what you should do. Maybe that’s low impact exercise, maybe that’s kickboxing, maybe that’s dancing or maybe it’s just a brisk walk… all of that is perfectly OK. Doing activities and movements you enjoy will allow you to stick with the exercise much more than if you have to force yourself to do something you hate.
Build out an environment you thrive in.
Maybe that’s a gym setting, maybe it’s at home, maybe that’s with friends and music or alone with a cool workout outfit on. But be honest with yourself, if you hate going to the gym DON’T WASTE THE MONEY! If you need the accountability to get out of your house, then shop around and find a place that suits your needs.
Fuel your body.
It is vital… let me repeat that … VITAL that you are giving yourself enough food and energy to support moving your body. You cannot drive your car a long distance on a quarter of a tank of gas… Just as much as you cannot move your body the amount you would like to without having enough food. If you’re unsure of what you need to be eating, do your research and find a good credentialled source of information (think registered dietician, naturopathic doctor)
All movement counts
There is something called NEAT.. non-exercise activity thermogenesis. And it’s the energy we use to carry out daily activities that’s not formal exercise. This includes things like walking the dog, taking the stairs, parking at the back of the parking lot and walking further to get to your destination. All of these little bits of exercise add up at the end of the day. Aim to add just 1000 more steps a day to your average.
Take your rest days
When you’re new to or trying to get back into exercise another common mistake people make is going pedal to the metal everyday. I will tell you that performance is a perfect balance of training and recovery. If you’re not resting your body to allow it to heal and get stronger than all the training you’re doing is really just burning you out and you’ll end up back to where you started in no time. Give yourself 1-2 days of active rest a week.
If you get off track its ok to start again. Be kind to yourself
If you fall off track it’s OK to start again. Be kind to yourself. You see people beat themselves up for letting life get in the way and skipping days here and there. Remember that life is a journey, a marathon not a sprint. We won’t be perfect every single day but consistency overtime is what makes progress not perfection every single day. Give yourself some grace, pick yourself back up and move forward.
With all that being said now where do I start? Who do I trust? What information should I be listening to?
With this in mind I’ve created 2 new offers:
A virtual fitness membership where you can access your programming from your phone and complete your workouts from wherever you need! The program will be tailored to your needs and help get you closer to your goals. Includes 3 workouts/week, daily accountability, weekly newsletter with tips and tricks to keep you on track.
The details of this are coming soon and you can check out the fitness tab on my website for more info!
An 8 week fitness program designed to empower girls to feel strong, confident and resilient in their bodies. It features 1 hour of physical fitness and 30 minutes of fireside style chats where we will explore topics such as nutrition, recovery, confidence, mindset etc. Created in partnership with the Town of East Gwillimbury and will be offered for females aged 13-16 years old.
What questions do you have for me about exercise? Drop your questions here —-> CONTACT ME
