I got to thinking about life and exercise this morning while I was out on a run with my dog.
In another life, about 10+ years ago, I fancied myself a runner. I ran trail races, 5ks, 10ks, half marathons, and even 2 full marathons. In November of 2008 I discovered CrossFit training and realized I didn’t like running as much as I thought!
Fast forward to today and I now have a 4 legged friend who is TERRIBLE at lifting weights. Probably has to do with having no arms. But HE is a great runner and needs exercise so I’ve found myself running much more in the last 6 months than I was for about the last 8 years before.
And you know what? It counts. The exercise is enjoyable to me because I get to spend time outside, with my dog, enjoying nature, and while it is different than what I’ve become accustomed to while doing CrossFit so regularly for the past 10 years, I’m enjoying it. AND THAT COUNTS A LOT.
I think sometimes we feel like if we can’t make it to the gym for a workout, we might as well not do anything. The fact is, if you walk up and down your stairs at home for 30 minutes, you are going to be winded and it counts as exercise! If you walk your dog or go run around the playground with your kids, it counts as exercise. Maybe you can’t get to the gym because you have a golf outing (tough one I know), but instead of riding a cart and boozing for 4 hours, you walk the course and carry your own bag. That definitely counts as exercise!
My point is this. Steady, consistent, thoughtfully programmed training is for sure, hands down the most effective way to progress over the long term. But don’t get too hung up on whether your workout is trackable all the time to where you miss the opportunities all around you to sneak in a workout here and there throughout your day. Any activity is infinitely better than no activity and making the most of your space and time will pay off HUGE in the long run. It all counts…so don’t discriminate. Do it all!
