Happy New Year, friends! I hope that your festive season was what you wanted and hoped. If you are returning, thank you for giving me some of your precious time. I’m sure you see a few changes and I’ll address those in another post. And if you are new here, thanks for checking out this little corner of the web.
I am here, yelling into the void as it sometimes seems, to bring some knowledge and sanity into the exercise, fitness, and wellness arena. January and the new year is a particularly tough time for that as too many prey on fears and insecurities. Resolution season is also the season for cleanses, detoxes, super intense workout plans, and motivation. All of which are primed to leave you treading water and burned out by Valentine’s Day.
So, I thought I would kick of the new year by borrowing from a trend in the skincare and dermatology world. The TikToks and Reels showcase unsexy or basic products that most people overlook but that actually deliver and make a huge difference in how you can look and feel. I’m going to dive into my unsexy practices that help in your fitness journey.
Walking
My returning readers can probably guess what my first practice is, but I stand by it: walking. If you are physically able and it is accessible, then the research doesn’t lie. Walking is the single best thing you can do for your health and fitness. As a lower intensity activity, there is no fear of hormone spikes that can cause trouble sleeping or regulating appetite. It has a low barrier to entry as you don’t need any specific equipment. It is also easily tweaked for your current fitness level and time commitments. In other words, ignore the iNfLuEnCeRs that want to tell you walking isn’t exercise. Walking might be the best exercise and that’s even without going into all of the Mental and Emotional Health benefits.
Mobility Work
The second unsexy practice that will make a world of difference is a warm up that includes a bit of mobility work. Mobility does not have to be complicated. A few simple movements that push your major joints through their range of motion is all you need. Especially if you are dealing with an injury, joint condition, or are just of a certain age, throwing a couple mobility exercises in at the end of your warm up can make a massive difference in your workout.
For myself, I actually really like using yoga’s Sun Salutation A and B series as general mobility work. I always feel better after a few of these. If I’m doing a strength workout, I’ll break down my biggest lifts into pieces and focus on those pieces for some mobility. My husband, who is prone to shin splints and piriformis syndrome, will do a series of toe taps and lateral steps prior to longer walks and jogs. The point is, you don’t need to add 30 minutes to what you have planned already, two to three focused exercises can reap huge rewards.
Warm Up and Cool Down
And speaking of warm ups, those plus cool downs are the third unsexy practice. I get it, these add time to your workout that you may not have. But there is a reason personal trainers program these. There is a reason group exercise classes have them built it. The warm up and cool down prepare the body for the stress changes of a workout. The warm up allows the physiological system to ramp up slowly and increases blood flow to working muscle. Both of these are critical to avoid injury. Cool downs allow the body to slowly return to baseline.
The good news? You only need about 5 minutes for each. A few minutes of light cardio (walking or biking) and a few minutes for those mobility exercises should be enough for a warm up. Five minutes for some stretching and deep breathing and your cool down is done. Even if you only have 30 minutes, that leaves 20 minutes of hit it hard workout time, which is plenty.
Consistency
The last unsexy practice that I want to highlight is consistency. Resolution season is all about motivation. New year, new you and all that jazz. That is appealing after the crazy of the holiday season. Some of the social to dos have been checked off, the calendar quiets a bit, and (believe it or not) the days are actually starting to get longer. It is easy to get excited and be swept away.
And I certainly don’t want to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. But I do want to encourage you to examine why you might feel the way you feel right now. Is it because you took two weeks to pause and really immerse yourself in festivities and are eager to get back to it? Or is it because this is a cycle? Believe it or not, the fitness industry wants to keep you in a cycle. Get excited, join the gym, go crazy, push until March, burn out, stop going, maybe pick it up at back to school but only half heartedly, fall completely off. Then lather, rinse, repeat.
I am not here to yuck anybody’s yum, so absolutely go ahead and start. Maybe try to rein in the go big or go home energy this year, though. Because you’ll eventually go home. Instead of five days a week of really intense exercise, I want you start with three days of moderate intensity. And slowly work yourself up in intensity. Slowly add a day if you have the space in your schedule.
Being consistent means acknowledging the limits your unique circumstances have and working with them. Being consistent means letting go of all or nothing thinking and embracing done and good enough. Being consistent means expecting challenges and looking for ways to solve them or go around. Being consistent means recognizing the cycle and consciously choosing to break it for yourself.
This time of year I tend to get a lot of questions about what the best way to do something is. My answer is always the same: there is only what is best for you. Start with the basics, find what you like and can sustain, and the best method will come to you.
Until next time, be well friends!
