You might expect us to get into the science of this subject yet we are going to keep it simple. The best exercise isn’t cardio. It isn’t strength. It isn’t HIIT. What is going to give you the best results, is the kind of exercise that keeps you most consistent. Consistent movement of any kind will give you the best results in the long run. That means daily movement. If you can walk everyday for 15 minutes a day, you’ll be better off than getting one high intensity workout in a week.
- Consistency
So first and foremost, find out what is holding you back from being consistent in your day to day movement. Ask yourself the questions… Is it finding the time? Are you putting too much weight into it needing to be an hour long to get a workout in? Are you simply not planning it into your schedule? Not saying no enough? Don’t have a simple go to at-home workout? If so, we feel you! That is why put together THIS podcast as a great tool to help you get started if you answered YES to any of those questions.
Now, once you master the consistency part for a few months – daily movement, or at least 5 days/week of dedicated time to moving your body – then we can get more specific to what kind of movement we want to prioritize. And even then, we want to consider YOU. What are your goals? How do you want to feel? How much time do you have? Where is your nervous system health at? This is where a coach comes in handy to help you access.
In a perfect world and broadly speaking, we are getting a mixture of all kinds of workouts. A little bit of cardiovascular – high intensity and lower (“zone 2”). A few days of strength training – which may look like body weight workouts, yoga, pilates, dumbbell, barbell, or Crossfit. Depending on the person, those can all be “strength” to you. The goal being that it’s challenging for you. And at Proclivity we do like to prioritize strength because we know the importance of keeping muscle as we age. Not only for metabolic reasons, but also for practical reasons like being able to pick up heavy things (groceries, grandkids) as we age. And here’s some scary stats that make us want to keep strength for longer, “Falls cause 95% of hip fractures in older adults. 1, 2 Nearly 25% of hip fracture patients will die within 1 year of the fracture, and 50% will have major declines in independence (NIH).” And we know that our body will naturally start losing muscle mass starting around age 30 if we don’t work to keep or grow it.
With that being said, zone 2 training (steady, lower heart rate exercise where you’re able to maintain a conversation) is our other favorite type of training due to the fact that it has been shown many benefits including improving mitochondrial health, increase in fat burning, and so many others relating to longevity. We also think zone 2 training is also a good idea if you want a physical and mental reboot without the high intensity if your nervous system is at its max.
Again, at the end of the day, start first with what you can be most consistent with, which may mean starting with what you enjoy. Or with what you’re able to do in terms of accessibility. We also know that when we have a plan, we are more likely to get it done. So start with at least 15 minutes on your calendar, get some programming if you need ideas, and have a back up plan – what is your daily non-negotiable? We have a free 30 day dumbbell program you can get access to HERE as a starter.
If you need more guidance, we are here to help. Book your FREE connection call with us to find out if you’re a good fit for us and vice versa.
