Health + Fitness, but make it sustainable
It’s currently January 18th of 2025 as I am typing this blog post. By mid February 80% of people will have given up on their new year’s resolutions…and that is mainly because the majority of people set unrealistic goals and try to change too many things at once OR do very extreme things that are NOT sustainable. So instead…I am going to talk about sustainable habits in regards to health and fitness.
I am a certified personal trainer and certified health coach, so health and fitness is my WORLD! I love it so much. It makes me a little crazy when I see other health and fitness professionals pushing unsustainable habits BUT I am going to stay in my lane and share with you some things that I think are sustainable and that anyone could benefit from doing to improve their health and fitness.
Fitness:
NUMBER 1: WALK!
This is the number one thing I recommend to EVERYONE. It is so accessible, requires little to no “equipment” (need some good shoes), and is MASSIVELY beneficial to a lot of areas of your health. If you do not walk, I HIGHLY reccommend starting. You may have seen a lot of people saying that you need 10,000 steps a day, and sure there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you are someone who is currently getting 2,000 steps a day, then 10,000 is a big jump for you. Start small, increase that goal by 1,000 steps a day and then once that becomes a normal amount for you then keep going up. A good range to shoot for eventually is 7,500-10,000 steps per day.
NUMBER 2: STRENGTH TRAIN!
You probably could have guessed that I would say this under the fitness category. Strength training is SO important. As we age our muscle mass naturally declines, the only thing that can combat that is strength training. Aim for 2x per week MINIMUM!! Why does strength training matter? I have an entire blog post about that and will link it HERE.
NUMBER 3: CARDIO!
Yes, this is a different category than walking. For some people, walking may be cardio for them at first (if they are really de-conditioned). But after a while, walking is not going to increase your heart rate enough to count as cardio. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t walk, you definitely should. However, you need to get your heart rate up a couple of times per week (minimum) for cardiovascular health.
NUMBER 4: MOBILITY!
This one is often skipped over. You can be strong, but if you aren’t mobile then you are missing a big component! Whether you do yoga, pilates, stretch/mobility exercises on our own…you definitely don’t want to skip out on mobility! (this includes balance as well)
Health:
NUMBER ONE: WHOLE FOODS
Out of all of the “diets” out there, no one can argue that more WHOLE FOODS is something that Americans NEED. Less packaged foods, more whole foods. If you are someone that eats a lot of ultra processed and packaged foods & high amounts of sugar, then eating more whole foods is a great place to start.
NUMBER TWO: PROTEIN
Protein is getting a lot of attention right now, and for good reason. The large majority of Americans are under eating protein, by A LOT. Now, when you hear protein you may automatically think “oh, protein is for gym bros and muscle building”…nope, protein is for EVERYONE and is the building block for A LOT of functions in the human body. A good starting point is .7-1 g per pound of body weight per day. If you are on the low end of eating protein right now, then start with .7 g per pound of body weight. Remember, start small and build from there.
NUMBER THREE: HYDRATION
This one is pretty obvious…WATER! Drink more water. Don’t over complicate it, just drink more water.
NUMBER FOUR: YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD
Ohhhh, this one is probably my favorite and one that is OFTEN overlooked. A healthy relationship with food is so important and something that I am passionate about— seeing as though I used to have a very unhealthy relationship with food, have done a lot of work and now have a very healthy relationship with food...I can tell you from experience that it has changed my life. Food is something we eat every single day and if you struggle with your relationship with food it can take up SO much mental space. All of the things mentioned above are much more easily attainable if you have the foundation of a healthy relationship with food. If this is something you struggle with, please reach out, I’d love to help!
NUMBER FIVE: MENTAL HEALTH
Physical and mental health go hand in hand. Have you ever heard the saying “the body keeps the score?” It’s really true. Our bodies hold onto things physically due to things that have happened to us or our experiences. I think that working with a mental health professional is a vital part of health and is something that can be overlooked. I think the stigma is getting better but I think we still have work to do to de-stigmatize it. We go to the gym to workout our bodies, I think it’s important to have a mental health regimen too..whether that’s talk therapy, somatic therapy, meditation, journaling, etc etc…at different times in your life you may be more lead to one modality than another. Mental health is health...don’t neglect it!
These lists could include many more things but I wanted to keep it simple and narrow it down to a handful of points under each category. If you are wanting to work on sustainable habits in health and fitness, please reach out. I am taking new clients.
