With a new year upon us, I’m sure many have health & fitness goals. You won’t get any arguments from me, as I obviously deem those as worthy goals. But I wanted to challenge you, whether you have a baby in your belly or not, to adopt the pregnancy workout mindset as your set & complete your goals this year.
Work out for your health – not to look a certain way.
Let’s say you found a car you’d been wishing for since you were 16. When you go to buy it, you find out that this particular model was designed without room for a motor. It’s pretty much would just be an accessory to your driveway.
Just as I doubt you would invest time or money into that busted car, no matter how great it looked, why would we ever base our entire health’s success or failure on how something looks vs. what it can do?
Make it your goal to get your heart rate up regularly, to increase your strength, or to achieve some kind of physical goal that you’ve never done before (such as run a 10k, squat your body weight, do 50 push-ups without stopping or do an unassisted pull-up), you’ll see gains in your overall health (and bound to see some changes to your physique without stressing too!)
The intensity can be lower, but don’t take the consistency down.
As we get older, we have to care for our bodies differently. We may have certain days, or certain seasons, where intense impact exercise doesn’t feel good anymore.
Here’s the reality: Lower intensity workouts still get the job down as long as you don’t lower your consistency.
A friend of mine, Danielle, who just went through an exercise program as a modifier put it this way:
“Modifying isn’t a disease. It’s not gender specific or age specific. It’s what your body needs at that moment to have an effective workout. If you need to — modify with pride, not shame.”
Exercise is what’s best for baby.
No matter how old your “baby” is (or even if that baby is simply your spouse, your aging parents, your friends, your job or your church family), exercise positions you to be physically equipped to do more for others.
Exercise gives you energy, strength, stamina and endurance. You will be in a better position to serve your family & those around you if you prioritize your health.
What are your 2015 goals for your health? Will you follow these tips?
