As a fitness professional, the one question I get asked the most is probably “What is the best #workout?”
My answer is always this: The one that you will do.
Now, I can go into all of the details as to why you need to strength train AND do cardiovascular exercise. I can talk about which you should do first, depending on your goals. I can talk about HIIT training versus endurance training. We can wax philosophic about a spin class vs. a rowing class. But at the end of the day, what actually matters is this: Did you #move your body today?
On any given day that answer should always be YES. Does that mean it has to be a “gym” workout? NO! Get outside and take that pup for a walk (Arguably my favorite activity)! Go for a jog with your ten year old while she rides her bike. Do a few laps around the soccer field while your son plays. Take the family out for a hike. It’s all good, baby! Move that body. Work up a sweat. Have fun while you do and get as many people involved as you can.
If you were to ask me what my personal favorite workout is, I’d have a much harder time answering. First I have to say, I love group exercise classes. I love teaching my classes and love participating in Pilates and Reformer. I am an instructor who loves being in the company of another good instructors. I also spend a lot of time designing workouts and classes, so when I do my own, I don’t want to think too hard. I don’t want to have to cheer myself on; I want someone to do that work for me! So you’ll often find me in someone else’s class. I love #OrangeTheory. Unfortunately, the closest one to me is more than an hour away – kind of a workout deterrent. My colleague and friend Jenn is a fantastic, passionate instructor and I hop into her classes whenever I can. She teaches an Indo Row + TRX class which is a blast and always challenging, and I love her style when she teaches PiYo.
My first and truest love is dance. My friends Michele and Sarah both teach amazing cardio dance classes that are local to me and I make my way to them at every single opportunity. I always burn a ton of calories and never feel like I’m “working out” for a second. A dance workout to me makes my body feel amazing during and after- I feel graceful (most of the time ;-) ), beautiful and light. Once a week I get to go take my ballroom lessons with the most amazing instructor, Adam. He has taught me so much. The best lesson I’ve learned from him is that I can improve my dance technique even at 40+ years old. That is something I never thought I’d say.
Find THE thing that makes you forget about everything.
My advice to every single person: Find your thing. It might be #dance. It might be rock climbing, or spinning, or tennis or MMA fighting. Find THE thing that makes you forget about everything. Search for the activity that makes you realize when you are finished that you just spent the last (insert amount of time spend doing said activity here) in the moment and not thinking about any of life’s problems. When you can do that, you’ll have found your key to a fit lifestyle.