3 things I wish we better understood when it comes to health and fitness! 

While these concepts are more or less well positioned for improving our health and fitness - upon reflection, I feel these concepts could be communicated a whole lot better to the general population where health and fitness is the goal! 

1OK Steps is not the target - increasing your physical activity is!

Targets are helpful, but they aren’t the pinnacle when it comes to health. The goal behind a step count is simply to help encourage more physical activity on a daily basis. This is where the long term health benefits come. The number on your watch can be helpful - but what’s more helpful to you long term is behaviour change that naturally increases this where you start to complete tasks daily like short walks, parking further away from the supermarket and other similar tasks almost as if it is second nature!

Lifting heavy now - helps to make life feel lighter later!

People often feel intimidated by lifting weights and adding load to the bar - and I completely get it. It’s not an easy concept to wrap your head around when you get started, and it can be hard to gauge intensity at times. What’s important to me is that people understand that progressing your lifts in the gym and lifting weights in general is what will help to make life so much easier to manage outside the gym. At home we likely lift heavy objects without thinking about it - moving around furniture, maybe some DIY. When it comes to the gym environment, we tend to hesitate - but in reality this environment is likely safer than helping your neighbour to lift their new couch into their sitting room! Lifting weights should help to better prepare you for these more physical tasks!

Improving your body composition isn’t just aesthetics - it plays a role in health too!

While there is most definitely a spectrum here when it comes to healthy and sustainable body composition and the amount of body fat we hold - it is not exclusively aesthetic. Lower levels of body fat and higher levels of lean muscle mass are what puts us in the best place to avoid the majority of health conditions associated with higher levels of bodyfat. A certain level of body fat is healthy, and I would argue - optimal for health long term. Keeping this in a healthy range is likely what is going to yield more favourable health outcomes long term.

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Lastly, I would also like to clarify that I am not a registered dietician. All advice disclosed here is simply advisory based on my qualifications as a fitness professional and personal experience and knowledge gained working with individuals and helping them reach their goals. The advice given is not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. 

I hope someone out there found some of this information useful here, just some food for thought. For any questions in relation to this topic or training, nutrition, etc. or for coaching inquiries simply message me on my business page on instagram @coachedbycashel_ or by email - contact@coachedbycashel.com