HIA Series | Are you moving enough?
Action 1: Intentionally move for 30 min. or more every day.
This month’s focus for Training and Activity will be on intentionally moving for 30 min. or more every day. This is the foundational action in this area of focus and you will soon see how interwoven this is into all the rest of the actions in Training and Activity.
Even if you are a competitive athlete getting quite a bit of weekly activity, stick with me through this and you will see how this action can still help you improve your performance.
Most of us have heard the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” This is absolutely true when it comes to our bodies and our everyday lives. When we stop moving and physically challenging ourselves as often, we tend to stiffen up; our bodies become weaker and more fragile; and when our heart rates increase a little over resting, we feel out of breath or quickly exhausted.
This is not just because you’re getting older.
While aging is real and does affect us in ways beyond our control, much of the effects we feel come from a less active lifestyle as we have aged (understandably now full of more very real responsibilities that leave us feeling tired) and from any trauma or strains we have endured up to this point.
The good news is, when you stop blaming age for the bane of your movement and how you feel, you can then have confidence in the fact that you can improve your physical abilities and how good you feel day to day by focusing on your current lifestyle.
Good things happen when we move.
When we move we…
jumpstart all sorts of good hormone releases (largely impacting how you think, feel, and improving your immune system)
improve blood flow to our muscles and tendons (improving their ability to perform and heal from damage)
allow our nervous system to experience different motion and ranges of motion (improving your bodies willingness to move through different ranges of motion pain free, with confidence, and improving your brains connection to your muscles)
give our bodies a reason to change (improving the function of your heart, lungs, brain, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and the rest of you… in order to better meet those demands in the near future)
These are far from all the benefits of choosing to move on a daily basis, but hopefully you are starting to see how powerful of an action this can be.
For my competing athletes, you are typically getting this daily movement through your sport or training for your sport. Where this idea may become news to you, is that even on your rest days, it would benefit you more to still do at least 30 min. of easy movement that does not beat you up any further (think lower impact movements - such as biking, rowing, or walking). The hormone release and blood flow, mentioned above, will help you recover and feel better the next day when you are back into your sport or training.
Movement can be accomplished many different ways, and should be.
In another action within this area of focus, I will further address the benefits of diversifying your movement over a week. For now, I want to bring you peace of mind if you’ve read over my checklist of “Highly Impactful Actions to Move Great and Feel Great” and are feeling a little overwhelmed. While there is a list of loaded actions you can do to improve your training and activity, all of them, aside from choosing movement over riding, could check off this 30 min. or more of intentional activity every day.
Throughout the week if you mix in
a sport or activity you enjoy doing
some walks with your dog or friend (and/or other cardio you enjoy doing)
some planned resistance training
and include some days factored in with more physically demanding home or work tasks you have to do for more than 30 min.
you will be crushing this action and many of the others listed.
If you’d like a more objective way to measure if you’re performing 30 min, or more of “intentional activity” you can use a heart rate tracker and shoot for a heart rate above 100 beats per minute (this isn’t a hard and fast rule though - any movement is great).
What this might look like in the real world.
Without knowing the intricacies of your life, here is one model I like to use to factor in at least 30 min. of activity every day along with the other Training and Activity actions:
Monday through Friday: more structured days
3 days of resistance and short interval training (Mon., Wed., Fri.)
1 day of aerobic focused training or easy active day
1 day of planned time to spend playing a sport or doing a fun activity
*If you join a sports league, active group, or usually do that type of activity on the weekends you could plug in another aerobic day or still use that week day to practice improving your skills for your weekend.
Saturday and Sunday: more open ended with a default option
Open to any active opportunities that come up
Plan an active day
Work on a house project that is more physically demanding
Use these days as a fall back option for when you are unable to do a full resistance and interval session during the week
Use a default option of easy activity (take a walk, bike ride, etc.) if nothing active pops up for you to do over the weekend
Based on your schedule, interests, and goals; you can shift the days or change this model to factor in more of what you need/want and less of what you don’t. I would just recommend that you at least prioritize 2 resistance training sessions each week and at least 2 cardio focused days where you are elevating your heart rate to a level where you have to focus on breathing rhythmically while doing the training or activity.
