You might think exercise is something that requires special equipment or is only done at a gym, but you might already be “exercising” without even knowing it. Exercise falls under several definitions, and one way it is defined is that it’s a regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ. Knowing this, I’m positive we all have a long list of things we do every day that count as “exercise” and we never thought of it as such.
Carrying your kid around the house or grabbing them before they grab the cat’s tail several times a day would definitely count.
Chores and daily tasks like going for a walk, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, mopping, doing laundry, and engaging in playtime with your kids are all great ways to fit in exercise and accomplish your laundry list (pun intended) of things you need to get done.
In a nutshell, movement of any form is, in and of itself, exercise. An important thing to remember is to be consistent with your movement and make sure it’s something you enjoy. If your stomach churns just thinking of going for a run, don’t do it, you’ll never stick with it. Ride a bike, walk, swim, row, hike, or……clean house. The point I’m trying to make is, keeping active, however you so choose, helps to make a better you.
As parents, we need to be excellent role models and should let our children see us being active and living a healthy lifestyle so they will hopefully follow suit and WANT to be like mommy and daddy. Note I said “healthy lifestyle”; this means exercise and good nutrition! If you are trying to lose weight, you can workout all you want, but without good nutrition, your results will be minimal at best.
Finishing a great workout session is NOT a pass to go pig out on packaged, processed junk or order takeout without thinking of what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Do you even read the ingredients label on some of these things? Actually, real food won’t have a label at all since it’s just the one ingredient in its whole form. Crazy, right?
I plan on going into more detail with my thoughts on fitness and nutrition in future posts, but just keep these general things in mind for now. No matter your fitness goal, lose weight, gain strength, maintain current level, etc., we will all benefit from moving more and practicing good nutrition for the quality of life it provides. If you are already a conscious eater and get a good dose of daily movement, good for you, keep it up and hopefully you are inspiring others!
I’m on my feet most of the day and rarely sit down until night (I stand at the counter to use my computer) and move around a lot with Avery. I bring her with me to workout in our garage which holds a power squat rack I am quite proud of. In addition to my below strength training, I walk and/or run multiple times a day. Most days out of the week, my walk/run schedule looks like this:
- Walk/run 1.5 to 2 miles with Avery in stroller and our dog, Abby; this is immediately after my strength session if there was one that day. I’m still letting my fractured foot heal all the way, but once I’m good to run again, I’ll probably increase this up to 4 miles if able.
- Walk 2.5 to 3 miles with Avery in the Onya Outback after nap time while listening to a podcast
- Walk 1.5 miles with Going Mom and Avery in stroller in the evening
My main goal is gaining strength (you’ll see my weights used below), but I contradict myself with so much walking/running coupled with not eating a caloric surplus in order to facilitate muscle growth. Yep, I’m aware of the issue and still can’t get it right. It’s a mental thing as a former fat boy, but I’m getting better.
I typically prefer an upper/lower body split routine, but am currently in a transition and not following anything in particular. This is bad since I am on the opposite end of the spectrum from most in that I do more work than necessary and it most likely hampers my recovery. However, working out is a great mental relief for me and I feel I must do it every day or else I’m edge. Yep, I wake up pissed off and only feel better after a great sweat session…..and coffee.
Here’s what last week’s workouts looked like
Monday: Crossfit-type “WODs”
5 Rounds:
Dumbbell Thrusters x 10 —> Pull-ups x 10
Count Down/Up:
30, 25, 20…10, 5 – KB Swings (50lb)
5, 10, 15….25, 30 – Push-ups
Tuesday:
Barbell Back Squat – 5 x 8 x 210lbs —> Superset with Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 x 8 x 57.5 lb/arm
DB Straight leg deadlift – 5 x 12 x 57.5lb/arm —> Superset with wide-grip pull-ups – 5 x 5
Lunges with 45lb plate overhead – 31/leg
Tabata Bike (20s on; 10s off x 8)
Wednesday:
Deadlift – 5 x 185, 205, 235, 255, 275, 280
Power Clean – 130lbs x 5, 5, 5, 5, 10
OH Press – 4 x 8 x 100lbs
31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats
Thursday:
Supreme 90 Day Cardio Challenge video + 31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats
Friday:
Front Squat – 180lbs x 5, 5, 5, 5, 10 —-> superset with 5 pull-ups and 10 incline push-ups
Bench Press – 5 x 6 x 175lbs —-> superset with DB Bent Row – 5 x 12 x 45lb/arm
Turkish Getup w/ 25lb Kettlebell – 3 x 5/side
31 1-leg squats and Push-ups
Saturday:
6 rounds of Tabata:
1. Bike, 2. 15lb Ball Slams + Push-ups, 3. Bike, 4. Side-to-side Ball Slams + Incline Push-ups, 5. Bike, 6. Ball Slams + Push-ups
31 1-leg squats and Push-ups
Sunday:
Mow lawn with Fiskars Reel Mower while wearing Elevation Training Mask
31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats
So yeah, I could tone it down and probably see a lot better results in strength gain. If I could stick to a simple 5×5 routine, I’d be good to go, but I always feel the need to do more. Anyway, I’ve carried on far too long, check back for more thoughts on fitness and nutrition in the future.
Do you struggle with motivation or find yourself doing too much when it comes to working out?
Are you health food lover who cooks their own meals or could you use some work help in the nutrition department?
What would you like to read more about first; nutrition or working out for specific goals? Let me know and I’ll be happy to share!
