Lift A Tree

Lift A Tree

When it comes to exercise, people often ask me what the best type of exercise is, what the best equipment to use is, how they should equip their home, the best cardio equipment to name few questions I regularly get.

I am going to be fairly blunt here when it comes to exercise – conditions for exercise do not have to be perfect. Many people I know will only exercise if the conditions are perfect. They feel that in order to have a good workout, they need to go to a gym, have to have the “right equipment”, need a trainer, need an elliptical, need a treadmill, or they need a peloton bike in order to exercise. The list seems to go on and on and the bottom line is that people will actually avoid exercise or miss a workout if the conditions are not “Perfect”.

Conditions Do Not Have To Be Perfect To Have A Workout

What I mean by “Lift A Tree” is that conditions for exercise do not have to be perfect in order to have a productive workout.

I would suggest that this is the wrong way to think. When I say “Lift A Tree”, I simply mean use whatever is around you in order to exercise and do it whenever and wherever you can.

For example, I have had super productive workouts while staying in hotels using the stairs for cardio, the floor to do pushups, the furniture to do dips, squats etc. My belief is that conditions do not have to be “perfect” in order to have an effective workout.

We were recently at our cottage at the lake where we have very little in the way of weights or equipment. It is not unusual for me and the kids to make up our workout on the spot and use our natural environment. We use tree branches for overhead press, cut logs for curls and military press, we pull the tin boat across the lawn, walk with a kayak over our head, skip or do pushups on the grass or dock, run up the hill to the cottage to name a few. We basically make up exercises and different workouts every time which makes it exciting and fun.

The same holds true for walking, running, hiking, biking or whatever activity you enjoy – you don’t need perfect conditions in order to move and get in a great workout.

Just Move

As I outline in my latest book – It’s Never Too Late To Be Healthy, the key to exercise is just moving and doing it every single day. As well it is important to do a number of different body movements, exercises, including strength, cardio and stretching in order to make ourselves “bulletproof” as we age.

Centurions – Blue Zones

For those that read my blog regularly, you would know that there are 5 regions in the World that have the longest living people in the World. As outlined in Dan Buettner’s book – Blue Zones, these regions have 2000x the number of centurions than the rest of the world. Centurions are defined as people that live long and healthy and reach the age of 100 years old. If you would like more information on the 6 Secrets to the Longest Living people in the world, you can access it here: https://kevinbradyhealth.ca/6-secrets-of-sardegna-centurions/

Barb and I have personally visited one of these “Blue Zone” regions in Sardegna Italy as I participated in a cycling race there. What I witnessed was that the longest living people in the world simply “move” their bodies every day. They walk steep hills through the village, tend to their gardens and land, herd the sheep, or work on their land. They are not waiting to go to a gym, get on a treadmill or jump on an elliptical, they are simply just moving every single day. What is also interesting is that they are not doing Interval training or HIIT training, they are simply just moving many different muscles and different ways all day long. This appears to be one of the key pillars of longevity – Just move every day.

Move – Outside

With the gyms being closed due to Covid for well over a year now, I have learned to adopt my strength workouts to my backyard when the weather cooperates. I simply use my yard, use some simple weights, resistance bands, stability ball, kettlebell, and a matt. I typically finish off my workout by walking around the house for 10 minutes while doing alternating Suitcase and Front Rack carries with a heavy Kettle Bell.

In fact, I had my strength workout this morning out back and it was gorgeous as I was ahead of the heat of the day and watched the sun come up as I exercised for an hour. There are so many benefits of being in nature so by moving my workout outdoors, I am not only having a great workout but I am also experiencing the beauty and the benefits of being in nature. If you missed my blog on this or want to find out the 8 Benefits of Getting Outside, you can access a previous blog here: https://kevinbradyhealth.ca/the-8-benefits-of-getting-outside-during-covid/

So I encourage you when you think of your exercise or movement for tomorrow, don’t wait for the “perfect setting” or “perfect equipment” in order to do so. Simply do some movement using whatever is around you in your home or outside. Also, do what you like or love doing as this will ensure you enjoy your activity and you will come back for more. This could be as simple as a walk, a run, cycling or hiking.

So tomorrow – Just Lift A Tree

Podcast Corner – Ben Carr, Innovative Fitness

I recently did a podcast with guest Ben Carr entitled “Train For Life” where we discuss many of the best practices for healthy fitness, movement, and longevity. To access this podcast, you can access it here:

Wishing you all the best in health and happiness,

Kev