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Fit As a Fiddle: On the Importance of Exercise, Part II

In my last post, I discussed the importance of physical fitness and regular exercise, and how this benefits us not only as human beings, but as performers. I also said that in my next post, I'd provide some examples for performer-friendly exercises to start incorporating into your weekly routine. Whether you're already active and just looking for new ideas to vary your workouts, or you'd like to be more active but have no idea how/where to start, I hope that these suggestions are helpful to you in some way.

Before we continue, just a reminder about the two disclaimers from my last post:

Disclaimer #1: I'm not a fitness professional. I do love fitness and can speak quite a bit from my personal experience, but I am not a certified trainer. If you are looking for more in-depth knowledge about health and fitness, you should consult a professional.

Disclaimer #2: In order to reap the benefits of a good workout routine as a singer, you must be working out and practicing consistently. If you're not practicing, working out is not going to make you a better singer.

As you're developing a fitness routine, there are a few things you should do to help ensure your success:

1) You must carve out specific time in your schedule for the activity. If you make some kind of vague commitment like, "Oh, I'm just going to try to work out more, you know, like, when I can," it's going to be very hard to keep yourself accountable to a new fitness routine. In no time, you'll probably find yourself justifying and/or rationalizing your way out of a workout. However, if you make a specific resolution, like, "I'm going to spend 30 minutes working out every Wednesday," you'll likely be more successful. Specificity is key.

2) Start small. Set a manageable goal. If you bite off more than you can chew, you'll probably get overwhelmed and throw in the towel. Once you feel you can adhere to your small, manageable goal reliably, then incrementally increase the length or frequency of your workouts.

3) Determine your reason(s) for wanting to be more active. Do you want to feel more energized? Sleep better? Lose weight? Strengthen your breath control for singing? Whatever it is, having a reason can make it easier to persevere when the going gets tough.

4) Don't be too hard on yourself if you slip up and miss your goal once in a while. Just resolve to get back on track for the next time. (However, if you find yourself missing it again and again, you need to figure out why, and re-evaluate/alter your plan, if necessary.)

5) The workout must challenge your comfort zone. You can start small, but "small" doesn't mean "easy." If you don't challenge yourself, you will not see or feel a change.

6) You should enjoy your workouts. If you hate it, you won't stick to it. Sure, workouts can be tough, and sometimes we get tired and sore and wonder why in the world we've subjected ourselves to this nonsense, but your workout should, at the end of the day, be something that you look forward to doing again. It may take some trial and error to figure what this is for you, so be patient - just keep trying new things and see what sticks.

You should be as happy to exercise as this dog.

Does any of this advice sound familiar? it should. If you designed your practicing routine with these principles in mind, imagine the results!

As I discussed in my last post, physical activity requirements are slightly different for children and teens than for adults, but the overarching concepts are the same: every human body needs some balance of cardiovascular exercise and targeted strength training.

Cardiovascular activity is anything that gets your heart rate up. Running, power-walking, biking, kickboxing, dancing, and sports like soccer, basketball, etc. are good examples, but the options are virtually endless. Regular cardio workouts have numerous benefits (see my last post), and will do wonders for your breath management as a singer.

Strength training is any kind of exercise that targets a specific muscle or muscle group. You can't go wrong with classics like push-ups, tricep dips, sit-ups/crunches, squats, and planks. Adding weights (even light weights) to some of these exercises increases resistance and helps build even stronger muscles. Yoga, barre, and pilates all incorporate some strength training; if you're looking for something more intense, there's heavy weight-lifting and CrossFit. Benefits to singing? Obviously core exercises will help strengthen your breath support, but don't neglect the rest of your body - strong legs, back, and arms are critical to good body alignment.

If you are thinking of beginning (or increasing) your strength training, I'd encourage you to seek out instruction on how to train safely and effectively. Just as with singing, it can be easy to over-tax or injure a muscle without some kind of supervision. You can talk to your gym teacher or sports coach at school, or check out the local gym if that's in your budget.

Then there is yoga. Yoga is awesome for singers. There are so many different styles that there is literally something for everyone. Yoga is great for releasing tight muscles, as well as strengthening and toning. It also focuses a great deal on the breath, which can super helpful for singing. Lots of poses can be modified based on your level and fitness ability, so it's great place to start if you're a beginner who's intimidated by more intense workouts (trust me, I've been there!).

So how do you learn to do all this stuff? If you can't afford a gym membership or can't go enough to justify the cost, then YouTube is a great resource. There is a virtually endless supply of workout videos ranging in length from under ten minutes to an hour or longer. If you're an Amazon Prime customer, there are also tons of videos included with Prime that are great. Just search for a type of workout that interests you, and watch a couple minutes to see if it might be a good fit.

Here are some small steps you can take to increase your activity levels throughout the week:

1) Get a device that can monitor your steps. A fitness tracker like a FitBit, a simple pedometer, or even just an app on your iPhone can do this. Set a goal for a certain number of steps a day. If school or your job has you tied to a desk all day, make a point to get up and move around once every hour or so, if you can.

[Side note: FitBits are awesome. I got one for Christmas and I love it. Not only do they track your steps, but they can also track active minutes, calories burned, heart rate, sleep quantity/quality, and hold you accountable to a weekly exercise goal.]

2) Do some stretching when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night. When you wake up, your muscles are usually stiff, so stretching will enliven them and get some oxygen flowing through your body. Stretching before bedtime is a great way to relax mentally and physically, especially if you've had a strenuous day.

3) Go walking. Whether it's around the track at school or at the gym, around your neighborhood, or at the local mall, get those legs moving. I'm not talking about a leisurely stroll. I'm talking about power-walking, as fast as you can without running. (Of course, if you like to run, then go for it!)

4) Devise a short routine of exercises (20-30 minutes), both cardio and strength training, that you can do at home a couple times a week. You can include basics like jumping jacks, kickboxing moves (punches, kicks, etc.), crunches, push-ups, planks - whatever, as long as you find the routine challenging. Once you feel like you've plateaued with your routine, try mixing it up a little, or adding more reps, or creating a new workout altogether.

5) Get a friend on board. This is great for motivation and accountability, even if your workout together is just a brisk walk around the neighborhood once a week. Or, if you and your friends enjoy a certain sport, coordinate a game.

6) Check out the local gym, if you're old enough/have the budget. Aside from access to all the weights and machines, most gyms offer classes and personal training. Or maybe you're more of a boutique-fitness kind of person - there are tons of barre and yoga studio around, as well as places that offer spin and treadmill classes, and others that specialize in more intense activities like kickboxing, CrossFit, etc. Yes, it can be expensive to go this route, but I believe that the instruction you get and knowledge that you gain is well worth it. Not to mention the peace of mind from learning how to train safely.

Just remember: train for your goals. If you challenge yourself and persevere, you will succeed!

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