Athletes that are currently on a structured plan already, you typically will have off-days or an off-season where some of these ideas may serve you the most. Especially the idea of open-ended days with a default option. These days you can be active in other ways that don’t directly relate to your sport - which can also help you refresh mentally.
Athletes - just remember your priority is to be at your best for your sport so don’t do other sports or activities that hurt your recovery or that could get you injured (think less contact based sports or lower ground contact actions). It can be fun and helpful to do something that requires different body movements than your competitive sport (ex. Soccer players could play table tennis, golf, or go throw a frisbee).
It won’t always be perfect.
I am an optimist and a realist coexisting in one being (you have to be if you want to be a coach without losing your mind). So yes, I am optimistic that you can plan AND PRIORITIZE to intentionally move 30 min. every day. I also understand, and have personally experienced, when your best laid plans become increasingly difficult to the point of impossible, as life finds a way to demand more time and energy from you than you have to give that day.
Some of the most common constraints on any given day are:
lack of time from other higher priorities taking more time that day
lack of equipment or environment due to weather, schedule change, etc.
lack of energy/recovery from a physically or mentally demanding day(s)
lack of motivation from the increasing temptation of choosing more immediately satisfying actions
When the day comes that you are unable or unwilling to dedicate 30 min. to being active, I want you to consider 2 options to maintain progress forward:
Complete at least 2 min. of intentional activity
or do not allow yourself to do 0 min of activity 2 days in a row
You could complete any range of time from 2min.-29min. of activity based on what that day is like. Set a timer for at least 2 min. and then only continue to keep training or being active if you feel like doing so and have the time to do so that day. If not, once the timer goes off you have completed that day successfully and you should feel good about that.
If you decide to use option 2 one day then option 1 is your only option the next day if you find yourself in a similar constrained situation. The idea of not missing 2 days in a row is something I got from James Clear in Atomic Habits and it has more so to do with your self-identity than it does with the physiological benefits. When you think of yourself as someone who intentionally moves daily, it will make it so much easier to stick with this action through the good days and the bad ones.
You do not have to be perfect to get the benefits of moving 30 min. every day and stressing yourself out about not being perfect will counter many of the benefits of focusing on this action. Be self-compassionate when you aren’t at your best, but be self-motivated to do what you can do today to be at your best tomorrow.
Routines and backup plans make your life easier.
If you are able to establish a routine of when you will train or be active within your week, it will take much less daily energy/motivation to follow through with this action. You already saw an example week I laid out, but taking this a step further, when establishing a routine for this action, here are the important questions to answer:
When will I be active each day?
Where will I be active each day?
What will I do each day for my training, activity, or sport?
What do I need to have with me ahead of time to follow through for that day?
really helpful to make a list you can check off
I recommend keeping the same time, same place, and same activity focus for each day of the week as much as possible so that you aren’t having to re-plan each week and the resources needed each day will become more automatic.
You will also want a backup plan when life gets in the way. Don’t overthink this, but first think “how can I adapt my current session to fit in my day today?”
If it doesn't seem like there is much hope in that first question, have something you at least somewhat enjoy doing as a total backup option. This could simply be a jog or walk around wherever you are, or some resistance circuit workouts that require just your body or minimal pieces of equipment to accomplish.
Embracing audibles make for a less stressful and more enjoyable life.
An audible is used in American football to change the plan of attack at the last minute (really seconds). In our lives last minute changes or opportunities pop up that can disrupt our pre-established plans. This isn’t always a bad thing.
If a friend calls you and asks if you want to go on a hike after work Friday, you don’t have to answer “sorry I have to workout 😓.” Number one, this makes the act of training more chore-like and freedom sucking in our lives - which you probably won’t stick with over the long-term.
Number two, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can say “Absolutely 😃” and move your Friday session to Saturday. You still are being active both days and you still get to have a social life: win, win.
Having a plan is great, but you don’t want that plan to make you overly rigid and miserable feeling like you have to do the same thing every day.
