What Exercise Should I Do?
What is the best exercise?
As a physical therapist, I get asked this ALL OF THE TIME.
It’s a great question! And most everyone asks it because they are truly wanting to support their bodies the best they can.
We hear that HIIT workouts are good for our hearts, so we do that.
We hear that running can be bad for your joints so we avoid that.
We hear that lifting heavy weights is important, but we feel a little lost in that area. We can just wing it.
We hear that this celebrity lost a lot of weight doing Peloton workouts, so that is our best option to lose weight.
And the list goes on…
Now don’t get me wrong, doing your research on health is important. There is so much good information. BUT we lose track of the individuality of our bodies.
The trouble comes when we only seek this answer externally.
I encourage you, when asking yourself “what exercise should I do?”, look internally.
What would actually benefit my body today?
What will give me the most energy in this moment?
How do I feel both physically and mentally right now?
Then, you can also use what you know to be true about yourself, about exercise, about health.
I think I am just lacking motivation, but would like to move in some way. When this has happened in the past, starting with a walk usually feels good.
I would like to work up to running 3 miles, I know in order to do that I need to run during the week. That goal is important to me so running right now with serve me well.
I have this workout plan, but when I am stressed at work, lifting really heavy hasn’t felt great so I am going to skip that workout for today.
It’s not about doing LESS, it’s not about doing MORE.
It is about being curious and respectful of your physical and mental state while also implementing what you know to be true about health.
Putting It Into Action
Check in with yourself
Before you begin getting ready for exercise (or before you hit the snooze button), ask yourself “how does my body feel”. Spend 30sec or less assessing your physical state.
Then, ask yourself, “knowing what I have going on today, what movement will allow me to feel my best as the day progresses”. Spend 30sec or less assessing your mental/emotional state.
Lastly, ask “why do I want to move today”. Spend 30sec or less assessing your motivation.
You can ask yourself these questions as any time.
2. Check in with what you know
If you know you have a specific goal for your health, assess whether this is realistic for your schedule/lifestyle and whether your motivation is pure. This might not happen every day before exercise, but may occur more on a weekly or monthly basis.
If you determine your goals are solid, let this shape your motivation in a given day.
You have checked in with yourself. Given this information, what will serve you best in progressing towards your goals.
Sometimes this means a rest day and sometimes this means you exercise when your motivation for the day is low.
3. Make a decision
Based on your self check-in and your reassessment of goals, determine what movement will serve you best.
Some days you will run when walking may have been a better option. Some days you will lift without much self-awareness because you feel you “should”.
It takes time to listen to and respect your body if you’re not used to doing so.
These moments of “whoops that probably wasn’t best for me”, help you gain so much understanding.
And remember, it’s OK to not finish a workout and it’s OK to change your mind later in the day.
This practice is HARD.
You will never get it 100% right.
If you want to be able to answer the question “what exercise should I do?”
And I mean truly answering it for your unique health journey.
Get good at checking in with yourself.
Get good at making exercise intuitive.
Get good at redirecting and being flexible.
Get good at taking what you know and applying it to what you feel.
Lastly, learn what it means to support your health while also pushing yourself to achieve your goals.
