Why yes, that DOES count as exercise.

Today’s list is exercises for people who hate exercise.

1.     Sex.  It counts as cardio.  Please have safe sex with consenting adult partners.

2.     Walking.  We all do it.  Choosing a location with interesting stuff to look at is good.  Taking a dog is good.  Listening to music is good.

3.     Dancing.  It’s aerobic.  There is music.  You can do it with friends and/or loved ones.  It comes in many many flavors from ballet to salsa to tango to waltz to achy breaky to hip hop.

4.     Swimming.  I have no scientific basis for this assertion, but I’m going to make it anyway:  most of us feel better in water.  Also:  hot tub rewards!

5.     Yoga.  This also comes in lots of flavors.  Some of it can feel like slightly more alert napping.  Some can really work up a sweat.  All of it tends to calm the mind and lubricate the joints.

6.     That thing we liked when we were kids.  Maybe we used to love soccer or baseball or riding bikes or roller-skating.  Whatever it was, dust off the old equipment and go play.  Chances are that we still like it.

Seriously:  go play.  It’s fun.

Take the Power!

I post a workout every Monday, as everyone probably knows by now.  It has been a while since I have talked about how that weekly workout is not exactly what I do with anyone because—news flash!—everyone’s body is different!

I came fairly late to the Question Authority movement.  All of us good little children like to make the teacher happy by doing what we’re told.  Now that I am that teacher in some ways, I really don’t want a bunch of mindlessly obedient clients.

Some exercises are not good for some bodies.  When I know in advance that someone has knee issues, or shoulder issues, or a twisted ankle, or a sensitive lower back, I automatically make substitutions for inappropriate exercises.  However, I really want people working out with me to tell me, in the moment, if something is uncomfortable.  There are a very few exercises that, by nature, are not fun (yes, I am looking at you, hamstring curls), but in most cases, the exercise should not hurt.  I can find alternative ways to get at the same muscle groups in most instances.  If I can’t, we can work something else and come back to that muscle group another time.

Sometimes we don’t even need to substitute exercises.  Sometimes a small adjustment of form or a change of weight or angle can make the difference between the right amount of work and large amounts of suffering.

Working out is supposed to empower us.  We get stronger in our bodies.  We also need to take charge of our destiny and get stronger in our minds.

We can do this.

In which I stretch a metaphor...

I confess that I use pictures of flowers on my blog because I like taking pictures of flowers, not because they have any particular relevance to fitness topics—but, if pressed, I can make some connections.

For one thing, flowers are about growth.  It may seem like they magically appear with the onset of spring, but they have been in the works for a long time before.  The plant uses the resources of air and soil and sun and water to grow.  It recruits pollinators with pretty shiny enticements so that it can produce seeds and start the cycle again.  Most of what goes into the flower happens without anybody outside noticing.

That kind of quiet, behind the scenes, constant work is what we do with our workouts.  We transform our own nutrients and water into muscles and strong bones.  (Personal pollination is beyond the scope of my practice, but enticing “pollinators” is definitely a motivation for some folks who work out…)

It is also useful to note that there are many, many kinds of plants.  Some have showier flowers, some have more luscious fruit, some have sturdier branches.  The way they work and grow varies, but they all do it, much like we can.

When we all grow as best we can, we make a beautiful biome.