For years, I had no idea what a good workout should consist of. I would pick a cardio machine at the gym or a few weight machines and when I finished those, I'd stretch and call it quits for the day. I would only move my body in a forward motion and no other direction. That is not real life.....we need to train our bodies for real life. Every day, we move side to side, front to back, up and down, and in twisting and bending motions. Your workouts should have those movements.
I want you to imagine a checklist with these boxes on it:
* CARDIO
* STRENGTH
* FLEXIBILITY
* BALANCE
* CORE TRAINING
* POWER/ PLYOMETRIC
* SPEED/ AGILITY/ QUICKNESS
If you were to put a checkmark in those boxes, which ones would you have marked in terms of your workouts? Many people are stuck in the "cardio" box and only that box. I want to educate you that ALL of these components are important for their own reasons. You want a checkmark in each of these. One of the biggest reasons is that we lose these abilities with each passing year in our lives if we don't work to maintain them or improve them. Power is lost first, followed by strength. Balance and flexibility get lost with age as well. Core strength is important because your core is the source of most body movement. Before you know it, you are a weak, inflexible person without balance or reaction time and back pain due to a weak core.
Forget about becoming "bulky" or not being an athlete. The components that I listed above are crucial for a functional, strong, able body. Are you stuck in the "cardio" box? Keep that, but add some weights. Add a warmup before you start and learn to foam roll and stretch before and after your workout. Look up some balance and flexibility exercises on the internet. Same with power and speed. Find a good core routine-- look up core stabilization. Learn to move your body in all directions and you may avoid injuries in your future. There are also people that are stuck in the "strength" box too. If this is you, add in some interval training for cardio, work your core, and do the other things I listed above.
Get creative! I've given you the checklist to follow now. Go for it!
