Written by: Amy Moss-Archambault, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
When it comes to setting health and lifestyle goals, it can be downright confusing. Whether you are new to fitness or a fitness enthusiast, we live in a time when we can access unlimited knowledge and expertise– often in 15 second sound bytes. But, an overabundance of information can make it hard to tell the difference between an expert and an influencer. Should you do cardio or strength training, dance or martial arts, cross fit or bootcamp, yoga or Pilates? Furthermore, should you train at home or in a gym? When one searches how to start exercising, over 248 Google searches come up. Add in podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, and the information is simply too overwhelming. It’s no wonder putting fitness goals into action can sometimes be difficult! However, when you can sift through all the noise, you’ll find there are 7 Key Attributes that link together to form a straightforward, actionable plan.
The key attributes are
1. Get your heart rate up and make sure it’s varied. Get out of breath throughout the workout but also be able to bring your breathing back under control. There are experts who argue for long, slow aerobic exercise to be the bulk of your work, using buzzwords like zone 2 work. There are also experts who argue for short, intense bursts in as little as one minute, using buzzwords like max effort or VO2 max. What both are advocating for is to exercise your heart and lungs. Working in an aerobic zone increases your overall cardiovascular capacity and releases feel-good neuro chemicals like dopamine and BDNF. Adding all-out bursts ensures you increase your body’s response to stress, making you more resilient at a cellular level. You can achieve the benefits of both by completing workouts that get your heart rate up to a steady state while fluctuating the intensity throughout the workout.
2. Add muscle to your body. Lean muscle mass is the latest buzz word in the fitness industry because of the benefits to our overall health and life expectancy. Studies show the amount of lean muscle a person has is a direct correlation to the quality of their life. The more lean muscle they have, the better their quality of health in their later years. Where experts diverge is how to get lean muscle (aka the skeletal muscle on your body that moves your bones). You can do this with body weight workouts or lifting workouts. You can do high reps with low weight or low reps with high weight. Both get you to the same place of increased muscle mass. There is no right or wrong way to build muscle. Choose what you enjoy, whether that’s power lifting or body weight calisthenics.
3. Maintain or improve your flexibility. By adding stability, balance or agility exercises within your workout, you improve your flexibility and range of motion without adding another workout to an already busy schedule. These additions can be infused into cardio based and strength based workouts. Choosing a coach or program who includes exercises that challenge your balance and overall stability will build a flexible and stable frame.
4. Do what you can consistently fit into your schedule. Government and medical organizations suggest 60 mins of exercise a few times a week, while studies show 4-5 times a week of exercise is preferable. Experts state you can only do high intensity workouts 1-2 times a week, whereas weight training advocates say you need to strength train 2-3 times a week. The real question is, what can you do consistently, week after week, that fits both your schedule and your lifestyle? If you choose to exercise a few days a week, you need to make the most of those sessions; so you need to book-off larger chunks of time. If you choose to workout more frequently, you can break down the workload into manageable, bite-size pieces. Just remember, your schedule shouldn’t fit into your training; your training should fit into your schedule.
5. Move to what inspires you. If a drill sergeant works for you, do it! If positive encouragement motivates you, do it! If being part of a team pushes you, do it! The key is knowing who or what method of training can help you push through your workout. There is a moment during every workout–no matter the style–where your brain tries to tell you to slow down even though you have more gas in your tank. The bottom line is, whichever person or method that helps you get over that mental hump is THE ONE for you!
6. Just move. Period! Some people need to leave the house and immerse themselves in a like-minded environment, whether it’s a gym, boutique studio or outdoor group fitness program. Others prefer the ease of a two-minute commute to their home gym to exercise. Quality online programs are adaptable to a home or gym environment, and skilled coaches can train you in any environment. Move where you are most comfortable and have access to the equipment you need.
7. Measure your gains without a scale. Instead, measure success by what you have accomplished. The accomplishment can be simply showing up to each workout or comparing what you can do now that previously you couldn’t. It could also be tracking how much you can now lift or how much your endurance has improved. Either way, choose a measure that allows you to continually build up the wins and celebrate what you are doing – you deserve it!
If you choose a program applying these attributes, you are sure to see success and will live your best, fit life!
Amy Moss-Archambault, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Becoming a world class athlete wasn’t something Amy dreamed of as a child, it’s something she accidentally fell into – after having 3 children. After leaving the finance world to focus on her family, Amy discovered the sport of triathlon. Within 3 years of her first race, she was competing for Canada at the ITU world championships while raising 3 kids under the age of 6. Her training was unconventional, but the ingenuity she brought from her athletic training gave birth to a business that would span the globe, inspiring women to push their physical limits without sacrificing time. Amy developed a method to increase power, endurance and strength in 20 minutes – with or without equipment, all while making the impossible seem possible. By combining the lessons she learned about mental resilience as an athlete and behavioural science into her training method, she launched Get TriFIT, a global online fitness solution.
