I’m already physically fit because my career as a massage therapist is so physically demanding. Evidence shows positive cardiovascular improvement regardless of time between climbs, as long as there was some training consistency. In another study, researchers asked study participants to vigorously climb three flights of stairs three times a day, spacing the sprints out between one to four hours. One such study looked at 10-minute physical activity sessions and concluded that moderate to vigorous mini-workouts throughout the day appear to be equally as effective as spending an hour at the gym. I’ve read studies that give shorter workouts a lot of credibility.” Take a walk around the block or do some stretches. “You can absolutely break your exercise session down into quick 10-minute sessions.
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I don’t have 60 minutes every day for a gym workout.ĭavid Madon, LMT, in Owings Mills, Maryland, is an avid jogger and exercise enthusiast-although he’s the first to admit that some days are too booked for his usual workout. “Consistency is key if you want to build the muscle strength and endurance you need to be a massage therapist and live your best life.” 3.
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“You need a routine that you enjoy and will stick with,” advises Franklin. This is about self-care, so honor yourself.”Īnd that “groove” is wide open to individual preference-providing there’s consistency. “Structured exercise is part of physical fitness, but everyone needs to find their own exercise groove. Second, Franklin adds with a wink, if six-packabs aren’t your goal, then skip the stomach crunches. “A hundred sit-ups and bicep curls alone won’t give you this broad level of fitness.” “I define physical fitness as having the ability to carry out your individual, day-to-day tasks efficiently, with minimal effort and without high risk for injury,” says Franklin. First, exercise is only one part of the physical fitness equation.
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That’s a big misconception, says Nina Cherie Franklin, Ph.D., healthy living coach in Atlanta. Physical fitness is about six-pack abs, rock hard glutes and sculpted arms. That’s when you can tap into how you feel and maybe shift your energy to a more positive place, which won’t happen in a spin class or the weight room.” 2. But to be functionally fit, you have to have ‘ying’ activities-stretches, yoga, breathwork or meditation-at least two or three times a week. “The right metabolic workout will promote good posture, muscle tone and strength, improved flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. “Functional fitness is about having the strength and vitality to be occupationally functional over a long period of time,” says Durkin. In addition, even the most strenuous, trainer-designed daily gym workout can’t serve the full physical fitness equation, says Todd Durkin, LMT, owner of Fitness Quest 10, and author of "Get Your Mind Right." For that reason, he prefers the term functional fitness over physical fitness. It doesn’t matter how much weight this person can lift, they’re actually very unhealthy.” But what if this person can’t jog around the block without getting winded because they smoke? What if they live on junk food? Let’s say this person’s job is so stressful they can’t turn off and sleep at night. “Someone may think they’re physically fit just because they can bench press their body weight. “I don’t see how it’s possible to achieve physical fitness without a balance between all your lifestyle choices,” says Robyn Arbogast, LMT, owner of Pure Synergy Wellness Studio serving the northern Dallas area. I’m already physically fit because I go to the gym every day.Īny conversation about physical fitness has to include exercise, nutrition, sleep and mental health. Let’s lighten your self-care journey by clearing up seven physical fitness myths.
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Confusion can sabotage the best intentions. If your physical fitness goals often fall by the wayside, part of the problem may be knowing where to begin, how to keep going and figuring out what physical fitness means. Physical fitness is a set of attributes that are either health- or skill-related. Physical activity is a bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure.Įxercise, a subset of physical activity, is planned, structured and repetitive movement with a goal to improve or maintain physical fitness. Many Americans confuse “physical activity,” “exercise,” and “physical fitness,” using the terms interchangeably. Wait! Before you answer, are you sure you know what physical fitness means? I’m putting physical fitness at the top of my taking-care-of-me list.” Now answer this: How many times a year does physical fitness fall off your priority list?