You can easily call me on “double-dipping” today. I’m posting both this blog and a special podcast to be released today.
Here’s why this is so important I’d dedicate real-estate in two places to it on the same day. I’ve repeatedly heard, and for some reason in the recent past weeks more and more:
I’m exercising regular, but it’s not working.
The harder I work, the worse I feel.
I keep getting hurt just when I get into an exercise routine.
If any of those sounds familiar, this is for you.
Pictured above is a favorite client who has made some major shifts in her thoughts and as a result in her lifestyle and her literal results. She was exercising for hours…every day. No weight training, and plenty of injuries. She was barely eating and wondering why she was not losing weight. The immediate response to an injury that stopped her hours of exercise? Cut back further on calories.
A recipe for disaster not health.
It is NOT a matter of simply “exercising.”
The WRONG exercise will:
- make you age faster
- increase your wrinkles
- increase fast
- lead to muscle loss
- increase cravings
- cause mood swings
- disrupt your sleep
- increase your injuries (or illness or both)
- make your skin saggy
What’s “Wrong” then ? Because you’d absolutely want to avoid any of the things on that list above. Any one of these, and all of them together surely will get you into trouble:
- Too long
- Too frequently
- Too hard
The Right Exercise will:
- enhance your mood
- enhance your sleep
- optimize weight control
- stabilize blood sugar
- enhance productivity and focus
- lower fat
- spare muscle losses (and increase that lean tissue)
- improve your metabolism
- reduce your risk of injury
The Right Exercise
You want to include all the traditional pieces of fitness: cardio, flexibility, and strength in your workouts but you want to flip the priority of them around. Strength and flexibility (at least when you’re establishing or regaining mobility/flexibility) both edge cardio out. Yes, you need it. But rather than your strength training being an after thought, it should be your first fitness component planned into a week.
I’m not talking about light weights and arm circles. Jane made a major impact on fitness but let’s face it, even she now lifts weights and does yoga. She is not the jump-around burn queen any more. And she looks great because of it. (Yes, perhaps a little nip and tuck here and there, but you can’t create that from scratch!)
I’m also not talking about bootcamp daily week in week out. Chronic hamstring injuries, neck strain, and knee pain were the norm for participants in bootcamps for 7 years when I directed a program. No matter how careful or well-intended the trainer. It’s all too easy to get carried away with more, faster, harder moves to “whip” clients into shape… but this approach doesn’t allow the magic to happen. I’ve shared before and will share it again, recovery between sessions is where fitness occurs. Skipping rest and recovery? You’re skipping “go” and still trying to collect $200. You’ll get it but in the form of injury.
Introducing The Whole Flip!
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Your hormones need a different approach. Your joints are thankful. Less exercise- but with higher quality and purpose makes fitness for the second fifty. You can dance circles around the younger set if you’ll do this and change your habits. There’s no age limit on fitness.
Make it easy to do the right thing. Not pieces but the complete program.
