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Harvard Health publications suggest that the best exercise that you can do for yourself is “swimming.” They suggest that swimming is the perfect exercise because the buoyancy of the water supports your body and takes pressure off of your joins so that you can move them more fluidly. They follow up swimming with Tai Chi – a Chinese martial art that incorporates movement and relaxation and it also helps improve balance and coordination. After Tai Chi they list strength training, walking and then Kegel exercises (for both men and women) as their top five (5) list of activities to help get you in shape and lower risk for disease.
The latest fitness buzz and trend in the industry that I am sure you have heard about is HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training and the enormous benefits it has for burning fat and getting you into shape. The premise is that you work as hard and as intense as you can for short periods of time followed by a quick rest and then repeat the process of a pre-determined number of sets. The result is a great short workout that reaps benefits for many hours after the exercise session is over. One of the key features of HIIT is that the time requirement is minimal to perform a workout and eliminates the “I don’t have enough time” excuse.
So, wouldn’t the HIIT principles contradict the researchers at the Harvard Health publications? It is Harvard after all, one of the most respected learning institutions in the world, why would they suggest swimming, Tai Chi, strength training and walking? Walking doesn’t lend itself to suggest that it is possible to use the HIIT philosophy and I’m not sure about you, but I don’t really want to be caught in deep water during my rest period while swimming, call me crazy!!! And, what about jogging, aerobics or spinning class or any of the other classes that they offer at most fitness centres? I thought those burned a ton of calories as well…this is all so confusing, why can’t I just get a straight forward answer to all of this???
You can, and I’m going to tell you what the single best exercise is for you to do…
It’s running, on second thought, it’s sprinting….no, wait maybe it’s the elliptical machine. The honest answer is that it is all of these and none of these. Shit, I’m more confused now than ever! I thought you were going to give it to me straight?
I did! I gave it to you as straight as possible and here is why. I hate running for long periods of time, it absolutely bores me to tears and I only do it when I am training for something in particular like Tough Mudder. The same goes for the elliptical. My home gym doesn’t have a pool, so that option I out for me as well. I do enjoy doing high intensity sprint training a few days per week…but, you aren’t me and you may enjoy running or the elliptical because it gives you time to yourself and time to think. Maybe you have tried all of the classes and really enjoy yoga…
I have been a personal health coach for almost 20 years and this is the question that I get asked the most. My response every time that I get asked is, “do sprints!” I’m sure the look on their face is matching the look on your face right now, followed with, “but, I don’t think I can do sprints,” or “I hate sprinting.” Why did you ask if you didn’t want to hear my answer??? I become a little nicer after that and ask them what type of exercises they do enjoy. To which they reply with a various list of physical activities that they enjoy and will do and have essential answered the question on their own.
The best exercise that you can do is…THE ONE YOU WILL DO AND ENJOY DOING!
It makes absolutely no sense for me to tell someone that they have to run at least 20m/km per week if they hate jogging. Who is going to constantly do something that they truly dislike doing? NO-ONE, regardless of intentions or motivation is going to continue doing something they truly dislike doing. That isn’t to say that you won’t start to enjoy things you dislike by adding it in to you routine every now and then to shake things ups a bit because you might. But, if you stick to doing the things you enjoy doing, you will have far great success at achieving your fitness and healthy lifestyle goals over the long run. What if you don’t like anything or don’t know what types of activities that you might enjoy? That is easy…try them all! Grab a friend and do anything and everything until you find something that you enjoy doing and can feel confident that you will continue to do it.
Your success depends on your willingness to exercise and your willingness increases 100% when you are doing something you enjoy doing!
Remember: THE BEST EXERCISE IS THE ONE YOU WILL DO!!!
How To Fix Your Health