Happy Monday!

We have made it through two months of quarantine. Wow. Can you believe it? Over half way through May! As some parts of the country begin to ease quarantine restrictions we may start to feel a sense of need to return to normalcy and yet many of us are still fearful about even returning to a modified “normal” routine. APF is yet not ready to think about in person training, so we will continue with our virtual workouts and encouraging every one to participate in one way or another.

If you are feeling that your workouts are a bit harder as time creeps on do not be surprised. You are NOT alone and you are NOT losing fitness. Warmer weather and the state of mental fatigue you may be experiencing can make your workouts seem harder and slower. Stress is stress, regardless of where it comes from. Always listen to your body and give yourself grace for taking it a little easier now and then.

That being said, there has been some VERY good news about exercise research recently. Maybe some of these highlights will give you encouragement to keep up with your routine!

Research encourages intermittent workouts. Intermittent exercise means small workouts periodically during the day. The new research shows that these intermittent workouts provide benefits both mentally and physically. Aim to be active at least every hour. Do a few pushups on the counter, a few squats during your phone calls, get down and up off the floor a few times between zoom meetings! You decide your exercises, weights and reps, just a few minutes at a time. By doing this you can also start to change the perception your brain has of gym sessions being painful and make an association with them being normal instead. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/with-gyms-closed-try-intermittent-workouts-you-might-even-get-more-out-of-them/2020/04/22/8e7f6f4e-84cd-11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_lean_and_fit&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_lean)
A new study (and this is timely right?) finds that in a generally healthy, yet sedentary group of adults, working out lowers levels of depression, hostility and other negative feelings.
“The study also finds that the mood benefits of exercise can linger for weeks after people stop working out, offering another compelling reason for us to try to move”. (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/well/move/coronavirus-exercise-depression-anxiety-mood.html?campaign_id=18&emc=edit_hh_20200511&instance_id=18378&nl=well&regi_id=77041091&segment_id=27203&te=1&user_id=d3e5008daea1eb59b2226a9588150b5b)
This research ties into this next cool study that shows walking increases creativity whether outdoors OR indoors on a treadmill. A new study by Stanford found that people generated far more creative ideas while walking than sitting and that walking indoors or outdoors similarly boosted creative inspiration. "A person walking indoors—on a treadmill in a room facing a blank wall—or walking outdoors in the fresh air produced twice as many creative responses compared to a person sitting down.” So if you need some fresh ideas for that work project, for homeschooling your kids or redesign your garden, start walking! (https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-042414/)

In summary, give yourself a break if your workouts seem additionally hard right now and just MOVE!

Yesterday I was on social media and I began thinking about expectations. Many of the people I see on Instagram, FB and other social media platforms display themselves as something that may seem unattainable to some of us. They are 100% vegan, they do triathalons, their workout videos are intimidating & they have a body fat percent so low it is astounding. And that is all great! I admire them immensely.

But what stops most of us from taking the time to exercise regularly or to cook healthy food for ourselves? I think in many cases it is because we feel as if we can’t compare to these images we see regularly. It is feeling like it is not worth doing if we can't be like these images we see! Nothing could be further from the truth! We don’t have to be “all in” to benefit from living a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t let feeling overwhelmed stop you from making a few small changes. Try to begin by doing these simple things:

1. Move Daily (walking is cheap & easy!)

2. Drink Water

3. Strive for your fruits & veggies

4. Cut back on processed foods (including processed meats)

5. Reduce sodas & sweets

I am often reminding my clients that fitness is not a straight up hill climb, where we are always feeling great, strong, and healthy. Fitness is rolling hills. Sometimes we are climbing up smoothly and then suddenly something pushes us down the hill, like family, work, injury, et cetera. The important thing is that we pick ourselves up and start the climb over. Remember, Fitness is a Journey, not a Destination

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Moderation in All Things...