The Very Best Workout

It is theoretically possible that the perfect workout exists.  If we find it and do it, we will be the Most Fit Ever and we will never have to search again.  I expect the workout is right next to a cute bathing suit, a non-stressful dentist appointment, and ice cream that is both edible and calorie free.

 

Admittedly, some workouts are better than others.  The Very Best Workouts are… the ones we actually do.  Those are the ones that make us fitter and stronger and leaner and all the other good stuff.

 

What that means is that we need to take some very basic things into account and then get to work.  Are we sweaty at the end?  Did we spend at least some of the time breathless?  Did we have fun?  Were we a little sore the next day?  If yes, awesome!  Carry on.

 

Every month or six weeks or so, we need to ask those questions over again because if we are doing our workouts, we will be stronger and fitter and all the things and we’ll need to adjust to keep challenging our bodies.  But again:  we need to make sure that we really do the work.  (Say, for example, that someone makes The Very Best Running Workout.  I don’t care how fabulous it is; I won’t do it because I hate running.  It is not the Very Best Workout for me.  I need one that I will do, not one that challenges my ability to come up with reasons why I’m not going to work out today.)

 

Go play.

Keep Taking Out the Garbage

One of the things I try to do every August is a deep house cleaning.  Every single time, the hardest part is not the cleaning; it’s dealing with the accumulation of junk.  Obviously, there is a metaphor there for fitness.

 

Sometimes what we need to do most is to strip away the excess.  Maybe that means getting rid of that secret cookie stash.  Maybe we stop looking for the absolutely perfect workout and do the one we have the time and energy for today.  Maybe we don’t need to find the socks that match our workout top.  And I’m almost entirely positive that whatever that new fitness gizmo is, we don’t need it.

 

Fitness certainly has its complexities; this is why I have a job.  But it is also very simple:  get sweaty, lift stuff, stretch, and don’t eat too much crap.  If we keep that in mind, we might discover that we’ve got a lot more space than we thought.

Monday Workout: Mat

August seems like a good time to get back to the basics, so this week, we have a Pilates mat workout.  It should take about half an hour if you take your time.  If you hurry, you can be done quicker, but that’s not really the point, is it?  Do as many reps of each exercise as seems good to your body.  Remember to breathe.

 

pelvic clock

bridging

dead bug/femur arcs

chest lift

hundred

dart/press up/swan

scarecrow

quadruped

leg pull

leg pull front

side kick

mermaid

saw

standing roll down

More outside!

Here are four things to do for our health that get us out of being stuck at home, at least briefly.

 

1.     Walk/run/bike the neighborhood.  Take the dog.  Or the kids.  Or the spouse.  Or find a friend and do it in a socially-distanced and responsible fashion.  Even if all you see are cars and concrete, at least it is not the same walls.

2.     Go to the farmer’s market.  Or the produce stand.  Get some veggies and some fruits.  Your nutrition is important!

3.     Stand in the sunshine.  Or sit there.  Maybe read or do some gardening.  What do we get out of it?  Vitamin D, which is an essential nutrient and one that most of us could use more of.  It helps keep our bones strong and aids our immune system.  Also, a little sunshine feels good.

4.     Visit the beach.  Please remember to wear your mask and to keep a safe distance from other people.  The negative ions in the air make us feel good.  Bonus points for swimming, digging in the sand, sailing, rowing, paddleboarding, or kite sailing.

 

Go play.

This day

I know I repeat myself.  It’s not just because I’m a mom.  It’s also because we often need to hear things a few (or a few hundred) times before they sink in.  Today’s repetition:  we work out with the body we have today.

 

Today’s body is amazing, all by itself.  It breathes!  It digests!  It feels!  It thinks!  It even moves us around!

 

However, today’s body may not be the body we happen to want it to be, in this moment.  We may find it to be more tired than we’d like.  Or surprisingly flabby in places.  And when did that exercise get so hard?  Have our ankles always done that?  Maybe we remember some other day, when we were younger/thinner/stronger/more flexible.  This is not that day.  We are not going to do what that body did.  We are going to do what this body can do, which will make this body even more awesome for next time.

 

While we are working out with today’s body, we need to focus on what we are doing.  That phantom body of the past is just a distraction.  Even that ideal body of the future is not a useful thing to keep in mind in the moment.  We need to be present, to do this work on this day to the best of our ability right now.

 

Go play.  And don’t make me tell you again.  (Just kidding:  I’ll tell you again.)

August (and sometimes I take pictures of fish instead of flowers!)

We all have our own rhythms in our lives.  Cue Thoreau and his different drummer, which is lovely, but not what I mean.  What I mean is this:  we need to find the times when we work best and we need to avoid over-criticizing ourselves when we try to do stuff in the times when work is naturally more difficult for us.

 

On a daily basis, this means that we all have a preferred time of day for working out.  I am happy to work out in the morning, but if my only choice is an evening workout, I am—how to put this—grumpy. 

 

That daily rhythm is fairly easy to perceive, but there are larger ones, too.  I know better than to start anything on a Thursday.  In fact, I have gone as far as calling Thursday the Official Day of Getting Nothing Done.  If I don’t do anything, cool; I expected that.  If I somehow manage to accomplish things anyway, I get to feel like I’m extra-special.

 

Which brings me to August.  August is the Thursday of months.  It is the low point of my personal energy and enthusiasm.  Now, when it’s a whole month that is problematic, flat out quitting is really not the best choice.  Enter the extremely low standard.  Maybe it’s a walk around the block most days.  Or five minutes of yoga.  Or one day of spin each week (obviously not on Thursday!).  What we want is to create a feeling of success amidst the general suck-i-tude (no, that is not really a word, but I’m sure it makes sense).

 

In all of it, evenings, Thursdays, and Augusts, we need to be kind to ourselves and remember that we are valuable even when we don’t do all the things.

Monday Workout: TRX

I’m ready to pretend we’re back to normal.  So this week’s workout is TRX-based.  Maybe not everyone has a TRX available.  Good news!  The exercises work just fine on the ground.  If you have TRX, two rounds are probably enough; if not, do three or use your good judgment.  Actually, always use your good judgment.

 

TRX
squat row (mid)	20
mountain climber (mid calf)	20
clock press (long)	20
overhead squat (long)	20
crossing balance lunge (mid)	20
plank (mid calf)	30 sec
low row (mid)	20
burpee (mid calf)	10
crunch	10
hamstring curl	10