Merry Christmas Stew!

Fitness includes several components such as cardiovascular endurance, strength training, and mobility/flexibility. These are non-negotiables for continuing to live throughout your later years with your independence and ability to move and socialize still operating normally. Instead of just thinking about living longer, let’s use the start of a new year to focus on getting healthier, so we live better. More than any other time each year, the New Year is a popular time to focus on a “start fresh.” Temporal landmarks like New Year's Day, Mondays, birthdays, or the change of seasons are standard starting lines for many of us when we have a goal to work towards and bad habits to break. A New Focus on Fitness – Science Says Fitness Matters (Even More than Weight) A recent study published in the British Journal of Medicine, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, BMI, and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, shows that, regardless of body weight (obese, overweight, or normal), fitness matters more for all-cause mortality. They measured weight, BMI, and fitness of six groups: normal weight – fit, normal weight – unfit, overweight-fit and overweight-unfit, and obese-fit and obese-unfit. Their findings: The analyses revealed that individuals classified as fit, regardless of their BMI, did not have a statistically significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease or all-cause mortality compared to normal weight-fit people. At the same time, all unfit groups across different BMI categories exhibited a two- to threefold higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality compared to their regular weight-fit counterparts. About Body Mass Index (BMI) – Now, you may be saying, but BMI is flawed! Sure. BMI is not the best indicator for distinguishing normal weight, overweight, and obesity because it is simply a height-to-weight ratio that does not account for differences in body fat/muscle composition, age, sex, or other factors. Before you discredit this entire study because of the BMI issue, remember that it measured fitness levels among people of different sizes. Some had more muscle and were considered fit in the overweight/obese group, while others were deemed unfit in the normal weight group. Still, BMI helps place people of differing sizes (height and weight groups) and focuses on measuring each group's fitness. In the end, fitness matters more than BMI, so the goal is to exercise, get in shape, build muscle, and lose fat.

With all the work stuff I got going on right now, it's really hard for me to even do the complete workout that I set for myself each day. However, I have found that if I just do something, even if it's a half a pyramid and a quick run or bike, I still feel really good and I don't feel like I've wasted a day. So if you can't do it all, at least do something.

In the world of fitness, trends come and go from countless fitness gadgets to Tae Bo, the industry continues to evolve, some good and not so good. Yet, among these shifting tides, few programs have demonstrated lasting (25+ yrs), quietly transformative power quite like my Seasonal Tactical Fitness Periodization (STFP) with a Mobility Day (10+ years) programmed into it. It has been life-changing for young and old alike. Young people need better hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder mobility for improved swimming, treading, and running performance. For the older generation, continuing to get after it with less or even no pain is also beneficial. Over ten years ago, this innovative routine began its journey—one rooted in necessity, curiosity, and the simple desire to move through life with less pain. Today, Mobility Day stands as a testament to the enduring importance of recovery, flexibility, and proactive self-care. See full article: https://www.stewsmithfitness.com/blogs/news/the-origin-story-of-mobility-day

Hey Stew - love the new Skool group... can't wait to learn more