Join us for week two of our Fall Reset. Movement, nutrition, and JOY!
This week’s assignments:
- Walking for 30 minutes, 5 days this week
- Strength training for 30 minutes 2-3 days this week
Why walk?
Walking can be done just about anytime, anywhere, by anyone.
It gets you moving, builds cardiovascular strength and endurance, improves digestion, helps you sleep, and clears your mind. guidelines suggest 150 minutes of moderate activity each week.
How do you get in 150 minutes of activity?
- Break up your movement in a way that works for you.
- Use the buddy system.
- Attach your walk to something you’re already doing.
- Dress for activity. Put on shoes and clothes you can move in.
- Do the lowest amount possible. Start by walking around the block.
For example, your week may look like this: a 30-minute medium-paced walk on Monday, a fast 10-minute walk on Tuesday morning, a slow after-dinner stroll on Thursday night, a 90-minute slow nature walk on Saturday…
Meet a friend for a walk.
Park your car further away from your destination and budget 10 extra minutes to walk there. You will arrive feeling less rushed and more accomplished.
Start your day by putting on your walking shoes, go out and walk once around the block. This 5-minute walk may seem like nothing, but you’re priming your brain for this new habit, and starting your day off with a tiny win.
I’m walking, so that’s enough to strengthen my legs, right?
Nope.
YAY walking! You also need to do exercises that build muscular strength in all of your major muscle groups by pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying something heavy.
Why strength training?
To build and maintain strong muscles and bones, the bare minimum recommendation is strength training for 30 minutes, 2 times a week.
If you want to live independently into old age, if you want to travel and be able to lift your suitcase into the overhead bin without assistance, if you want to be able to work in the yard for hours on a nice day, if you want to be able to haul a giant bag of dog food from the store to your car, you need to lift heavy things. You are training for life!
If your suitcase weighs 40 lbs, doing “toning” exercises with your tiny pink weights ain’t gonna cut it.
Most of my clients tell me they are walking (or biking, or swimming) but they struggle to lift weights on their own.
I hear people say lifting weights is boring, or they are afraid of getting injured, or they don’t enjoy working out. Maybe you did not play group sports in high school or college, or lifting weights is not something your friends do. If this system is not built into your culture, it may feel challenging to establish this habit.
How do you start?
- Start small – 5 squats, 5 countertop push ups, do one minute of something today.
- Schedule it. Put your workout in your calendar and treat it like a doctor’s appointment or an important work meeting that you cannot miss.
- Hire a trainer (That’s me! Reach out to me today to schedule your consultation).
Here’s a simple strength program you can do at home.
Using dumbbells (or something heavy that you can lift 8-10 times), do 3-5 sets of 8-10 reps of each of these moves:
Hinge
Push
Pull
Hang
Twist
Need help? Reach out to me today!
We can talk about your current program, your goals, and set a realistic schedule for you this fall. I can show you how to safely get stronger (and have fun doing it).
xoxo
Anne