Unexpected events are inevitable, just look around. When they happen, people are always shocked. Afterwards, they say they knew this was going to happen, and try to explain the events away by some fanciful Monday morning quarterbacking. Yet, in searching for a plan to move forward, to be more resilient, they make the mistake of preparing for events that already happened. The thought process becomes “how do we fix the thing we just death with” instead of preparing for the impossible thing coming next.

You can apply the same concept to fitness. 

The very definition of fitness is being well adapted to a certain skill or environment. If you’re a runner, you run well. If you yoga, you bend well. If you lift, you pick heavy things up well. With enough practice you can acquire a level fitness to excel within your chosen category. However, running further, stretching longer, or lifting heavier, only makes you better at what you know, it doesn’t prepare you for what you don’t. And, because unexpected events are inevitable, we need not limit ourselves to one exercise, skill, movement pattern, or thought process.

Think about it like this… You step awkwardly on some uneven terrain on your run, and pull a muscle — maybe a bit of strength training could have helped. You bend over to pick up your child, and tweak your back — maybe a yoga class would have improved your movement quality. Or, you get winded walking down the snack isle — maybe it’s time for some cardio, among other things.

The point is, things are going to happen. The more varied your training and thought processes, the more resilient you will be. Find something you love, and let that be the foundation, but don’t let it limit you from discovering the benefits other modalities can bring into your life.

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My foundation is strength training. I incorporate “movement” or “mobility” days into my lifting scheduler so that I am able to move well in and out of the gym (for anyone that wants to know what that looks like send me a message or comment). Additionally, I will admit I not a fan of cardio anymore, but I do manage to get 15-20k steps a day while outside in the sun. This mix has allowed me to look, feel, and performance better than I ever had in the past. I take the same approach to other aspect of health as well. Don’t limit yourself. Be hard to kill!