Traditional exercise programs of the past fifty years varied immensely. Some schools of thought were focused on long bouts of cardiovascular exercise. Other programs were geared toward weight training only. Women were traditionally advised to do “aerobics” and “calisthenics.” If we go waaaaay back, exercise was more functional. We gardened, hunted, gathered, walked, and played. We squatted while cooking and cleaning. We moved heavy things and sprinted when being chased or chasing something. These types of activities used more than one body part at a time. Survival was a workout in itself!
The current trend is to go back to functional movement exercise in order to live to a ripe old age without aches and pains. High intensity interval training uses bursts of speed and strength followed by moderate exertion or a short period of rest. It is very useful, efficient, and takes less time than chronic cardio or hours in the gym. Some examples of this are cross fit training, TRX training, capoeira, sprints followed by walking, etc. There are many opportunities to explore the so-called “new” workouts on the internet. See what appeals to you, and go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything good to gain. If you try some new exercise program and it turns out not to be fun for you, I suggest that you try something different. The key word is FUN! If something feels fun, there is a higher motivation to stick with it. If you see results in your body image, or results are progressing in your strength and stamina, this is all positive reinforcement of your health getting better and better. That can be extremely motivating to us, and we will probably go back to that activity go back one more time (or more).
When considering the types of movement that hunter-gatherers participated in, we must acknowledge that they had calm times of sitting around their shelters, stretching or working on weaving, skinning animals, and doing domestic type activities. They also foraged for food by walking hours a day.
In today’s world, we have replaced walking all day looking for food with creating extra busy lives. We keep moving by over scheduling. We drive to most activities and usually sit at each event. Most desk jobs are done sitting. We look for things to do instead of looking for food. We look for money, relationships, clearances, clubs, and hobbies. Usually this disappoints us, so we keep moving on to other things to keep us busy. If we change this business of busyness, eat nourishing foods, and move around more, we can be happy with a less packed schedule.
Think about it.
Love,
KJ Landis
The current trend is to go back to functional movement exercise in order to live to a ripe old age without aches and pains. High intensity interval training uses bursts of speed and strength followed by moderate exertion or a short period of rest. It is very useful, efficient, and takes less time than chronic cardio or hours in the gym. Some examples of this are cross fit training, TRX training, capoeira, sprints followed by walking, etc. There are many opportunities to explore the so-called “new” workouts on the internet. See what appeals to you, and go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything good to gain. If you try some new exercise program and it turns out not to be fun for you, I suggest that you try something different. The key word is FUN! If something feels fun, there is a higher motivation to stick with it. If you see results in your body image, or results are progressing in your strength and stamina, this is all positive reinforcement of your health getting better and better. That can be extremely motivating to us, and we will probably go back to that activity go back one more time (or more).
When considering the types of movement that hunter-gatherers participated in, we must acknowledge that they had calm times of sitting around their shelters, stretching or working on weaving, skinning animals, and doing domestic type activities. They also foraged for food by walking hours a day.
In today’s world, we have replaced walking all day looking for food with creating extra busy lives. We keep moving by over scheduling. We drive to most activities and usually sit at each event. Most desk jobs are done sitting. We look for things to do instead of looking for food. We look for money, relationships, clearances, clubs, and hobbies. Usually this disappoints us, so we keep moving on to other things to keep us busy. If we change this business of busyness, eat nourishing foods, and move around more, we can be happy with a less packed schedule.
Think about it.
Love,
KJ Landis
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