Dave Brown, NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist
I love April! It’s a time of renewal and looking forward. With longer days come more opportunities to get outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun. For me personally, it’s a time when I get more opportunities to mountain bike, trail run and hike on dry trails. It’s also when I start to change my workout program so I can be stronger in those activities.
Spring is when people start making plans; vacations (fitting into summer clothes), signing-up for endurance events, hiking, deciding which fourteeners they want to do over the summer, etc. All of these have one thing in common: being in better shape makes everything more enjoyable. Let’s delve into the Why!
When we exercise we’re pushing blood flow to every part of the body. More blood flow means more energy and oxygen available to the body. This process also powers our muscles during our workouts. The longer and more consistently we exercise our muscles, including our heart, they become stronger and operate more efficiently. This is what drives the possible!
EXERCISE AND MOVEMENT
Anyone who has started a new exercise program has noticed the body is initially uncoordinated and resistant to movement. Why is that? Put simply when you’re not exercising, especially after 40, you’re becoming both weaker and less coordinated. The term Use it or lose it! could not be more true.
Fortunately for us the body is an adaptive machine. It loves to move and rewards us greatly when we do. When we start exercising, the first thing that happens is the body starts to move more efficiently. This process is called Neuromuscular adaptations. Also, the body never uses one muscle when performing exercises. Many muscles must be able to move together in concert for efficient movement. If you’re pushing weight while standing in an upright position, your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles work to push the weight, but if we can’t stabilize the weight with our abdominals we’ll have a tough time.
Let’s take an example of running. Most people think about just the legs working, but there’s so much more going in. We have muscles in our hips and inner thigh that help stabilize the knees. Our abdominal and back muscles must also work to stabilize our upper body. A properly designed workout program takes all of these factors into account to build a stronger runner.
THINGS BECOME POSSIBLE
When we are stronger and can move better new things become possible. The hike we once thought impossible happens. The 5K or cycling event that was once just a dream is now a reality. On vacation, you have the strength and energy to experience more, making for a more enjoyable trip.
My favorite stories from clients are when they experience new things due to their increased fitness. That can be you in 2015! All it takes is getting started.