Which Workout to Choose
Last week, the consensus was that the best workout you can do for yourself is the one you enjoy the most. Which is still very much true. However, it's still a great idea to familiarize yourself with the pros/cons of different types of exercise! That way, if you set a goal for yourself, you'll know which type of exercise you should engage in. Keep in mind this list is only a small selection and the pros and cons listed are not extensive, but it's a good place to start.
Let's begin with one of the easiest ways to exercise out there. It's been very trendy as of late, but the military has actually been using it for quite a long time.
It's called rucking, and is a type of LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio. Rucking is simple. It's just a matter of finding a backpack, filling it with weight, putting on the backpack, and walking. This is a great exercise if you hate running but want to burn way more calories than just walking. Even if you don't hate running, but would like to avoid the injuries that can often result from the high impact nature of running, this is a great exercise to partake in. It's way easier on those joints. Rucking will often keep you in Zone 2 (which is ~60-70% of your max heart rate), which has many benefits including that it burns a higher percentage of fat than other forms of cardio. If just walking isn't enough for you, try squatting or lunging every so often while on your walk. Taking your rucksack on a hike is also a great idea! The only things to really be aware of while rucking are your posture and making sure you have really good footwear (and socks that keep your feet dry to avoid blisters!) to support you. Also, this form of exercise is likely not for you if you are often short on time.
HIIT - You've probably heard of this before. High intensity interval training. It's exactly what it sounds like. Intervals of high intensity exercise that typically aim to get your heart rate up to 80% of its max. Tabata is a very specific type of HIIT and circuit training can also be quite similar. The nice thing about HIIT is you really get your cardio in while not losing out on the benefits of strength training because you are often pushing/pulling either your body weight or additional weight like kettlebells or dumbbbells. Further benefits are:
Can be done with just body weight
Very effective use of time
Often require very little room (great for at-home exercise)
The downside is mainly that HIIT workouts are typically not suited to those new (or returning to after a long period) exercise. The fast-paced nature can increase the risk of injury if your core/stabilizing muscles are not strong enough to support you or if you are unfamiliar with the movements and what proper form looks/feels like. Keep in mind, however, that HIIT workouts can be modified for varying levels of fitness, age, and so forth. It's just important to be mindful if you're just starting out.
Hypertrophy training. Hypertrophy, by definition, is building your muscles and is a highly researched (and recommended) form of exercise. This requires something called progressive overload where you are increasing either the load you are lifting or the repetitions you are lifting that load each week.
Pros:
Countless health benefits (stronger bones, improved metabolism, improved hormone regulation, better management of blood glucose levels, etc.)
More energy, better sleep
Clothes fit better
Confidence boosts
Improved injury prevention and recovery
If you're seeking weight loss, strength training is essential to prevent loss of muscle tissue as you lose weight
Cons:
It can feel confusing and overwhelming to know what to do and when (which is why trainers can be so helpful)
If you are new to fitness, it's important to ease into weight lifting to help prevent injury (tendons and ligaments take longer to adapt to heavy loads than muscles do)
If people focus too much on strength, they can sometimes neglect cardio, which is important for heart health
Cardio. This in and of itself is opening a whole can of worms. There's walking (yes, walking counts), running, hiking, rowing, the stair master, the elliptical, swimming, bike riding, aerobics, even plogging (you gotta look that one up!). It's recommended that we get in at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio activity) every single week. Especially because of all the sitting we do! It's so, so important. But...look at how many options you have! Cardio never has to be boring. Walk your dog, hike to get out in nature, bike to meet your friend for coffee or just go for a ride in your neighborhood. Go for a refreshing swim. Do a walking meditation (check out my free guide here if you're interested). Do interval training on the stair master (you go fast for a period of time, recover at a slower pace, go again, recover again, etc.) There is no downside to cardio except for when people go overboard with it when trying to lose weight (which is what many people tend to do). However, there are pluses and minuses to each. Here are a few to consider:
If you need low impact due to sore joints, injury, arthritis, etc.: swimming, walking, hiking, rowing, the elliptical, stair master, and bike riding can all be great options. Running or jumping of any kind is not a great idea for you.
The higher intensity with which you do these activities, the higher your heart rate will go which is something important to consider if you have any heart conditions.
Pilates & Barre. These are great low-impact exercises methods that can really help with targeting stabilizing muscles, which are so important for moving us through every day life as well as preventing against injury. Because these classes are taught by an instructor, you don't have to know much about what you're doing or have to think about anything. You just grab your gym clothes, show up, and do what you're told and it's a GREAT workout. It can also be fantastic for balance and can be modified for different ages, abilities, and so forth. Downsides? Classes can be pretty pricey. There are free ones online, but I know for many people that's not quite as motivating. Also, depending on how good your instructor is, they might not notice if you're doing something wrong, so if you're new you might spend a lot of time looking around at what others are doing before you catch on. But, you will eventually catch on. :)
Yoga. First off....please...open your mind to the possibilities! There are so many different kinds of yoga. So many people seem to have this idea that yoga is this slow and boring woo-woo thing and that thing only. HOWEVER, there is yin yoga (where stretches are held for long periods of time); there is vinyasa yoga (which is a flow or series of movements and can be quite fast-paced and some people even flow to hip-hop tracks); there is hot yoga (my favorite) where you get your major sweat on; and so much more. Finding the yoga you like is like finding a good therapist. It can be such a frustrating process where you find yourself thinking after each session "What the heck was that about?!" until you find the one you like and the heavens open up and you want to yell "Where have you been all my life?!" Yoga in and of itself, ironically, can also feel like therapy sometimes.
Last but not least, I have to talk about climbing. Flexibility, mental focus, fear conquering, strength building, trust building, community building. I can't say enough good things about it. I started climbing three years ago and cannot overstate what it has done for me mentally, physically, and emotionally. Plus, it's a fantastic way to get out into nature and an equally fantastic way to meet awesome people. This may sound biased, but I see no downsides to climbing. I've taken disabled kids climbing as well as blind people. I've taken friends and family. And whether they continue or not, I've watched every single one of them learning something. And before you say the downside of climbing is the heights, let me interrupt that thought. Because that's half of the beauty of it. When you're afraid and you do it anyways, you begin to build up the evidence to support a truth that you may or may not believe (but will come to if you choose to build that evidence): you are capable of anything.
As I said, this list is not exhaustive. There's still boxing and tai chi and mountaineering and trampoline classes and pickle ball and more, more, more! But my hope is that this maybe helped you realize how much potential there is for movement in your life and how you do NOT have to do what everyone else does.
I hope you found some information here useful. I hope you feel inspired to find a form of movement that you love. You can do this.