That’s a good question for a lot of folks. And one where there is confusion.
Why confusion?
To be honest, the fitness/wellbeing industry is a lot to blame for that!
We have got to a place where in order to help people, health/fitness professionals will prescribe you an exercise program. Not a lot wrong with that. Or is there?
What could be wrong with an exercise program?
Well, for one, a lot of people hate ‘exercise’. They hate the thought of going to a gym, being visible to ‘fit’ people, and can be very much embarrassed by the whole thing.
Some remember exercise as being what they got for PE at school. And if they hated that then it’s highly unlikely that they will have changed their mind.
For a lot of people, exercise is not a nice word. Not at all.
How do we change that? Here’s what I say. Replace exercise with movement. BIG difference.
Why is it a big difference? Well, imagine helping someone to move better, doing anything but especially things that they love to do. Doesn’t matter what that is.
It could be dancing around the kitchen or the living room. Just being daft to music and having a dance.
No pressure there. No program to adhere to. Just moving.
So how do we know what movement to get clients to do? We ask them!
What’s the thing they really want to be able to do? What’s stopping them from doing it?
What do they think of exercise? Like it? Then off to the gym with a nice, well thought out program to get them to where they want to be.
Hate it? Then think of what movements are the closest to their goal and let them go there.
Give them a bit of variety. Ask them to think out of the box a bit. Let them be in charge.
Why? They will stick to what they’re doing because they are heavily involved in the process.
So the next time you are thinking about the exercise you need to do to keep you fit and healthy, don’t just consider the gym and weights. Consider messing around with movements of all kinds, plus a bit of weights (we still need to lift to keep our skeletons and muscles in good shape). Maybe that’s the thing that will keep you on track and stop you getting fed up and feeling like it’s a chore.