There is so much out there on social media - what workouts are the MOST beneficial, what nutrition program is the MOST beneficial. Guess what? Fitness isn't a one size fits all. A workout program that allows one person to lose 25 lbs may cause another person to increase their weight. It is important to be clear on your goals, and be forgiving with yourself. My #1 rule when it comes to working out is that if you don't enjoy it, don't do it. I don't care what Beachbody "coaches" tell you (they have 0 training and credit - I know this as I used to be one). It is important to figure out what makes YOU feel good! The first step to this process is being aware of your options. Which is what this post is about. I want to talk about the different types of exercises and their benefits. I also believe that you need a little bit of all of them in our exercise routine to have a holistic sense of health. It is important to create diversity in your workouts. Let's get into it.
Aerobic (Endurance) Physical Activity Aerobic physical activity focuses on your large muscles. It is also called endurance/cardio. Running, Swimming, cycling, walking, jumping jacks, etc. All of these are considered aerobic. These exercises make our heart pump more than usual, this activity is important because it makes our heart and lungs stronger.
Muscle Strengthening Muscle strengthening exercises improve our strength, power and endurance of our muscles. Allowing us to lift heavier, allow more reps and to workout for longer periods of times. Doing pushups, lifting weights, any activity where you are pushing or pulling a load is muscle strengthening. This also allows us to be able to lift things in our everyday life, with ease, and more strength for daily activities.
Bone Strengthening For bone strengthening workouts your feet, legs, or arms support your body weight and your muscles push up against your bones. This makes our bones strong. Any bodyweight exercise is a bone strengthening exercise. Our bones hold our bodies together - they are the structure that we build off of and they are extremely important to take care of.
**Muscle strengthening and bone strengthening activities also can be aerobic, whether or not they make your lungs work harder than usual. For example, running is both an aerobic activity and a bone-strengthening activity.
4. Stretching Stretching helps your flexibility and our ability to move our joints where they need to go without injury. Yoga, being able to touch your toes, and a cool down after a workout are all examples of stretching. This helps improve muscles soreness from a tough workout, flexibility and movement in our joints.
In my opinion all of these are important factors to have when creating a workout. I believe that you need all 4 of these exercises to create a workout program that benefits most people. The guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week. Another option is to do a combination of both. A general rule is that 2 minutes of moderate-intensity activity counts the same as 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity. When I create my workouts for my clients I am always keeping this in mind. There are lots of resources on the internet and different ways to find joy in your workouts! Grab a friend or a support group and get healthier together!
Meg
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