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By Lindsay Brin, Exercise Science
Something I have loved since watching my mom teach fitness had taken its toll. I did not want to do another workout. I dreaded it. I was feeling totally depleted and not seeing results. In fact, I was going in the opposite direction. I knew I could do better. I knew I could serve others better.
So, I recovered. I walked everyday – leisurely. After three weeks, I was stunned. I felt better. I felt good – really good. My skin looked better. I did not feel depleted. I had energy! I was no longer exhausted when I picked my three kids up from school. Inflammation was gone. My bowels were back on track. Sure, my hips hurt when running up the stairs (this is always my body’s sign that I need to get back to strength training), but I felt better than I had in two years.
But why? Why did less do more? Was it overtraining? Was it central fatigue? Was it intense workouts? Was it hormones? Well, I discovered my answer.
I’ve been studying Exercise Science for 20 years, so I dove into the research. You can read all the cardio research here and the strength research here. If you are over 30, you are losing muscle 3-8% each decade. You have to strength train!
Here’s my story, and how I got back into loving exercise, and my body to love it back. Since those 3 weeks, I started losing inches instead of gaining. Instead of feeling rundown, I had energy. I was happy wearing shorts again. My cellulite was disappearing. Walking alone was great for that short period of time, but I needed to add in strength training.
What was going to be best for over 40, somewhat stressed out mom that used to enjoy all types of workouts, especially the tough ones? The short answer, effective training that didn’t exhaust my nervous system and/or increase stress levels.
You might be thinking what does my nervous system have to do with musculoskeletal system? The nervous system and the musculoskeletal system work closely together to facilitate movement. For a muscle to contract, it must receive a signal from the NS. Then, the muscles provide sensory feedback. While muscles can fully recover from a single session of exercise given the proper rest, the nervous system may still be dealing with cumulative stress.
The Autonomic Nervous System or NS for short, is divided into two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which stimulates the body’s “fight or flight” responses, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which activates the body’s “rest and digest”. The balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is vital for health and well-being. In today’s fast-paced and often stressful environments, the sympathetic nervous system can be in constant activation leading to chronic stress. Chronic activation of the SNS and the corresponding under activation of the PNS can contribute to various health issues.
The nervous system plays a crucial role in coordinating and optimizing the body’s response to various types of exercise. So, when you come into workouts already in a state of ‘fight or flight’, a HIIT workout is not usually what you need. Here’s why:
On the flip side, it can enhance the resilience of the nervous system, improving its ability to manage stress and recover from it more efficiently. Exercise is a stressor. It’s a good stressor. Your body adapts and increases fitness levels. It releases endorphins. It enhances neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. Better sleep. Better Nervous System Regulation.
As with anything, the problem arises when it becomes overstressed or chronic. This is where I was – in a chronic state of stress thinking the workouts were making it better, not worse.
The solution? Balance. Proper recovery. Proper strength. Proper cardio.
Strength – For a muscle to change, we have to load it past its previous condition. I started with traditional strength training, using isolation exercises, loading each muscle group one at a time. These were very common before HIIT came on the scene. Not only are isolation exercises effective, but they are also for all levels.
The perfect example of an isolation exercise is a crunch or bicep curl, but you need variation to see change. Not to mention doing crunches and curls twice a week would get boring. So, we do crunches with a Pilates ball, transverse crunches, oblique crunches, waiter curls, hammer curls, etc. I leave these workouts feeling energized and not depleted within the hour. For me, I was finally seeing results again!
I feel like this needs to be emphasized. When we say build strength, we automatically think “build bulk”. No! We are creating lean tissue, aka muscle, which takes up less space than fat. With strength training fat is systematically lost creating a leaner body composition. We are creating strength to carry us through our 30s, 40s and beyond.
Being certified in barre and Pilates, I started integrating that into my routines as well. You can read all about how many times I recommend Pilates/barre and how they are the perfect complement to strength training here. We include these in the Weekly Schedule every Friday with options on Mondays.
Cardio – For me, I have seen so many benefits from walking. I am in the best shape of my life without running and HIIT Cardio. Walking done at a moderate pace can boost endorphins, reduce stress hormones, and improve overall mood without overstimulating the sympathetic nervous system. It can also reduce cortisol levels and improve feelings of well-being due to the calming effects of nature and exposure to natural light.
Walking helps in clearing metabolic waste from the body. It is the one form of cardio that triggers the PNS (rest and digest) instead of SNS (fight or flight). We recommend 10-30 minutes daily with the Weekly Schedule. Go outside! For those of you who want some added Cardio HIIT, I recommend 1-2x per week. We include these Cardio HIIT sessions as an option in our Weekly Schedule.
Recovery – It can help the body ensure the nervous system isn’t constantly in a state of stress. Stretching, breathing and walking, among other light activities, communicate to the brain that it’s safe to get into the rest and digest state. In our Weekly Schedule each muscle group gets proper recovery and weekends are all about recovery. Rest days should be walking days. Your body will find a good rhythm and thrive! I promise, two weeks and you’ll never want to quit!
We’ve been breathing before and after workouts since I’ve taught fitness. But the benefits really sunk in when my friend Megan (DPT) and I were working on a series. She told me how healing deep breathing can be. From there, I knew it had to be a bigger part of all our workouts. Did you know just 2 minutes of deep breathing can reduce cortisol (stress hormone) by 22%? At the end of every workout we do deep diaphragmatic breathing as recovery.
I start every day with my Bible and 30 long deep breaths! Talk about a great way to start my day less stressed!
For me to see these results, I only changed my exercise routine and my stress levels. I often refer to the Big 4. If you want to see any results, these 4 are important – exercise, nutrition, stress, sleep. We’ve covered exercise and stress. Our registered dietitian covers all things nutrition in our App. Sleep, well we all know we need more of it.
My results from 2022 to now:
From 2022 to now:
But this isn’t just me. Are you overly stressed? Both psychological (work or personal challenges) and physiological sources (high-stress workouts) significantly affect the nervous system.
Trust me, you can get an extremely effective workout without jumping, without HIIT-ing or adding burpees. Want to read the research? I also use all that research to create the Weekly Schedule. I then tested these methods on two focus groups totaling 900 women. Let me start by saying, it works! Not only did it work for me, it worked for 85% of the 790 women that completed our focus groups. 85% saw success within three weeks!
Give me two weeks, and you’ll never want to quit! Try it with our free trial.
Remember Lean tissue takes time and consistency. We are in this to grow older and stronger. Start now and you will see and feel the results within the first two weeks and over time.
