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General Fitness
If you want to improve your general fitness, here’s the truth: it doesn’t require suffering, and it doesn’t happen overnight.
We’re surrounded by the Hollywood narrative — a team of misfits pushed through brutal workouts, struggling at first, then suddenly transformed and defeating (or nearly defeating) the top-dogs. Real bodies don’t work like that. Push too hard, too fast, and most people end up injured or discouraged.
The good news is far better:
You don’t need intense or unpleasant exercise to get fit.
What you need is consistency and time.
At university I played rugby and ran ultra‑marathons, but like many people, work and life eventually took over. Twenty years ago, I was nowhere near as fit as I’d once been.
My return to fitness didn’t come from a grand plan. It came from small habits:
I started cycling to work.
Fifteen years ago my wife introduced me to the joy of long countryside walks which we do most Sundays.
Ten years ago a colleague encouraged me to try parkrun. I couldn’t finish my first attempt but I really, really wanted the T‑shirts, so I kept going. It hurt at first, but it doesn’t anymore.
Two years ago, I joined a gym and, after dismissing exercise bikes for years, discovered why they are ideal for weight-loss.
Today, my resting heart rate is similar to that of a young, highly trained athlete — despite the fact that I’m not, and never have been, one.
Why gentle consistency works
For most people aiming for general health, regular, moderate movement done for decades beats New Year’s Resolution exercise bursts every time.
Small, repeatable actions accumulate. Week after week, year after year, they quietly build cardiovascular fitness, resilience, and confidence. The magic isn’t in pushing harder — it’s in showing up.
There’s a cultural pressure to do more: more distance, more sessions, more structure. But more isn’t automatically better. Doing too much too soon can leave you drained, frustrated, or injured. Many people quit not because they’re “unmotivated”, but because they were pushed into a level of training that wasn’t sustainable.
A routine that fits real life
My own routine works because it fits my life. A weekly 5k run followed by a long walk gives me hours of gentle aerobic movement. It’s enough to support my health without overwhelming my schedule or my body.
Most people don’t need elaborate recovery protocols or periodised training plans to be healthy. For general fitness, what matters most is finding movement you enjoy and can repeat — not reshaping your entire life around exercise.
Fitness doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be extreme. It just has to be consistent and sustainable. Movement that supports your life, not movement you have to organise your life around.
Consistency matters more than intensity
Moderate, consistent exercise is recommended for most
NHS – Benefits of Exercise
Google Sites
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