Exercise Doesn’t Have to be Hard — Really!

Do you think for exercise to be beneficial it has to be hard? That you have to work out for hours and sweat profusely. Well, I’m here to debunk that myth. You can enjoy exercise! It doesn’t have to be painful or something that you dread. In this post, I will help you to shift your mindset so that you can create a more realistic and sustainable way to move your body — with joy!

Like so many of you, I used to be of the belief that in order to see results I had to exercise more and for longer intervals. I used to spend hours at the gym and ran constantly. As proof of this belief, I’ve completed 5 marathons. While I am proud of these accomplishments and the joy of completing a marathon is second to none, with age, wisdom and less time I’ve come to realize that more is not always better.

Like eating, movement and exercise are about bio-individuality. What works for me, may not work for you. Some of you may LOVE high intensity and/or longer works out. If so — great — keep it up! But many of you may not have found your jam yet and it is those of you I wish to encourage to shift your mindset on what “exercise” looks like and how to get started.

First, why is physical activity so important? For me, it simply makes me feel better. I see movement as part of my self-care routine. I am a much nicer, calmer person when I incorporate movement into my day (just ask my husband and son!) But here are some hard and fast facts about the benefits of regular physical activity. The Mayo Clinic recommends 150 minutes of activity per week (that is ~20 minutes per day) and highlights these benefits:

1. Exercise controls weight
2. Exercise combats health conditions and diseases
3. Exercise improves mood (and can relieve election anxiety!!)
4. Exercise boosts energy
5. Exercise promotes better sleep
6. Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life
7. Exercise can be fun … and social! (just wear a mask!)

That’s great you say, but how do you start an exercise routine when you don’t currently have one. I would first encourage you to shift your mindset. Simply by calling it “movement” vs. “exercise” may be enough to take the pressure off. Then reframing it and understanding that you don’t have to spend hours in the gym to get the benefits of movement, but rather you can enjoy exercise!

My basic rule for movement is that some is better than none. And if you are starting from nothing, feeling that you have to workout for an hour a day probably isn’t going to happen. So just get moving! Also, exercise can be done in intervals i.e. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening – which is totally acceptable and provides all of the benefits of exercise. Additionally, getting moving can be inexpensive or even free.

So what does this look like? Find what you LIKE to do and do more of that. Some ideas to consider:

1. Take a 20-minute walk
2. Hop on a bike and go for a 30-minute bike ride
3. Turn on music and dance at home
4. Go for a run
5. Stretch
6. Or find an online class that interests you on YouTube (yoga, dance, Pilates. Many are FREE or inexpensive)

As I mentioned, I used to subscribe to long gym sessions and longer runs. I began to shift my mindset after I had my son and just didn’t have as much time. I began to focus on quality vs. quantity. I still ran, just less often and with less intensity. I also started incorporating yoga with my favorite teacher, Rima, and barre3 classes a few days a week. I fell in love with how they made me feel as they were more gentle on my body (and mind).

The COVID lockdown challenged me to pivot away from in-person classes to online classes and I discovered Melissa Wood Health (MWH). This method focuses on precise, slow, low-impact movements. The approach is also in-line with my focus on quality over quantity and emphasizes the holistic benefits of movement beyond just getting skinny.

I generally workout 20 – 30 minutes 5 days per week. I love MWH because it is short enough to fit in my day, but challenging enough for me to see and feel a difference in my mood and body. Membership cost is reasonable and she has levels for beginners, to advanced. There are classes that require only a mat and other classes requiring light weights and a workout band. Point being, there is definitely something out there that fits your lifestyle, you just have to be willing to explore a bit!

Lastly, so many of us focus on exercise as a way to achieve. Whether that is achieving a perfect body or finally reaching our goal weight, or making our thighs thinner — it is usually an external goal. Movement is so much more than that. When we begin to shift our mindset and view movement through the lens of self-care and something to do simply to help us feel GOOD, it takes the pressure off and helps to establish a healthier relationship with our body. When we treat our body with kindness and honor what it is craving – we can tune into ourselves on a deeper level.

I hope that I’ve provided you with some tools and inspiration to get moving in a way that feels good. If you need more support, I’d love to work with you personally to create a customized plan to get you moving. Click here to book a free, 50-minute session to start on your journey to wellness.

Yours in wellness,

Mandy