Why some workouts are just better than others (for stressed-out superwomen)
What kind of exercise is best? And how do you create (and stick to) a plan to move your body that’ll meet your goals- especially when you’re exhausted and busy as hell?
When it comes to the messages you might be getting from the internet and fitness influencers, well, let’s just say it’s all over the place.
One minute you might hear that you need to do HIIT workouts to boost metabolism and shed belly fat. And the next day you read they’re bad for your hormones. What’s a smart girl to do?
—> As a result of all this confusion, here’s what I often see my fellow super-achieving ladies doing:
A) Lots of cardio.
or
B) Not much of anything at all.
Neither of which are good options.
In this short blog post I’ll be breaking down what sorts of exercise are best, specifically for women who are feeling burnt out, living an overscheduled life, and want to get back their energy, recover their health, and even lose excess belly fat.
You already know you want and need to move your body. Because I’m sure you know that exercise is good for more than a few reasons. At minimum:
The right kind of exercise can help you to de-stress, both mentally and physically.
It’ll improve your sleep.
It can help you shed excess weight.
It’ll improve your energy.
It’ll contribute to overall good health and longevity.
This is all why movement forms a key part of my approach with clients in THRIVE, my 1-1 coaching program to lift women out of burnout. If you want to de-stress your body, you’ve gotta do it from all angles. So movement, exercise, working out- whatever we want to call it- needs to be part of the equation.
non-negotiable: daily movement
First things first: if you’re not moving your body daily, that’s where you need to start. Many of us are sedentary (thanks, capitalist economy!). If you’ve got a desk job, movement isn’t naturally part of your workday and so you need to strategize how to add it in.
Good news: to do this, you don’t need to go to the gym.
In fact, I find that for most women, the easiest thing to do is to start walking. Maybe when you get up in the morning, after lunch, or late afternoon. Choose a time to make walking part of your daily routine, and then just do it.
Daily movement might also mean participating in your favorite active activities. For instance, I like to surf. But pickelball, biking to work, and working on your garden all count as movement.
But let’s say you’re already moving regularly, but you want to move more and/or you’re not seeing the results you want in your body and health. What comes next? Let’s explore the options….
Cardio: should you or shouldn’t you?
While just simple walking (or pickleball, etc) is often considered ‘cardio,’ what I really want to talk about here, specifically, is high intensity cardio workouts that are designed to raise your heart rate and keep it there for an extended period of time (sometimes called endurance training). This includes:
HIIT or bootcamps
Spin class, “Soul Cycle”
Running or jogging
Group fitness classes and programs including BodyPump, CrossFit, Orange Theory, and f45
I think there’s two big reasons to do this kind of cardio. One would be if you really like the classes or activity. In particular, classes can be fun and help you make new friends, which is important for anyone who works from home (iykyk). Or maybe you’ve been running your whole life and you just LOVE it.
A second good reason to do cardio is to improve cardiovascular fitness (heart health), which is important in itself but also could be relevant if you have some goals that require a high level of cardiovascular fitness. For example, if you’re training for a marathon, you’ll need to practice long-distance running. Or in my case, if I were prepping for a surf trip I’d definitely incorporate cardio into my training.
But there are also two big reasons to SKIP this kind of intense cardio.
One is if your goal is to lose weight (see this other blog post for an explanation). It’s counterintuitive, but cardio is not good for fat loss, and can actually move you in the opposite direction by slowing down your metabolism and leading your body to shed muscle mass.
A second reason to limit or avoid high intensity cardio is if you’re already dealing with a lot of stress in your life or on your body. For some women, cardio can be a little too stressful, leave you more exhausted (instead of boosting your energy), and worsen your sleep. Kinda counterproductive, no?
In this case, even if you love the HIIT classes (which I know so many type-A ladies do), and feel like it’s the only thing that can relax you (because maybe you’re a cortisol junkie?)… it might not be the best choice for you right now.
So should you incorporate high intensity cardio in your life?
Here’s what you need to ask yourself:
a) how important it is to you?
b) is it aligned with your health/fitness goals?
and c) are you’re currently under such a high level of stress where cardio could make things worse? (see here for signs that stress is so high that it’s affecting your physical health).
For many women who are experiencing chronic stress and feel at or near the point of burnout, the answer is that running and bootcamp- though beloved activities- are not good choices right now.
So what are your alternatives?
