Eternity Health Pillar Two: Exercise

We all know that exercise is essential to emotional and physical well-being.  We are inundated with messages: Just Do It, No Pain No Gain, Never Give Up, Make It Happen!  Medical research confirms that movement is “Too Legit To Quit.”  Yet every year millions of Americans make fitness New Year’s resolutions and then promptly do just that, quit.

Often this failure to maintain an exercise program is because it is seen as just that- a program and not a lifestyle.  Movement is critical for cardiovascular health, bone health, joint stability and is the number one most effective treatment of anxiety.  Physical activity should be a celebration of what the body can do and not a punishment for what it ate or how it is supposed to look.  When exercise becomes a lifestyle, routines become habits and movement is enjoyed.

When working with our clients at Eternity Health to adapt new lifestyle patterns that include physical activity, we evaluate motivation, dedication, inspiration, accountability and patience.  Without saying, a client must be self-motivated to want to engage in a healthier lifestyle.  Longevity of routine is difficult to achieve in the absence of desire.  Everything worth working for takes work and here enters dedication.  Even top elite athletes who have developed careers in sport do not hit the ground running every day with joy and enthusiasm.  Dedication is developed so that a client will show up for themselves on a daily basis, doing what they can that day with patience.  Every day does not need to be nor should it be 110% as rest is equally important to the athletic body, but illegitimate excuses are benched.  Inspiration is critical and very personal.  What might inspire one client could potentially turn another completely away.  We encourage clients to look carefully for what and who inspires them.  For some it is a single individual be it a sports hero or local fitness instructor.  Many find inspiration in joining a group, sweating with friends and encouraging others.  Online apps such as Strava create social communities of multiple sports where participants can “kudo” their friends and even compete for crowns and accomplish fitness monthly goals.  Locally in Santa Barbara, there are class passes allowing members to try many different studios and routines.  Inspiration also readily changes and develops.  We do stay young at heart when we are continually inspired.

The crutch for almost every client is accountability.  This is often a game changer especially in the beginning stages of developing a routine that will grow into a lifestyle.  We do offer virtual accountability at Eternity Health in the form of lifestyle coaching.  Some clients may seek to find their own coach, therapist, or training partner.  If it suits the client’s personality and goals, we encourage clients to sign up for a challenging event, be it a running race, cycling race, cross fit, yoga head stands…. The options are endless and so are the benefits.  A person is much more likely to get out and do “IF” there is a tangible performance event on the horizon.  Plus, for many, these events are social and fun celebrating months of hard work.

Patience is worth a lot of attention.  Keeping it brief, it is imperative that exercise goals and new routines also be met with kindness towards one’s own body.  We live in a world of hyper comparison.  We find need to constantly remind clients that what might work for X and Y does not necessarily mean it will work for you.  Self-care is a staple in an athletic lifestyle and essential to longevity.

Optimal exercise is defined by what appears to work effectively for most individuals.  This tends to be mix of cardiovascular activity (aerobic and anaerobic), strength training, HIIT (high intensity interval training), and flexibility work such as yoga and Pilates which support the athletic frame.  We all live very dynamic, complex and extremely busy lifestyles making HIIT worth mentioning.  High Intensity Interval Training is a type of cardiovascular workout focused on burning fat quickly.  One intense exercise burst and one rest breaks is considered one round of repetitions.  This is highly beneficial for individuals who may only have a brief amount of time, such as a lunch break, to exercise.  Of final mention is the importance of strength training at some level for everyone.  We cannot stress this enough.  Frequently clients complain of not achieving ideal body changes after weeks and weeks of slaving away at cardio.  Muscles develop under the strain of weight and resistance.  Ladies, no, you will not bulk up.  You will improve your posture, stamina, metabolic rate, and physics. 

At Eternity Health, we look carefully at the individual with attention to whole body systems.  Many of our clients find great benefit in the utilization of anti-aging peptides.  Benefits include and are not limited to reduced body fat, increased lean muscle mass, increased collagen production, improved quality of sleep, increased energy and endurance, and improved cellular repair.  Quality supplements and correcting of hormonal imbalances also is critical to an active lifestyle.  We can go on and on and sometimes do!  Every day is a new chance to show up for yourself and every time you do, it counts.