For many years I did not exercise. A few weeks of gym or swimming or walking here and there but nothing consistent. I struggled with finding an exercise program that I really enjoyed. Exercising, in my mind, was something I knew I should be doing but wasn’t motivated to do. At all.
Until I discovered yoga. It was while living in the Maldives that I happened to join a yoga session and I immediately knew that this was it! I loved it. The physical and mental aspect of it, the peaceful feeling at the end of the class. Granted, it was on a wooden platform out in the ocean during sunset with the relaxing sound of waves in the background but still.. I instinctively knew I had finally found something that was right for me. This motivated me enough to keep on doing it, even though it was hard in the beginning. Yoga can be quite intense physically especially if you have little stamina and strength and if you choose a vinyasa based practice like I did. I remember sessions where my legs trembled through warrior poses, and my arms felt like jelly while holding a plank pose. But I stayed with it and it has made me strong, flexible and healthy.
Moving is essential. Our bodies are meant to move. Our ancestors did not have to make a special effort to do so. Their daily routines ensured they were getting all the exercise they needed. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age, most of us sit around a lot. Behind desks, in cars, on sofas. Our daily movement comes from walking from our home to the car, from the car to our office, and so on. Which is why we do need to make a special effort to move our bodies.
I don’t believe spending hours every day on the treadmill is the solution. Our ancestors didn’t move like that! They walked, sometimes ran, lifted things, squatted down, got up and manoeuvred their way through natural landscapes. And this is our clue to finding the best way to move our bodies.
Besides my passion for yoga I am a big fan of the Primal and Paleo approach towards exercising. The Primal/Paleo lifestyle looks at the way human bodies have moved for millions of years because that is really how we are genetically programmed to move even today. Mark Sisson who is one of the leaders of the growing Paleo movement in the U.S.runs a hugely popular fitness blog called Mark’s Daily Apple. In his blog and in his book, The Primal Blueprint, he explains in detail why and how we should move like our ancestors did. In a nutshell the philosophy is:
- Move frequently at a slow pace. 2 to 5 hours a week of walking, cycling, hiking etc. at around 55 to 75% of your maximum heart rate. That’s easy enough. For example every morning or evening, walk 15 minutes into one direction and then walk back. Done. I would go for a hike with my family in Red Rock Canyon on the weekend when we lived in the U.S. and that is another great example of moving this way. Playing football in the park with your kids or dancing to some great music: this all works too. Use your imagination, try different things and have fun!
- Do brief, intense sessions of functional movement, 1 to 3 times a week for 7 to 30 minutes. Mark Sisson has a great article on his website with videos on how to perform these sessions at any level. . http://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-fitness-plan-so-easy-a-caveman-did-it/
- High intensity, all-out effort, every 7 to 10 days for a maximum of 10 minutes. Research has shown that occasional short bursts of all-out effort have much more impact on fitness (and even weight loss) then longer lasting, medium paced jogging for example. This is also known as interval training and can be done through a set of sprints, on a bike, cross trainer or even in a pool.
As you can see, exercising does not mean spending hours in the gym or hours walking or jogging. Yes, you have to move. There is no way around that. But the point I am trying to make is that you can have fun while moving your body. It should not be a chore.
My suggestion is to try different things. Sign up for a yoga class, commit to an daily early morning walk when the air is crisp and the world around still moves a bit slower. Put on your favorite song and dance or jump on a rebounder (a personal favorite). Why not Tai Chi? Salsa lessons? Or try the Primal way. And if jogging is your thing, so be it. Everyone is different and at the end of the day it is about figuring out what works for you. You will know when you do.
