Move Your Body and BUILD STRENGTH
According to Healthy People 2020, approximately 36 percent of adults do not engage in any leisure-time physical activity. Not only does physical inactivity increase your risk of coronary artery disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis, it is also correlated with higher risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.(1)
This is something I am extremely passionate about as a PT, and as some one who has seen the effects on myself when I am active vs. inactive. If you are currently inactive, I want to encourage you first and foremost to find a way to move your body in a way that is enjoyable to you. Walk, dance, do yoga, play pickleball, start jiu jitsu, ANYTHING that is movement. The gold standard is at least 150 minutes/week of at least moderate intensity exercise. BUT any daily movement is 1000 times better than none.
If and when you are engaging in some kind of physical activity, the next step I would encourage you to take is to begin a consistent strength training routine. Often, when we are trying to lose weight, we are focused on getting rid of the unwanted tissue (excess body fat), and in order to do that, we primarily focus on restricting how many calories we put in and burning more calories via cardio exercise. And while cardio exercise is essential for good health (especially cardiovascular), the benefits expand exponentially when you add in resistance training. It is one of the most effective tools to alter body composition - especially if you’ve been feeling stuck.(2)
Women especially, particularly after having children, struggle to regain their pre-pregnancy body composition. The combination of hormonal changes as well as the immense physical changes of our abdomen - including muscle and skin tissue - expanding during pregnancy, make it more challenging to get rid of excess body fat postpartum. This can cause feelings of shame and anxiety on top of the stress of caring for young children. We may begin to feel overwhelmed as we struggle to figure out how to balance all of the competing demands, sometimes sending us into a negative spiral.
Resistance training allows us to improve our physical health, protect our joints (as long as done correctly), improve our quality of life by being able to do things more easily/without pain, as well as improve our body composition which can help us to feel more confident.
When we are working on losing weight, a main target area is our stomach due to tendency of excess subcutaneous fat to accumulate in this area, and we desire to see our “abs".” But consider this - the best way to build “core” muscles is not through sit ups/crunches, but through dynamic exercises that incorporate upper body, lower body, and core. Not only will our core muscles look better when we do this, they will also be much more functional in protecting our spine (their key role) when we perform physically demanding tasks throughout our day.
If you are interested in starting a strength training program, you can find some general programs on Youtube, Beach Body on Demand (I currently use Liift More and really enjoy it!), via a personal trainer, or through a coaching program with me. I build customized workouts sent directly to you via the Everfit App, which consider any pain or limitations you currently have, in combination with nutrition recommendations to optimize protein synthesis/muscle growth.
You will be sore initially as your body adjusts, but after the first 1-2 weeks your body will adjust and you will LOVE the benefits of feeling strong, in addition to feeling empowered to take control of your health, quality of life, and body composition.
(1) https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/Physical%20Inactivity-AJM.php
(2) Lyon, Gabrielle. Forever Strong. Atria Books; 2023.