Keeping your goals and training focused in mind, you can relax and swap days you do things or even replace a day here and there to enjoy what you want to do. After all, you are building a body that you feel good in and that enables you to do the fun things you enjoy doing. So go do them…
Addressing 30 min. or more of movement everyday as simply, easily, and effectively as I can:
In an effort to make this action as easy and workable in my life and in the lives of those I coach, I’ve built out my Fit for Life Solutions training system that lays the framework for the weekly activity I’ve been discussing.
Here is the weekly structure:
Monday: (A) Full body resistance/interval training
Hinge as the main high loading pattern
Tuesday: 30+ Active Day
Wednesday: (B) Full body resistance/interval training
Upper body push and upper body pull as the main high loading patterns
Thursday: 30+ Active Day
Friday (C) Full body resistance/interval training
Squat as the main high loading pattern
Saturday: Nothing Scheduled
Sunday: Nothing Scheduled
This above is the basic structure I like to start with because it provides a great balance of structured and open-ended activity and is a little less demanding when you are just getting started or are overloaded in other areas of your life. The hope is that on the weekends you will still look forward to doing something active or you can use them as makeup days when needed.
I then add optional add-in programs that would add an additional 2 days of structured training. I have an Endurance program and a Speed, Power, and Athleticism program that can be added upon request. The other option could be to plug in another source of training on the “30+” or “non-scheduled” days that is more specific to what you are trying to improve on.
The 30+ active days are open-ended days where the goal is to be active for 30 min. or more. I will personally fill them with endurance aerobic-based training, playing soccer, play another sport, or an active aerobic-based recovery day. My clients will fill them with what they enjoy doing or pick one of the workouts provided in the app as options for those days.
One quick note: one of my favorite things to do for a 30+ active day when I need a recovery day is to
foam roll
go through my mobility exercises
do 10 min. each on 3 different cardio machines (or include outside running) within my zone 1 training heart rate (which for me is 140-160 beats per minute).
For clarification, I define zone 1 training as 70-80% of your max heart rate (it is often popularly referred to as “zone 2 training”).
If I’m feeling good I may repeat the cardio machines or add in others for up to 6 rounds (60 min. total). I usually listen to an audio book, podcast, or less intense music while doing this.
I like this weekly structure a lot because it provides plenty of opportunity to improve your physical abilities while also being flexible enough to be moved around in your week when you need to. Ideally you still wouldn’t do 2 resistance days back to back but since you aren’t crushing just one or two areas of your body in a session (requiring much more recovery time) it’s totally fine to do 2 resistance sessions back to back when needed.
The program is set up to be easily accessible and adaptable (with back up plans) throughout the week.
The Fit for Life training system is delivered through my Sheer Training app so each of those training days are automatically shown on the day when you open the app and you just click into it to follow the plan.
There is also a programs section in the app where I have included (Swap) options for the program. These options offer quicker sessions, sessions that require less equipment, sessions that can be done when traveling, mobility sessions, and more; to offer back up plans to different constraints we face throughout the week.
This design has led me to being more organized and consistent with my training. It takes less energy from me to plan my week so I can spend more of that energy pushing myself to improve in the program amongst all my other weekly responsibilities.
I wanted to share this design with others so I’ve built out and now offer different scaling levels to this system (based on your training experience and interest level in training).
Along with the guidance through the app, I’m personally available through the app to communicate with you and answer any questions you have while working through it. If you would like to try my training system out with me you can visit Health & Fitness Services | Sheer Training
You can also use my ideas and structure above to build out your own training plan or plug in other training plans into this weekly structure. From my experience, I have just found this structure provides a really sustainable way to make a lot of progress and still live a life with many other responsibilities and interests.
This definitely isn’t the only way to structure your week though, so I encourage you to think about what might work best for you and plan how your week could look.
THEN TRY IT.
As long as you start to make progress toward intentionally moving for 30 min. or more every day, I will be happy 😉
The main idea I want you to take away from all this is that prioritizing moving by being active daily is a very powerful way to improve your body and mind; and is a worthy action to prioritize to improve the quality of your life. This can look a million and one different ways, so find what works best for you.
Happy Training!