Low-impact, easy movement
If you’ve decided that high-intensity cardio isn’t for you right now, that’s ok! There’s a season for everything. And there are other kinds of exercise that you can make part of your routine.
Earlier I mentioned making movement a daily thing. So let’s say you want to move, and you want to do it in a way that will de-stress your body (rather than add to your stress load). Here are some ideas (besides walking):
Yoga (as long as it’s not power yoga)
Tai Chi
Pilates
Barre
Easy bike rides (not spin)
Easy swimming
Paddle-boarding
Hiking
As an added bonus, some of these ideas, like yoga, are also great for improving your mobility and flexibility, and for preventing injuries.
Note that just because you’re avoiding cardio now doesn’t mean you’ll need to avoid it for the rest of your life. There’s a season for everything. And I always say it’s important to do what gives you joy.
So in this case, if you’re opting for lower-stress forms of exercise so you can heal from burnout/chronic stress, once your stress-related symptoms (e.g., poor sleep, exhaustion, brain fog) have subsided, you might try working some high intensity cardio back into your life- if you really want to.
But lastly, let’s talk about a category of exercise that, in my opinion, should be part of nearly any woman’s routine…
Strength training: why it’s a no-brainer
First, a little clarification. When I refer to strength training here I’m talking about lifting heavy weights that challenge you, where you’re gradually getting stronger over time. So we’re not talking about that bootcamp class that includes lifting some light-ish weights or doing a few burpies.
(yes, I just gave you a reason to leave burpies behind, haha)
Strength training is VERY important for all women, especially since after about age 30 you’ll naturally start losing muscle mass if you’re not training to maintain and build muscle. This is the main reason why after 40, many people (men and women alike) start gaining weight (see this blog post for more on that).
My advice to you when it comes to strength training is to follow a program. It could be laid out by a good in-person trainer or you can find a pre-made program online (I like the ones from MindPump- and btw, that’s not an affiliate link, I just highly recommend them).
On a personal note, I’ve found strength training to be revolutionary for my own physical health. Feeling strong is… let’s just say it’s an amazing feeling. Empowering. And building muscle, as long as you’re doing it safely, can also cut down on joint pain and make you less prone to injuries.
Plus if fat loss is one of your concerns, strength training, coupled with proper nutrition, is what’s going to get you where you want to go. I once had a client who started strength training for ~20 minutes a couple times a week, just using free videos she found on the internet. Without changing much of anything else, soon she’d lost about 10lbs.
What to keep in mind as you decide which path to choose
In deciding the best kind of movement for you, you need to consider two things:
What are your goals?
What’s your starting point? And included here is an honest assessment of your health and current stress load.
For stressed out superwomen, easy movement is key, while intense cardio will often make you feel worse. Strength training could be part of your plan, too. In fact, I’d suggest your goal would be to recover your energy enough so that you can work strength training into your routine with no problems.
But as with all things health and wellness, it’s important to be self-aware and track how changes in the type, frequency, and intensity of exercise are making you feel, and to what extent they’re bringing you closer to your goals. This is one of the big things I guide my clients to do in THRIVE.
Ready to ditch burnout and recover your health once and for all?
LET’S FIGURE THIS OUT TOGETHER, IN MY 1-1 COACHING PROGRAM, THRIVE.
In THRIVE, we’ll start off by creating a personalized action plan aligned to your specific starting point and your goals. Any confusion you have about what to do for exercise or how to work it into your schedule will be cleared up real quick.
We’ll also identify precisely what you need to do to de-stress your body and mind and eliminate burnout symptoms, using nutrition and stress management (including nervous system regulation).
And we’ll make the journey FUN.
That means you’ll be saying goodbye to fatigue, brain fog, belly weight, gut or hormone problems, and unrelenting anxiety and overwhelm that drag you down…
—> And HELLO to a life filled with energy and ease, a body that can do what you want it to do, and reaching your big life and career goals.
THRIVE sounds like it might be what you need? Perfect.
When you apply for a free Burnout Breakthrough Chat, we’ll uncover exactly what’s going on with your health and life, what you truly desire for yourself, and what’s keeping you from getting it.
If it seems like THRIVE is the best option to help you move forward, I’ll answer all your burning questions about it. And if not, then I’ll point you in the right direction so you can get the support or resources that you need. Either way, you win.
Chat soon.
