All the parts...

Every part of our fitness work helps every other part.  That’s good news, mostly, because it means that whatever we do is good for us.

 

However, it also means that when we make sure to get in cardio and weights and flexibility work and core and balance work, it’s even better for us.  How does that work?

 

I’m glad you asked.  (Even if I just pretended you did, because I really want to tell you!)  Cardio work is our foundation work.  We need basic cardio fitness to do pretty much everything else.  Weight training is what makes us stronger, obviously, and faster, not so obviously.  It’s where we start to see the real changes in our bodies.  Flexibility work ensures that we get and maintain a healthy range of motion in all of our joints—we want our fabulous muscles to be able to move us more than a few inches.  Core and balance work takes all the gym stuff we do and helps it apply in the real world where things are a lot less predictable.

 

Maybe that sounds a little overwhelming.  A lot of us already feel like we don’t have time to fit fitness in and now I’m saying there are a lot of kinds to do, too.  Tomorrow I’ll talk about how to make it work without spending forever working out.