So prior to my most recent journey (and journaling) and proper tracking, I was under the impression that I moved a lot. And I did, every time I left the house. However I did not leave the house as often as it felt like. My class teaching and my training meant that my daily movements were limited to short burst of exercise, with varying affects on my over fitness. For example, Sundays. No classes to teach, and this was my “recovery day”. Well, it was not uncommon for me to have less than 1,000 steps throughout that entire day. But it felt like I was moving all week. And therefore the day of rest was justified. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.
This whole experience has definitely showed me the difference between intentional movement vs. momentary movement. Not even sure if those are things, but they are now. There is intention behind my movements now. How did that happen? 10,000 steps.
10,000 Daily Steps:
So I have been doing my own research on the whole ten thousand steps a day thing. And while there seems to be some back and forth about how many are truly needed daily, the argument does not matter. The point is to move. That’s what aiming for 10,000 steps did for me. It wasn’t the thought of “Oh, if I take this many steps a day I will be healthier and all will be good.” That might have been how it started, but within the first week, the goal really became about intentional movement. Daily, sustainable movement. I have always hated walking. I don’t understand why you would walk without a destination. So in the beginning this was rough, but since I needed my 10,000 and I have a great walking partner, the destination became getting closer to my 10,000 steps and just enjoying great company. There was no pressure, and to this day there is still no pressure when we walk. It is just to walk. The hurdle of not having a destination is hard and I am still working on it. But the mental impact of “needing” to get 10,000 steps has truly helped. If I could share any bit of advice to anyone, this would be it: Aim to get your 10,000 steps in.
So that was just my brief little introduction to my own experience, but let’s look at different types of training and the four main components of fitness. There is a lot of crossover. This is by no means an academic paper. Just a brief summary of my thoughts.
Types of Exercise:
- Endurance
- Strength
- Flexibility
- Balance
Types of Training:
- Cardiovascular
- Weight
Cardiovascular Training:
Admittedly I do not do enough of this. I have been trying. When I am teaching, I have started to track the lesson with my watch.