Hello and welcome back!
This week we are going to look at different kinds of workouts that are out there. How they can make us feel better and even helping us becoming better health wise. What kind of workouts I do and why it is important to never compare yourself with others.

Different kinds of exercises

There are so many different kinds of workouts/exercises. So if I am going through them all this post will be never ending. However, we can put them into three different categories. Then do a general summary of each category and then name some of them. That is what I am going to do in this post.

Keep note. I am not a professional so this is simply what I have figured out by trying and failing. And things I have learned from working with professionals.

Cardiovascular

The first one we are going to look at is cardiovascular workouts.
Cardiovascular (I’m shortening it to cardio from now on) workouts is activities that increases your heartbeat. This can include, walking, jogging, running, bicycling, swimming, skiing ext ext. This is the kind of workouts that will help you keep your heart and lungs healthy. Cardio can also maintain your weight or even help you slim down.
If your want to know more about Cardiovascular workouts, go check out this link:
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/cardiovascular-exercise

I always recommend doing cardio. But always start with something that is low-impact and work your way up to high-impact.
You may use some time to figure out what kind of cardio is your kind. You may be the person who hates going for a walk outside, but can walk for “hours” on the treadmill.
You may be the person who loves to ski.

Remember! If you are like me and have a life filled with pain due to illness. Some workouts may trigger some instead of helping. So if you get pain while doing something. Stop. Take a breath and check your body. This is to see if it’s something you can work through or if it’s something that will be getting worse.

Strength training

You know, there is more than one way to strength training.
Most people do use free weights when strength training. However, it’s not for everyone.

Bodyweight strength training is also a thing. This one is amazing to do at home if you don’t have access to a gym or weights. The issue with bodyweight training is that at some point you may stop progressing.

We also have machines that makes it “easier” to do strength training. I do recommend starting with machines if you have the option to do that. This is because it’s really difficult to lift wrong (which is pretty easy with free weights).

If you have access to a gym and the gym have groupactivities try them out! It’s perfect if you are unsure of this. With groupactivities you will have a instructor showing you how the different exercise is done correctly infront of everyone.

And if you can afford it, I highly recommend getting a personal trainer. They will help you with figuring everything out. Everything from when during the day is best. How to do each exercise. What exercises is best to achieve your goals in the most healthy way possible.

If you want to learn more about different kinds of strength training I would recommend checking this link: https://intervalplus.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-strength-training-types/

Stretches

The most common types of stretches is the Dynamic- and Static stretches.

Dynamic stretches is best to do before a workout to warm up the body before lifting. Dynamic stretches include slow full range motion like leg- and arm swings-

Static stretches is more the Yoga and Pilates kind of stretches.
Here we can stretch our legs while sitting on the floor with our feet stretched out in front of you. Try to reach your toes with your fingers and hold the position for a while. Usually between 30sec and up to 2mins. This one is best to do after a workout as a cool down. This kind of stretches is the kind that will help our flexibility.

We also have two kinds of stretches that is called PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) and Hold Relax.
I do not know much about these two kinds of stretches, but you can read more about them here: https://www.musc.edu/content-hub/News/2024/09/03/Types-of-Stretching

My workout

As I mentioned in the intro, I will discuss how I am working out. I will also explain how it works for me.

I do have gym-membership and I use it least twice a week. And working my way up to three times a week. This is ofcourse optional, many of the exercises I do can be done at home without any equipment.

I am also trying to go get outside and go a walk in nature. I say I try because here I live there can be temperatures down to -25*C/-13*F. And with me having Raynaud’s Phenomena I should stay indoors when it’s that cold. And when I have my son home during the day and it’s that cold I need to keep him inside. During spring, summer and autumn I am much more outside moving around.

My workout routine at the gym looks like this:
14min on the stairmaster doing a routine that is called weightloss. Then if I have a day where my body is on top I will go do some strength training. This includes deadlifts, squats, biceps, triceps, shoulders, back and stomach. And lastly I stretch. I spend the most time stretching.
When I stretch I use yogaposes. So I am kind of doing yoga, but at the same time not doing yoga.
I do spend more time stretching then I do other things. This because I know that is what I need to focus on for the time being. That is what makes me feel amazing and are helping me the most at the moment.

This routine is not set in stone. It will change at some point when my body needs to focus more on other things.
Before I had my son I was really focused on strength training and I almost never stretched. And it was the right thing back then.

Summary

To sum it all up.

We have three types of workouts.
Cardiovascular, strength and stretches. Each of these have different kinds of workouts again. So all in all it’s up to you to figure out what kinds is best for you and your health.

I do hope that this post has given you hope and motivation. And that you will find yourself working out.

Love
Emilie Cathrin