Movement Digest – Jan 9, 2022

Since this is my first digest of 2022 (Happy New Year!!) I feel like I need to address all of you who have made resolutions to “get fit” this year. And my biggest piece of advice for you is this: 

Start where you are
—not where you want to be or where you were –
but honestly and sincerely where you are right now in your fitness journey.

It doesn’t matter if you used to be able to run a 40-minute 10k or if you could hold the Bird of Paradise yoga pose for 60 seconds. It also doesn’t matter if the workout you downloaded off the internet says that you should do three sets of 10 reps of all of these exercises or that a fitness podcaster you love (me) has a crazy fitness test he does on his birthday. What matters is that you respect what your body is capable of doing right now and focus on making that a little better each week / month / year.

So, let go of the judgment and tell your inner drill sergeant to suck an egg. Then go for a walk, do some tree-assisted squats, do some modified push-ups, or grab the lightest of your resistance bands. You will get a lot farther doing that than you will if you end up injured or disheartened by the middle of the month. 

If any of the following topics happen to tickle your fancy, click the underlined text to read or listen.

Podcasts:

Second Wind Fitness – How Using a Treadmill Wrong Can Benefit Your Genes
In this episode, I tell you about some specific ways to use a treadmill… incorrectly… but my greater point for this episode is to demonstrate that by being creative we can turn even the most dreaded of exercise machines into a fun game.

Second Wind Fitness – What We Can Learn from Pro Athletes with Brad Kearns (B.Rad Podcast)
In this episode, former professional triathlete Brad Kearns talks to me about what we can and can’t, should and shouldn’t, learn from pro athletes. We then dig into the difference between HIIT and HIRT, and how hard we should be training (it’s a lot less than you think).

Change Academy – 50K Tuneup: Updating your Software
In this episode, we take the first step in our Tuneup to examine the stories we’ve been told and the beliefs we hold about ageing–and, if necessary, update the software in our onboard computer.

Change Academy – What’s Your Goal-Setting Style?
In our work as health and behaviour change coaches, Monica and I have noticed several different goal-setting personalities. Each goal-setting style has unique strengths and weaknesses. In this episode, we help you identify your goal-setting personality so that you can avoid the pitfalls and tap into your superpowers.

Elle Russ Show – Brock Armstrong: Functional Physical and Mental Fitness
I was thrilled to be a guest on the Elle Russ Show earlier this week. We covered a lot of ground in this episode but I think the most impactful idea we unpacked is the idea that we forget to consider an important question when we take on a new challenge. The “and then what?” question. 

Videos:

Shovelling Snow can be a Fun Workout

Shovelling snow is an activity that will have to get done at some point each winter (unless you are one of the lucky ones who lives where there is little to no snow) so embrace the fact that it is a vigorous activity and a great way to stay active and fit in the winter months.

For more info on this idea, check out my Quick and Dirty Tips article about Winter Workouts to Stay Fit in Freezing Temps

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