Struggling to stay consistent with movement? Each week you’ll get relatable stories, practical strategies, and uplifting tips to help you move smarter, feel better, and bring more wellness into your daily life.
What if you only have a few minutes?
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Hello Reader, I hope you've been enjoying this little series on resistance training. One of the things I love about exercise science is that it continues to evolve. As new research emerges, we have opportunities to refine what we know and, perhaps more importantly, how we apply it to everyday life. Last week, we explored research suggesting that approximately 90–120 minutes of resistance training per week may provide the greatest long-term health benefits. As encouraging as those findings were, I found myself thinking about a different question. What about the person who isn't there yet? What if you're just beginning? What if you're living with a chronic health condition, recovering from an injury, or simply trying to figure out where resistance training fits into your week? What if ninety minutes still feels like too much? These are the conversations I have every week with clients. Most people don't question whether resistance training is beneficial. They're wondering how to get started in a way that feels manageable. That's why this newest study immediately caught my attention. Researchers recruited adults over the age of 65 who were inactive and already experiencing difficulty walking. Instead of prescribing lengthy workouts, participants completed a brief, home-based functional strength routine each day for 12 weeks. The exercises focused on everyday movements like standing up from a chair, stepping up, pulling, and pushing. The results were encouraging. Participants improved lower-body strength, balance, and functional mobility—abilities that help us get out of a chair, climb stairs, and remain independent as we age. Even more encouraging, participants completed the program on more than 80% of the days during the study. To me, that speaks to something just as important as the results themselves: the program was realistic enough that people actually did it. To be clear, the researchers aren't suggesting that a few minutes of exercise replaces the current physical activity guidelines. Rather, this study reminds us that even a small amount of well-designed functional resistance training can improve the movements that matter most in everyday life. That was my biggest takeaway. Sometimes we become so focused on what is ideal that we forget to ask, "What can I do today?" For some people, today's answer might be ninety minutes spread throughout the week. For someone else, today's answer might be a few purposeful minutes. Both answers move you forward. If you'd like to try the routine used in this study, I've recreated the exercises as a downloadable PDF inside the MedFit Movement Studio. They're simple, functional movements that provide a practical place to begin if you're looking to incorporate resistance training into your own routine. Remember, we don't have to wait until we have more time. We don't have to wait until we feel stronger. We simply begin where we are today. One small step still counts. Stay well and happy moving, Lisa Supporting you in your physical activity journey.Together, we will use thoughtful and considerate movement to reprogram how you live in your body. Let's teach your brain to soften the intensity, and to grow your own ease.
Using exercise science, kinesiology, and yoga therapy, we can find a place that will not only allow you to move better and move more, but also increase the quality of your life.
www.lisaworkman.com |
Medical Fitness Consulting
Struggling to stay consistent with movement? Each week you’ll get relatable stories, practical strategies, and uplifting tips to help you move smarter, feel better, and bring more wellness into your daily life.
Hello Reader, It's interesting how more and more research is emerging around resistance training. Just a few weeks ago, I shared some of the updated recommendations around resistance training. Now, hot off the press, another study is adding to what we know about the role resistance training plays in our long-term health. What caught my attention wasn't simply that resistance training was associated with better long-term health outcomes. It was the amount. Researchers followed more than...
Hi Reader, As we move into the thick of gardening season and spend more time outdoors tending to our yards, flower beds, and vegetable gardens, it can be helpful to ask ourselves a simple question: How am I preparing my body for these activities? For many people, gardening is a labour of love. We look forward to the warmer weather, the longer days, and the opportunity to get our hands in the dirt. What we don't always look forward to is how our bodies might feel afterward. A few hours of...
Reader, have you ever said… "My right knee is my bad knee." "My left shoulder is the problem." "My good hip is doing all the work." I hear comments like this all the time. And I understand what people mean. They're talking about the side that hurts. The side that feels stiff. The side they don't trust anymore. The side that doesn't seem to cooperate. And every time I hear someone describe their body this way, I find myself thinking the same thing: What if we're missing the point? Because...