Having once done a summer job on a furniture moving crew, I understand the concept of active jobs. If you do something like that for a living, you certainly have a less sedentary lifestyle than your desk-bound contemporaries.
However an active job isn't quite the same thing as a balanced exercise program. A balanced exercise program consists of at least 3 parts.
Have I mentioned that I was also once an ACE certified fitness instructor? It was a few years ago, but I dimly recall the 3 main components of an exercise program:
- Cardiovascular activity, consisting of a sustained moderate cardiovascular workout that keeps your heart rate in your target range for (here's where things change from time to time) anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour or so, depending on who you talk to.
- Strength training, a balanced routine or program that trains all major muscle groups, even the ones that are "hard" to work like your triceps and hamstrings. For fitness (versus competitive bodybuilding) the focus here is on lighter weights and more repetitions.
- Flexibility training - stretching of all those same muscle groups to keep things nimble.
If you're lacking any of those pieces, and the average furniture mover lacks all three, then despite the fact that you maintain an active lifestyle, you haven't cracked the fitness nugget.
Pretty simple!
So give yourself a break after work if you need one, then head off to yoga class (or another workout of your choice). I mention yoga for a reason, though. It can provide a balanced workout, depending on the focus of the class, and it's a nice bit of "yang" to the "yin" of daily job stress -- especially for those of you who really DO crank out serious physical work all day.
Enjoy!
Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!
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