Do what you love (cliché and idk)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: DO WHAT YOU ENJOY.

Exercise IS NOT supposed to be a suffer-fest.

Exercise DOES NOT have to be a suffer-fest*.

*some people (myself included) actually ENJOY the suffer-fest (childhood trauma?? Idk) but that doesn’t mean EVERYONE needs to suffer when they exercise.

Movement should be ENJOYABLE. The more you ENJOY what you have chosen as “exercise” the more often you will (and the more funnnnn you will have when you) do it.

Despite popular opinion, you do not need to feel “dead” post-workout for it to be effective. IN FACT, more gains can occur when we give ourselves proper REST.

Wow, I am using a lot of caps today but this shit FIRES ME UP.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t like Zumba.

I’m a fitness professional. Does that mean Zumba is bad? Absolutely not.

Is Zumba an effective exercise modality? SURE IS. Move your body. Get your heart rate up. Do it 3x a week.

Is Zumba “enough”? Probably not. I come from a sports performance/strength and conditioning background which means I will preach resistance training and the importance of muscle mass UNTIL I TAKE MY LAST HUFFY BREATH. Looking at you, ladies.

Women have been socialized to be small (times are a changin’ but not fast enough!)

This means MOST WOMEN stillllllll say and feel that they don’t want to “get bulky”.

** Do you know HOW HARD it is to put on muscle mass? Especially if you’re not a 20yr old man-child?? In addition to progressive programming, time-sensitive nutrition is incredibly important. MEANING IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to “bulk up” accidentally. **

Women are at higher risk for osteoporosis and osteopenia. Do you want to guess why?

BECAUSE THEY TEND TO HAVE LESS MUSCLE MASS AND ENGAGE IN LESS HIGH IMPACT ACTIVITIES. Running and jumping IS GOOD FOR ya bones! SO IS LIFTING.

I recently has a discussion with one of my long-time remote clients. She was thinking of moving on from her at-home programming and joining her local crossfit gym. She is more than capable; she is fit, strong, knowledgeable in the movements. She tried a few classes. And you know what?

She decided that working out at home WAS A BETTER FIT FOR HER. I say this IN CAPS because she is a rare exception. I speak to 30+ people a week about their routines. I would say 95% of these people NEED the accountability of a class, group run, and/or personal training sessions to feel motivated to complete their routines.

Should I insist she go back and try again to be comfortable there? Absolutely not. I want her to be successful and happy with her exercise routine. Because accessibility to exercise IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

Now, sometimes, getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things is important. This client I refer to above DID that. And figured out it wasn’t for her.

This article, written by another Duddy Performance athlete, shows the opposite: how facing her anxieties about group exercise actually was exactly what she needed. THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER. Only the best answer. FOR YOU.

So: I’m here to tell you to take the class or don’t. Movement matters, but it’s less about what you’re doing and much more about how you’re feeling before, during, and after. Did you enjoy it? Maybe not during, but you felt so accomplished/proud of yourself/stronger AFTER that it was worth it? Great. Did you sleep better? Did you get excited about putting in on your calendar again? YES?

That’s the most important thing. Full stop.