Is there a difference?

Exercise and training are structured workouts and you will defiantly feel great from both. You are moving, being active and burning calories while spending a dedicated amount of time looking after your mind and body.

Exercise

Exercise recommend by the NHS is to take part in a minimum of 150 minutes a week, of which 5 x 30 minutes at a moderate intensity, if you wanted to break it up. This is to keep us moving from a cardio-vascular point of view as well as mentally healthy, but generally to prevent us from obesity related diseases. Exercise could be perceived as a maintenance activity, but it’s also a state of mind, if you have an intention and a purpose, then it can change basic exercise into a meaningful training session. There have been some dramatic changes to the guidelines for exercise set by the government which gives everyone a clear message of what you should be doing to see clear health benefits from staying active.

Training

Runners, footballers and Olympians train specifically for their sport. Runners don’t just get better at running by running they have a full training programme to follow off the track so they are better when they get back on it! There is a clear set goal in mind, and that’s to be the best they can be. Runners would need to consider more than just running to improve, they need to train. This may include mobility, flexibility, balance, power, foot placement, nutrition, hydration, timed events, physiotherapy even clothing and footwear is considered, it’s so much more than just running!

Training is about being specific, looking at what do you want to achieve and then forming a plan. This is where you would look at a SMART goal.

Set your own goal and change your exercise into a training routine by being more specific. This can be applied to anything, weight loss, muscle gain, or even deadlifting 100kg!

SMART Goals

S – Specific (what do you want to achieve?)

I want to run 5k outdoors in 25 minutes to raise money for charity.

M – Measurable (how will you monitor this? How often? What will you do to make sure you’re on track and seeing results?)

I will do 1 timed run a week, to see improvement, by using my smart watch to detail my route, heart rate and speed. I will keep my timed route each week the same to keep my results accurate. I’m going to monitor my training in a diary and programme my gym sessions. I’m going to work with a trainer in the gym, so I can improve on other areas of my fitness such as flexibility, endurance and glute strength.

A – Achievable (is your goal achievable? Are you mentally in the right place to achieve your goal? Are you too busy? Have you set the bar too high?)

Yes I can do this, I have no injuries, and have set aside the time to do so. I want to hit my target of 5k in 25 minutes or less.

R – Realistic (are you being realistic? Looking at your daily routine can you realistically achieve your goal?)

Yes, I can already run 5k and my last recorded time was 28 minutes 14 seconds. I have time to train in the mornings 3-4 days a week and 1 afternoon on the weekend.

T – Time ( how long are you giving yourself to hit this specific goal?)

6 Weeks

Now you have your SMART goal how will you do it? Put your TRAINING plan in place. Remember you need to start pushing your boundaries and comfort zones. You need to specifically tune into your goal and look at everything that will help you achieve it. You need to go beyond exercise, you need a specific PLAN to meet your specific goal!

What if it’s not going to plan?

If you’re not seeing results maybe you need help from us to be accountable, maybe you need to look over your smart objective and see was it achievable ? What would be achievable? You don’t want it to be a never ending cycle of attempt and fail! You will need to revisit your SMART goal and see was it realistic at the current time? Don’t be hard on yourself, there is this little thing called life that gets in the way, and although focus and achievement is incredible, you will also have a lot of other things pulling you in different directions. Sometimes going back to good old exercise for the mind and body is where you need to be.

So whether you are exercising or training, enjoy the process, movement is a magical thing!

Sam x