Start Smart

So we are past the midway point of April and that means summer is right around the corner. For some of us that means we shed our bulky winter clothes and start wearing lighter and more form fitting clothing. What if we feel that form might have been changed slightly by winter habits? What if those winter habits also meant a decreased amount of activity? (Lot’s of crushable shows on Netflix these days) What if we actually had plans to be in much better shape and healthier for it, but those plans just didn’t turn out as expected? Well…?

If you had a great plan and stuck to it, then maybe future articles will be more for you, but if you just took a look at the calendar and realized pool and beach parties are almost upon us; and your first thought is about getting in way better shape than you are… let’s pump the brakes just a little and add some smarts to what happens next.

First fact: There are people who have dropped ridiculous amounts of body fat and increased their fitness in a short period of time. You’re going to love those stories right about now. There are lot of factors involved in those success stories and some of them aren’t within our control. (Genetics, resources, luck)

Second Fact: There are even more people who have thrown themselves into aggressive diet and exercise programs, but ended up injured and then very dejected. Sometimes people actually end up worse than when they started. What went wrong for those people? How can we lower the probability of those negative outcomes?

Third Fact: Yes Summer does start on June 21^st, (65 Days from this post!) but it also lasts until September 23^rd! Hitting your goals during that period will also be satisfying and much happier than a rushed program that lands you on the injured list during that time.

There is a dumptruck of other facts that we can get to later, but the three listed above would be hard to argue, even in our “alternative facts” environment these days. I believe they create a nice mindset to accept a progressive approach; and by “progressive” I mean an approach that increases in demand at a rate the body can handle.

Physical Adaptation: It’s what happens to our bodies after we exercise. Exercise is the stress we apply to muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and our nervous system. Other organs like our heart and definitely other connective tissues like our blood vessels are affected by these stresses. Because we are a living, multi-system organism, we ADAPT as a result of these stresses. This adaptation is what makes us stronger. These adaptations can be very positive when applied correctly. These adaptations take into account many different factors and one of them is TIME!

OK, ok, ok! There is way more information to share, but if what we have shared so far has piqued your interest, then share, comment, message, question and definitely come back for more. We are promising to expand on this topic and do our best to help you have the healthiest summer ever. We also think that will be your springboard to the healthiest life you can have.

But… to just get started…

The most underrated exercise of all time is WALKING! Do it for steps, do it for time, do it for fun, or just do it to get places! If walking is painful, get in to see someone! Do what you can and increase it every day. We will return with more insight before this week is over.