At JTA Wellness, we seek to help clients embrace the joy of movement.  We know that by helping them discover the life-giving qualities of building and utilizing muscles, they will have less pain, more stability, faster weight loss – the benefits are endless! With this in mind, I’d like to share 5 strategies we use to help clients maximize their fitness potential.

1.    Use Exercise to Improve Health & Function.  The ultimate goal of exercise is to improve one’s quality of life.  Regular, consistent exercise can help make life easier and more enjoyable.  Depending on your fitness level and age, movement can help with everything from ease of daily activities such as dressing or walking without fear of falling to gaining a competitive edge in athletic activities such as tennis or running.

2.    Use Exercise to Feel Better & Manage Stress.  One of the biggest reasons to exercise is the great feeling you get afterward!  With a proper amount of exercise, dopamine levels increase as do many anti-inflammatory markers within the body.  Not doing any exercise right now?  Start slow and build your endurance – this is a sure-fire recipe for long-term consistency!  Need help getting started?  Click Here to use our JTA “Walk Your Way to Good Health” guide.

3.    Exercise is Nourishment – NOT Punishment.  Not every workout must be at maximal effort.  There are certainly times where it is okay to push your physical limits.  Higher intensity physical exertion is quite helpful to build muscle and stamina, but these bouts are short in length and should be balanced with plenty of lower level endurance training.  We need to let go of the idea that nutrition is all about restricting and exercise is all about punishment.  Nutrition and exercise are both about nourishment.  Learning to work with your body instead of against it will lead to better health and fitness in the short and long term.

4.   Exercise Should be FUN!  The key is to find a variety of ways that you like to move, which may mean trying new activities so that you can discover your fitness preferences.  Aside from the types of exercise you like, consider the environment you like as well.  Do you like to be outdoors, in a gym or at your home?  Do you prefer working out on your own or does the accountability of a partner or group setting keep you motivated?   Remember, the most successful exercise program is the one you want to do so put some thought into finding your own fitness style.  Change your mental approach to being active – replace negative thoughts with a list of positive benefits you are enjoying.  Instead of a daunting task designed to punish, healthy movement is a vital part of what it takes to provide the very best care for this amazing body we have been given.

5.   Consistency is More Important than Intensity.  Consistency is the most important factor for lifelong fitness.  The intensity of your workout will likely vary from day to day, but it will never trump the practice of being consistent over time.  In fact, having recovery workouts are just as important as workouts that focus on building/improving.  By choosing to be consistently active doing things you enjoy, you are building a lifelong habit of fitness.

In summary, regular movement is as necessary for optimal health as balanced nutrition.  At JTA, we know from research and experience that when clients embrace healthy eating and healthy fitness habits, they enjoy a much improved quality of life.  For more insight on how to build lifelong fitness, click here to purchase your copy of Jan’s latest book, Eat Well to Be Well.

Adapted from a blog at www.structurehouse.com