|
Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! One of my favourite holiday traditions is going for a family run before dinner. Mom, I know you read this, so let's bring this back! We used to go for a stress free 5km run before holiday meals. It got our blood pumping, allowed us to talk and get our workout in before sitting down to a delicious dinner. I highly recommend it!
Fitness with friends is the name of one of the most popular workouts I give my athletes. I'm sure it's not just popular because it's not a running or strength training workout. I look at 'Fitness with Friends' workout as active recovery with an added mental health boost. My athletes have a lot of flexibility with what they do with the workout, which gives them the freedom to try something new within the scope of their training plan. It also encourages them to reach out to a friend or family and share their love for fitness. How often are we so exhausted and busy when we are training for a big race that we forget to connect with the ones we care about?
When I give my athletes the workout 'Fitness with Friends' I tell them to spend an hour doing something active with a friend or family member. I suggest exploring a new area of your city, a hike in the woods, a fitness class, playing sports, biking or swimming. I'm looking for my athletes to try something new, step outside of their comfort zone and find ways to connect with people who matter while enjoying some active minutes. I do find it has an added bonus of a mental health boost because the whole point of this workout is to have fun. We need to allow ourselves to have fun even when we are in knee deep in training!
Now I do know that not everyone would enjoy this workout. This week on Twitter and Facebook I asked 'Do you workout alone or with a buddy?' the answers fit into the following responses: yes, no and sometimes. There are benefits of working out alone. If you lead a busy life (and who doesn't?) it gives you precious time alone with your thoughts. It lets you clear your head. There are also benefits of working out with a buddy. It lets you have some social interaction, and makes the workout go quicker. So naturally mixing up if you workout alone or a buddy would give you both those benefits. I want to be clear there's no right or wrong answer to working out alone or with a buddy. The key is to find out what works for you and stick with it! Consistency is key!
|
