I have this question come up often from my yoga, fitness and nutrition students/clients…
How Many Days Per Week Should I Exercise?
Well I can give you a physical answer to this and also a mental answer to the question. There are things I guess we should say as fitness professionals but sometimes our own personal feeling isn’t always the same as someone else’s belief. You know what… that’s OK….
I guess the challenge arises when you have to decide… do you tell someone what they want to hear or what you really think. I’m sure if you did your research or maybe your newer to exercising then 5x a week is a great start and I agree with this. The truth is for me I do something 7 days a week.
The most common question is … WHY?? and… How do you find time?? I look at it like this… you don’t have to commit a long period of time everyday to exercise. I look at my schedule for that day and that’s how I gauge what I’m going to do that day. I want to focus on something that gets my heart rate up 7 days a week.
When I take time out of my day whether it’s 20, 30, 45 minutes or maybe I have an hour or longer I feel happier, healthier, more focused, I breathe easier, and I’m more patient. So, yes… this might go against popular advice, but I try and make it a goal to do something 7 days a week.
What happens when we create this “in the box” workout schedule and LIFE gets in the way and we miss or skip a day then we feel like we failed. When we approach movement or exercise as a lifestyle change and not something WE HAVE TO DO, then it allows the flexibility to miss a day and not feel guilty.
So for me I do take whatever time I can out of my day and exercise. Even if it’s 15 minutes. It puts a smile on my face, I feel grateful and I’m a much happier person.
The same thing ties in with your nutrition. What we choose to fuel our bodies with makes us feel happier, healthier, stronger, and more focused.
I don’t believe in perfection. I will never have the best yoga practice or be the fastest runner, but what I do know and love is the feeling of movement in my body. I treat my yoga practice like a dance. That sensation of flowing and moving, connecting my breath to my body. When I run or I love to do circuit training runs outside I can totally disconnect and it’s like meditation in movement. Allow yourself to enjoy movement and exercise, enjoy the sensation and make it be something you WANT to do… not something you HAVE to do!
Love & Gratitude,
