What's the best exercise?
“What’s the BEST kind of exercise?” is a question I am often asked.
The answer is simple:
ANYTHING that gets your beautiful body MOVING in a different way to your normal position
Something you actually ENJOY (and remember you are in charge of judging the ‘enjoyment level’) which is more likely if you do it with other people
Mix it up: do different things or do the same thing in a different way (add weights, change up the moves)
Start slow and build it up: avoid injury at all costs
And WALK, if you can, as much as you can!
The best plan is to be active every day, as much and as often as possible, in as many different ways as possible. So open up what you see as ‘exercise’, for example:
After dinner, walk around the block, to the park, or even just up the stairs.
When you wake up, get down onto all fours and ‘cat and cow’ your spine.
Walk to work/school/shops instead of driving.
Always sit on the floor, so you have to work to get down, and back up again.
Dance in the kitchen. Any time, it’s always awesome.
What about running?
Running can be a great physical and mental escape and challenge. But you have to take it slow - really slow - and always do it alongside building your strength and mobility = pilates!.
It’s not that running is ‘bad’ for your body or knees, as people often say. It’s that you need to condition your body (knees, hips, legs) to be ready to run!
ALWAYS start with a walk, gradually adding in a minute of slow running at a time. The ‘Couch to 5k’ app is GENIUS. Invest in a really supportive sports bra and get some proper running shoes. And remember, as soon as you are out the door you ARE A RUNNER! Even if you only run for 5 minutes, with 5 minutes of walking, you ARE A RUNNER! Woop!
What exercise will help me lose weight?
For ‘midlife’ women, my view is that weight management is mostly down to the foods you eat and drink, with hormones, stress, sleep and exercise all playing really important ‘supporting roles’.
SO, if you want to lose or manage your weight, exercise is VERY important for:
blood sugar management
mental health and positivity: to keep you focused and motivated to eat healthily and choose healthy habits
maintaining physical health and avoiding disease: heart and lungs pumping, building bone density and muscle mass, cellular regeneration, organ health - we know that exercise prevents disease of all kinds.
body awareness and respect: get up and out and realise your body is an AMAZING machine that deserves real food, movement, love and awe!
feeling strong: building muscle mass and a strong skeleton, which, if it matters to you, also tones and shapes your body and limbs.
So in a nutshell, the best exercise? The one you do RIGHT NOW! So off you go, stand up, put down your phone and move your BUTT!