When we work out, we’re strengthening our muscles and allowing our bodies to move more effectively so we can engage in the activities we enjoy, avoid injury, stay healthy, and just feel better overall.

Of course this statement is made with the assumption that you’re engaging in a safe and effective exercise routine for your specific body’s needs.

Despite knowing how much good exercise does for us, sometimes we don’t want to work out for a variety of reasons:

• We are tired, unmotivated, or busy.

• We remember a previous workout that was a little bit harder than we wanted it to be.

• Maybe we just don’t feel like it.

Whatever your reason, the truth for most of us is that we are NOT going to feel better after skipping a workout and we WILL feel better if we do something rather than nothing.

I’m a big fan of the easy strength workout in this situation. It’s a great way to get some health benefits - like keeping your muscles strong - with less effort. You don’t have to exert a huge amount of energy and this means you’ll almost always be successful.

To be clear, I am not encouraging you to make all of your workouts easy. Just the ones that you’re unmotivated to complete but know you’ll feel better after you “just do it”!

How to make your strength workout easy in 3 steps:

1. Start by using a little bit less weight than you would normally lift (e.g., If you use 8 pounds for bicep curls, go down to 5 pounds).

2. Focus on completing one exercise for each major muscle group (e.g., shoulders, bicep, triceps, chest, bock, core, glutes, legs).

3. Complete one set of 10 repetitions for each muscle group.

You can also engage more that one muscle group in an exercise. For example, you could do lunges with bicep curls (working legs and biceps at the same time) but remember to do 10 repetitions on each leg.

When you’re done with your “easy workout”, if you feel more energized and want to continue, please do a second set and use heavier weights. Your muscles are warmed up and ready to work so you’ll build more muscle with your heavier weights.

If you are not feeling motivated to do a second set of exercises, give yourself full permission to be done and feel good about completing your workout.

Any workout is a good workout!

Action Steps:

• In the next 7 days, try to complete 3 strength workouts.

  • If your strength workouts are yoga-based, follow the same guidelines by making your poses a little easier and/or holding them for a shorter period of time.

• Make them as easy as you want, but try to follow through on doing something easy rather than nothing.

• If you’re feeling good/strong /motivated, let yourself work out harder, and feel good about all of it!!

SAMPLE EASY STRENGTH WORKOUT - 10 reps of each exercise

Squats, bridge hip raises, push ups, deadbugs or abdominal bicycles, bicep curls, tricep dips or kickbacks, rows, lateral shoulder raise, reverse fly.

Final Notes/Caution: If you don’t know how to do the exercises listed above, or have any injuries that could be made worse by doing the exercises, or otherwise have any concerns, DO NOT DO THIS WORKOUT. Get help from a trainer if you’re not sure about something.