Wellness is like a trip to the salad bar…

some days you might feel like just greens and a few crunchy things, other days you want to load your plate up so it overflows the edges. Then some days you walk right past the veggies and fruit and go straight for the pudding and whipped cream.
my point is this: I don’t believe that there is any ONE method of fitness/wellness that is right for everyone. I think that there are many ways that work for most of us. does this make sense? lemme try to explain, using myself as an example.
my life is pretty much a whirlwind. I have 2 older (15 and 19) stepsons, and we have a 6 year old son together. oldest is in college, and the two others are active in sports for their ages. my wife runs a licensed daycare in our home, and I work as an RN at a local Veterans’ Hospital. There is never a dull moment around our house, nor is there ever a moment to spare. I’ve looked into and talked with many people about many different workout plans over the past 5 years that I’ve started to focus on my wellness.
at first I thought that I would just be a runner. I love running, especially on trails. But I somehow forgot about winter in Vermont. So I looked into the old standby; 110lb weight set from Sears. It is gathering rust….To get ready for spring running, I looked into BootCamp style training. Then more running. Then some yoga. And running. Peppered throughout all of these were setbacks. I’d feel very motivated for several weeks at a time, then nothing. I wouldn’t care if I didn’t workout. I would eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted. And then I’d find some inspiration and start working out again. Inevitably I feel better when I work out and watch what I eat.
for me, it is very important that I don’t just do ONE type of workout. Like that salad bar that I mentioned, I enjoy having choices. If I don’t feel like going for a run, I know that I can get a satisfying workout with BootCamp or tabata style exercises. If I’m not in the mood for either, then I can get my sweat on doing plyometrics. Options, baby, options.
my advice is to ask around. See what your friends are doing. Find out what they like about a program, and what they don’t. Importantly, find out WHY the like or dislike the workouts that they are doing. This will help you to know which ones to choose for yourself.
variety is KEY to a successful wellness/fitness program. What are some of your favourite workouts that you’d like to share?