Alright… first things first… this blog isn’t ‘revolutionary’ in the traditional sense.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Revolutionary means;
“Involving or causing a complete or dramatic change.”
Although now I’ve looked it up, I think if you keep reading, you might just find that this idea IS revolutionary to YOU.
I guess this confusion arose because I don’t think this idea should be revolutionary… as a personal trainer, it certainly shouldn’t have been revelation to me… but after careful consideration, I’ve realised I’ve been learning something very, very new.
But first, a story…
It’s snowing at my house!!!
Now this might not seem exciting if you live in a country that has a REAL Winter… BUT I’M AUSTRALIAN!
Imagine me screaming like a 5 year old;
Rushing out of the house to feel the snow falling on my face;
Suddenly realising its freaking cold;
Dashing back inside to put on a jacket and beanie as quick as I can;
Sprinting to backyard just in case it stops soon;
And frolicking through the snow like a newborn pony (Yep, I’m that graceful).
I’ll be honest, I don’t think that description even does it justice. I get seriously excited every single time it snows.
Anyway, it’s been snowing for a few days now …
and I’ve been really enjoying walking the dogs in the snow. Often, I skip the dog walk because I have a lot of work to do (don’t worry, someone else takes them). But this week I’ve prioritised the walks because I don’t know if I’ll ever get to step outside my house and take a walk in the snow again. Apparently, it hasn’t snowed like this in the South East of England for about 3 years (Aussie on a 2-year VISA here…)
So the last two days we’ve walked for about 45–60 minutes. They’ve been nice leisurely walks, not at all focused on exercise as I was entirely consumed by the beauty of the snow on the rooftops, in the trees, on the hedge rows … oh yeah, and throwing snow balls, building snowmen and making my first snow angel.
I returned from today’s walk feeling great… that is, until I took my shoes off. Suddenly my hips felt tight, my ankles were aching and my right knee felt like someone had stabbed it with a screwdriver! My first thought was “well I guess I won’t be training today”.
*PING* Lightbulb Moment!
I hit me… I HAD ALREADY trained today because I went for a walk in the snow!
Then I was hit with a barrage of self-talk like library books falling off a tilted shelf.
“Walking isn’t a training session, I should still do my workout”
“Walking is totally ok, it’s better than nothing”
“You’re fit enough to walk the dogs and train, don’t be slack”
But after the initial shock, I worked through this theory;
Walking, especially on an unstable surface, utilises a lot of muscles (large and small).
Walking, although not intense, still increases your heart rate.
Walking, while not a programmed workout session, is fun… especially when you take the dogs for a walk in the snow.
It’s not even about walking…
Today I realised that exercise, working out, training or whatever you call it, exists on a sliding scale. I feel like I always knew this on an intellectual level, but today I feel like it finally fell into place on a practical level.
Before, the term “working out” was reserved for a strength session at the gym.
But now, I’ve realised that:
– I always have a choice to train at the gym;
– I always have a choice to train at home instead of at the gym;
– I always have a choice to do a short session instead of a long session;
– I always have a choice to do an active recovery session instead of a strength session;
– I always have a choice to do a single set of push-ups or squats instead of an active recovery session;
– I always have a choice to do a stretch and recovery session instead of active recovery;
And as long as I’m doing something instead of nothing, I’m working out!
What is the revolutionary truth?
Exercise is not an ‘all or nothing’ task…
It doesn’t have to be either “I train” or “I don’t train”…
Once you accept this, you’ll have a multitude of options for ‘I’ll train’ before you ever get to an ‘I won’t train’.
What would a healthy lifestyle look like if it were easy?
Because that’s what this is really about…
Click here to download your free guide ‘how to build a fit and healthy life’ and start “workout out” today!
Originally published at medium.com