(a no-pressure love-yourself approach to an often challenging part of life)
Strengthening, stretching, balance, and cardio. You’ve heard it and you know it, but are you where you want to be for optimal health? Does it matter much? Using a fast-forward version of my own exercise trajectory, I will dispel the notion that you should be anywhere different with your own exercise routine, than where you are this very minute. Goodies abound, so read on.
I started adult life with an abiding relationship with the outdoors, which led to weekly hiking excursions which I never considered exercise, since I never considered exercising, per se. I was just a young woman keen on getting to higher ground and sweeping views. Simple as that. But I also relied on city and off-road bike riding, and eventually jogging, which all together kept me in tip-top shape. I considered none of these efforts, however, a means to an exercise end. On the contrary, they were just what I did. Oh, and I tried a swimming pool routine, which quickly faded.
My first formal foray into group exercise was Pilates, a massive feel-good experience using mind-boggling effective equipment and mat work. The instructor, a rock climber, was 20 years younger than I, and had innate leadership skills and amazing physical and mental strength. I was drawn to Jessie and her Pilates enthusiasm and methods. Pilates worked, though I can’t pinpoint what my definition of worked was at the time. I only know that I felt good, even great.
I broke from Pilates once the studio shut down, after which a friend invited me to workout in the wee mornings on her backyard porch. She called these sessions, Wakeup Call. Thinking about my years of 5:00 ams with Cori and friends, I find myself smiling because we were nuts to be exercising outside in the elements, year-round! Anyway, a mighty group of three to five showed up and either did some kind of circuit training, or worked out to Beach Body videos (thankfully, now called Bodi). Our shared sisterhood grew over the years, by way of countless one-hours together, several times each week. We indeed had something special. This was a time when I realized that a true exercise routine was needed to counter the adverse effects of my demanding desk job. I sprinkled online yoga here and there for a quieter stretchier experience, which was the perfect companion to Wakeup Calls.
And then came CrossFit, or as this studio called it: “chill” CrossFit. There was nothing chill about it, but CF was exactly what my next “thing” needed to be. The alarm rang at 4:30 am, at which time I let the dogs out, then schlepped myself down the street to 5:00 CrossFit classes with instructor Dave M. While no one in the class was as old as I was, Dave was as old as I was. He understood me, he got me, he supported me, he was the best. Wow was I strong, or so I thought. I became a devoted CrossFit-er and any drudgery was countered by a feeling of empowerment.
CrossFit transitioned to long walks in the desert; an activity that I had been doing throughout, but this eventually became my sole go-to. I have always had dogs and consider them part of the family, cherished friends whose needs took front and center. We would walk on and on, around bends, up trailheads, through the desert and often, over town sidewalks. People knew me and my animals, just part of the benefit of small-town living. I went back to workout videos, but this time in my home, a poor substitute for Wakeup Call, but a substitute none-the-less. Life changed and I adapted.
I found myself at a crossroads once again after moving to a big city. Walks and yoga continued to be my thing, but eventually I discovered Orangetheory Fitness (OTF), a studio franchise offering total-body group fitness classes. Once again, I was in my element albeit a much older person’s element. While COVID put a temporary halt to OTF, I managed to rassle suitable substitutes out of my home and was back at the fitness studio, once it re-opened. My OTF commitment lasted 4.5 years.
My body once again changed, and I responded. Currently I rotate daily between mat Pilates, yoga, and resistance training, all from the comforts of my cozy basement, and deep-water fitness classes at a local county facility. Daily dog walks, of course, provide the greatest pleasure since I get to be outdoors. At this stage in my life, it’s important that any high impact workout be controlled and sometimes modified, since my goals are to maximize strength, flexibility, and longevity, while lowering the risk of injury and disease. I have also added short meditation sessions to the mix.
So why share the trajectory of my exercise life? Because I want to drive home the fact that there is no one stop fits all. Equally important is that wherever you are with your exercise program (no program; occasional gym visits; 10 minutes of walking each day; or 10-mile runs) is exactly where you should be today. Tomorrow, try something different. Anything. But please, love yourself enough to eliminate pressure and instead, adopt well-meaning opportunities for better health outcomes. And if I haven’t made it clear already: You don’t need to have a reason to stop one form of exercise and begin another. Change at the drop of a dime, or don’t change at all. Stick-with-it-ness simply means to think of your life as one of movement; it does not mean you must never be disloyal to your local Pilates studio.
It may be obvious from my recounting that there is a crucial step to adopting movement as part of life. It’s what contemporary fitness gurus call “mindset.” There’s very little to be said about childhood gym classes that prepare us for what is truly needed to embrace physical fitness. Mindset, for me, is not about telling myself I’m going to run on a treadmill for a certain amount of time or walk a certain number of steps. It’s simply about telling myself to move my body in any manner I feel like. It’s about revising the script and setting tiny goals that address the concept of movement. It could be dancing! This has been my philosophy since way back, when I realized that long days sitting required more than I was doing. The no-pressure; small goal-setting; trying different things; and pivoting, when necessary, philosophy. Throughout, it has gifted me the knowledge to listen to my body and respond to its signals with consistency and kindness.
So, we all know it’s important to exercise, but let’s get into the weeds and discuss why.
Better insulin sensitivity. Exercise makes cells and muscles more sensitive to insulin so you don’t need as much. Lower insulin levels mean less belly fat.
Stress reduction. A good workout can relieve stress because exercise reduces cortisol, the stress hormone. Too much cortisol and you become insulin resistant and begin storing fat. Too much cortisol also makes you crave sugar and refined carbs and seek out other comfort foods.
Improved brain health. Your brain on exercise performs so much better! Exercise improves memory, learning, and concentration. Exercise creates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDMF), which is basically miracle grow for the brain (organic miracle grow, of course!). When exercising, your brain becomes more elastic. Exercise also helps improve your mood, boost energy, and reduce overall stress in the body and mind.
Lowers risk for chronic disease. Exercise helps mitigate chronic illness through several mechanisms. It protects your heart and reduces risk of heart attacks and strokes. It reduces inflammation (the cause of almost every disease of aging). And it balances hormones, therefore reducing breast cancer and other common cancers.
Enhances detoxification. Besides stimulating the colon, intense exercise allows your body to release toxins through your skin. It boosts detoxification of environmental chemicals. Vigorous exercise helps work up a sweat, but gentle exercise keeps your circulation going and flushes out all the toxic fluids that build in your lymphatic system. Even just lying on your back and putting your legs straight up against the wall for 20 minutes can make an enormous difference. If your daily exercise routine doesn’t cause you to sweat profusely, take a steam or infrared sauna, if possible.
Slows aging process. If, like me, you hope to turn back the clock, then know that exercise is crucial for longevity.
Improves sexual function. Increased circulation and more energy are two of many reasons that consistent exercise can spark your sex life.
Improves mental health. It reduces anxiety, depression, and negative moods, and improves self-esteem, cognitive function, and social withdrawal.
By now you may be thinking that since I reside in the health industry space, exercise comes easy to me. The fact is while I don’t put pressure on myself to make it happen, I absolutely harness discipline and set my naturally somewhat lazy tendencies aside until the time of day when I can indulge them. Mindset!: There’s that word again.
Mary Daniel is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach dedicated to the pursuit of good health for everyone. Through her business, Your One Precious Life, she partners with clients and communities and in the spirit of collaboration, paves the way for health transformations.
Interested in a free health consultation? Visit: www.youronepreciouslife.com or email mary@youronepreciouslife.com.
Comments