How would you plan your workout? Would you do it based on intensity? Or soreness the next day? Or how much you sweat? Or how long you exercised? Or the specific exercises you do? Or do you track the number of calories you burned? What other parameters do you use?
I frequently hear, that was a great workout after something intense or using heavy weights. I don’t hear it as frequently after a workout focused on movement and range of motion. For as long as I can remember, we measured workouts based on the intensity level from the standpoint of calories or sweat value or muscle fatigue.These next several weeks will be a good chance to evaluate the broader perspective on movement and exercise. In times like this that feel stressful, an intense workout might be the exact opposite of the healthiest thing for your body. High intensity workouts increase internal stress on our bodies. During this time, our bodies need less stress, not more.
So how exactly do you navigate this with all the options floating around in emails and through social media? Here’s a few things to process before deciding what your movement will look like for the day. First, ask yourself, what does my body need today? Does it feel full of pent up energy? Does it feel exhausted, like you need a nap? Where does it fall in between these two?
Next, think through what you did in the days prior and what you planned for the next few days? Now, in your planning of specifics, make sure its intentional, thoughtful, safe and personal (specific to you). Even if you do a video workout, you can always change the intensity to fit your movement goal and purpose for that day.
We can give ourselves the gift of slowing down and moving more intentionally, leaving space to better fight off disease, create a healthy internal body and manage stress. Really, this can be applied to how and what you do all the time when moving your body. Be present, intentional and follow your intuition. If something feels off, ask and spend some time in discovery mode.
by Lisa Martin, owner and personal trainer at Salvere Health and Fitness. To contact, email lisa@SalvereHealthandFitness.com or call 443.340.2969.
We welcome your thoughts and ideas! Thank you for reading and taking the steps to become a healthier YOU.
From Turkey Day to New Years Eve — the end of the year parties, work parties, neighborhood parties, friend parties and family gatherings – time seems to be so filled and goes by so fast. So, what to do what to do with regard to healthy eating and moving your body (ie. Exercise!).
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