If you want to make hearth and home work, then being in shape helps a lot. Let’s face it, Cinderella was almost certainly a strong and sturdy person, or she’d have perished long before that fateful ball.
I’m a born slug. I admire physical bustlers who keep busy doing little physical tasks all day long and who voluntarily exercise. But I don’t want to be one of those people. I want to sit and read and watch movies or TV or write something or meditate. That’s just who I am.
But my sluggishness has been hard on me. It’s true that a lot of my chronic health problems aren't behavior based, but my physical laziness is not helping. So I’ve tried a variety of exercise methods: Walking, yoga, standard cardio, etc. I just couldn’t stick with any of them.
Enter the fantastically named Justin Agustin, specialist in exercise therapy.
How did I find him? I kept seeing these little clips on Pinterest showing exercises that seemed geared toward the out of shape and awkward. The smiling, friendly-looking buff fella who was doing them seemed genuine. I thought, why not check him out?
Reader, I am hooked. With Justin, you can work on mobility, strength, flexibility, cardio, and all the things. And you can do a lot of it in a chair or on a bed, in addition to traditional standing. Most importantly, you’ll never feel judged. Justin radiates empathy and understanding for his viewers.
Those of you who are super fit and coordinated may not understand that many “beginner” exercise coaches say they don’t want you to push too hard, but their bouncy patter and unnecessarily fast movements suggest otherwise. Some of us need to start “before” brisk beginners level. And that ultra-cheery “push, push, push” vibe will not work with us, even at the basic level. It just makes us feel like we’ve failed at the starting gate. (I’m using the royal “we” because I know I’m not alone.)
I didn’t feel overmatched or condescended to when I started with Justin’s easiest moves. Through his videos, I worked on ankle and feet strengthening, increasing blood flow, loosening joints and muscle, basicallyreally easy stuff. I’d never started that basic. I’d always jumped right into cardio and full-on strength training, instead of starting with the gentlest movements. And I’ve always quit.
It turns out that starting with basics like gentle stretching, and stability, and not pushing too hard, is the answer for out-of-shape types like me. I’ve now moved on to cardio and light strength training because I got more stable and looser first. I’ve never followed an exercise trainer who breaks it down like Justin Agustin, so I’m able to progress.
It’s true that you can get tougher workouts if you join his program, but if you need absolute beginner training first, Justin Agustin is the guy for you. You can try his first month free, and there are a variety of subscription tiers. I’m on six months for $60 and I’m really enjoying it! He also has an excellent app, which is what I use.
So, fellow slugs who want to get in shape, give Justin Agustin a try.
Screenshot from JustinAgustin.com.
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