Be active

All too often we conflate our frequency of “working out” with our “health and fitness” when in reality, you can have perfectly fine health and fitness without ever stepping foot in a gym, swinging a kettlebell, or hitting the treadmill a day your life if you want to.

Working out might be perfect for you if it matches your needs, preferences, and demands best.

For example; 

• If you have specific muscle-building goals the gym probably fits your needs best.

• If you enjoy the atmosphere, get easily distracted at home, or don't have space in your basement, then the gym probably fits your preferences too.

• If you have to drop the kids off, commute 20-120 mins to work, only have a 45-minute midday window of time before more meetings, then picking up groceries whilst on a conference call, before heading to basketball practice for the night…then the Globo gym next to the office probably matches your demands really well.

And still

Even when all the above is true and the day comes when you still can’t get to the gym for a myriad of reasons, you can still be active.

Fun fact

Did you know that between 20-25% of Weight Watchers (WW) attendees DO NOT “workout”?

Because of this, WW doesn’t use the word “workout” in any of their messaging. Because 20-25% of their people do not have an accurate context of what it means. Instead, they use the word “activity” which could be anything from a 2x weekly bowling league to carrying bales of hay on your back for work.

WW has THOUSANDS of health and fitness success stories without ever recommending a single workout.

Now don’t get me wrong, that 3x weekly bowling league very likely isn’t as strenuous as 2-3 hours per week in the gym, but it does count towards the total steps taken, limbs moved, and breaths taken above sitting on our arses on the sofa or in the car.

Being active is my bare minimum and my 1 and only rule.

So here is the real juicy takeaway from this post;

Because any and all activity contributes to your health and fitness, on the days you don’t get to make it to the gym, you can still and should find a way to be active. Take the stairs out of the subway, walk 2 laps of the airport terminal before your flight, park farther away in the office parking garage, walk on your conference calls, get a standing/walking desk, walk the track at kids basketball practice, walk to pick up your lunch, take the kids bowling or to the trampoline park or to laser-tag instead of to the movies and so on and so on and so on.

In what ways can you be active outside of your weekly planned workouts? Respond to this article/email with a few of your favorites.

Thanks!