No Wrong Way

Anybody in the fitness industry can list off the benefits of resistance and aerobic activity. There are government sponsored pages telling you what kind of physical activity and how much of it you should be getting in a day or in a week. But the question that most people find difficult to answer is, how do I get there?

My name is Jill Estabrooks and I am a soon-to-be graduate of the NAIT Personal Fitness Trainer Program. Over the course of the last two years I have been studying the science of exercise, corrective exercise techniques for chronic pain and injuries, and exercise for mental health and certain clinical conditions. I have also been lucky enough to participate in two different practicum programs through NAIT where I was able to focus my education working with people who have a variety of different life circumstances that impacted their ability to be physically active. These experiences have given me a unique understanding of and a passion for the different ways that movement can be adapted to promote health, enjoyment and safety in spite of mental, medical and physical limitations. 

For some of us, my age and older, you might have grown up hearing a lot about what has now been coined “The 2000’s Diet Culture” which featured shows like The Biggest Loser, fitness magazines propagating the need to have a “Bikini Body by Summer!” the 30 day cleanses and the fitness crazes like P90X. I remember in my early teenage years when my Facebook feed was full of people talking about a thigh gap, and what exercises that you needed to do to accomplish that, and then again in my early twenties when people were talking about “Hip dips” and what exercises you needed to do to make them look smaller. I grew up with the fitness phrases, “Just Do It,” “No Excuses,” “No pain, no gain,” or mindsets revolving around punishing our food choices with brutal and intense workouts. I have seen and heard people bragging about working until they throw up or pass out, as if that is healthy.

We talk a lot more now about having a healthier mindset when it comes to food choices. There are a lot of people on social media now, doctors, nutritionists and even influencers that promote healthy choices in sustainable ways, but I feel like our relationship to movement still has a long way to go. 

If we are starting to learn the lessons about having a healthy relationship with food, when are we going to start promoting having a healthy relationship with movement?

I am happy to say that over the last few years there has been a big shift toward understanding fitness and participating in it in a healthier way. But fitness is a long-term goal, and we don’t always get there by changing our whole lives to revolve around the gym or sports. Some of us need to take smaller steps to protect our bodies and our peace. 

And that is okay!

With the rise of fitness trackers, step goals became an effective method for people to become more active. Walking is a low impact activity, it does not cost money and has mental health benefits as well as impacts on our overall health, but sometimes even that is not an accessible option. When the snow and ice hits, our sidewalks are treacherous, nonexistent or invisible. If you need a mobility tool, are recovering from an injury, are at high risk of an injury during a fall or even if you have asthma, walking outside may not be an option. Of course, you can always buy a gym membership, or you can get a treadmill or a walking pad for your house, but it’s unrealistic to think that everybody has the room in their budget or even the comfort levels for something like that. So, what is wrong with sitting in a chair and bouncing your feet and legs like you are walking, running or dancing? Absolutely nothing. In fact, this is a fantastic exercise for people who need to be careful about high impact activities because of medical conditions, injuries, or people who might be at a higher risk of dizzy spells or falls. And if your legs are tired, sore, or otherwise immobilized, you can move your arms instead! This adaptation works just as well for strength and mobility, allowing exercise to meet you where you are at so that you can  move your body in a way that is sustainable and safe.

There are a lot of people out there who show up on social media with suggestions about what counts as exercise and how to optimize it, and this makes accessing general information really complicated. If you are just starting out and can only commit to one session a week, you don’t need to worry about things like what order you put your strength versus aerobic training. Pick an order that feels the best for your body and for your mind. These people may share a lot of beneficial information about the science that makes exercise work but they are talking to a population of people who are avid lifters, athletes and coaches. At the end of the day, fitness can be an intimidating environment to step into, and the prevalence of the internet does not make any of this easier. When there are constantly videos shaming people for exercising “wrong,” or promoting only this specific type of training, even if it is not something that will work for everyone and encouraging people to feel shameful about whatever attempts that they have made, it is not hard to get overwhelmed.

But the truth is that there is only one rule regarding movement.

You need to be safe. 

When I was a young teenager, my fitness journey started with the ten-minute ab routines or half hour bodyweight workouts from fitness magazines and videos. I spent a lot of my allowance on my Beachbody subscription for P90X workouts and other work out DVD’s. Nowadays, YouTube can be a fantastic resource for this. And it’s free. So, if going to the gym is not something that you cannot manage right now, for any reason, there are a lot of options out there for at home workouts. Scroll through, find something that you enjoy and does not hurt your body, learn how to belly dance or try that fifteen-minute resistance workout if you would like. 

If you cannot justify spending money on the equipment to do something like this, there is no rule saying that you can’t use everyday household objects as dumbbells or resistance as you get better at these workouts. Do you need some light dumbbells for that super fun Zumba workout that you found? You can use a plastic water bottle, it is small enough to fit in your hand, and you can change the weight by adding or removing some of the water. If you need something heavier, like for strength training, you can use a bag and some books. The weight is easily adjustable and can be worn many ways. If you do not have a roller or a yoga block for that mobility video that you found, use pillows and towels wrapped around a metal thermos or water bottle. Instead of buying massage balls, I have used various items such as tennis balls or dog toys. 

And this works in the reverse as well. If a bodyweight workout is too difficult, or the impact on your joints is too much, you can hold onto walls, table legs or countertops to be more stable, or you can perform the activity sitting in a chair or on your couch. It is commonplace now for dance or workout videos to provide varying intensities and chair demonstrations so that anyone can join in. There are no rules saying that you need to use dumbbells or expensive equipment from a store if you are picking safe alternatives.

Just moving your body, in whatever way that you can manage is an accomplishment.

Because if you are being safe, there is no wrong way to move your body.