4 Simple Exercise Strategies That Work For Me
I know first hand how difficult it can be to maintain an exercise routine. When it comes to me and my patients, I work under the opinion that consistency beats intensity every single time.
What do I mean by this? Everyone would be better off exercising 2 days a week over a 10 year period (consistency), compared to exercising for 5 days a week over a single 6 month stretch, to stop exercising entirely for 6 months, only to resume again 6 months later (intensity).
I find the following strategies easy to conceptualize and they make my workouts more consistent.
1. Everyday is leg day
Of course I understand that rest is important for muscle repair. For my schedule, however, I can never guarantee that I will make it to the gym on a specific day. So, making the most out of each gym visit is very important, and to do so, large muscle groups (legs) must be exercised. Therefore, I incorporate some sort of lower body compound lift every time I go to the gym (or whatever cardio spikes my interest that day).
2. Hit repetition goals
I aim to get x number of reps, or minutes of each key exercise per week. The key exercises that I include are: a squat movement, a hinge movement, a press movement and a pull movement. On top of that I've been trying to incorporate some cardio (sigh) or Tabata (20sec sprint + 10sec rest x 5-8) finishers to my workouts. I count any exercise above and beyond this a bonus.
3. If it hurts, don't do it
I am now in the 30+ years old age demographic, so my main goal when I exercise, is to not get hurt. One key way I accomplish this is by listening to the cues my body is sending me. If one of my key exercises is hurting me (a hurt that I know is just not right), I will either skip it for the day, do a lighter load, or modify it in some way.
4. Make warm-ups fun
I always do some type of full body movement (row machine, Airdyne bike, or spin bike) to get my blood flowing. When that gets boring (and it does), I try to incorporate something specific for the movements I will be doing later in my workout, or something I feel needs working on. For me, this typically includes warming up my hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders.
There you have it; 4 simple exercise strategies that work for me.
Stay consistent my friends,
Dr. Oake, ND
