Depending who you talk to, the best exercise option is one of the following[1]:

Aquatic exercises
Climbing
Cross-country skiing
Crossfit
Cycling
Elliptical
Equestrian
Free weights
Functional training
Intervals
Kettlebells
Olympic lifting
Pilates
Playing my favourite sport
Plyometrics
Power lifting
Running
Skating
Strength training
Stretching
Swimming
Tabatas
TRX
Walking
Yoga

Did I miss any? I was about to add aerobics, but I’m pretty sure that’s one 1980s fad that hasn’t come back. Or has it?

The point being – it’s a pretty long list. And each one has staunch supporters who are eager to tell you that their favourite is the best option. Who is right? Are you doing the right or workout? How can you tell?

In truth – it’s really quite simple. Answer the following 3 questions to find out if you’re doing the right workout for you:

1. Do you do it?
2. Are you staying healthy (or not losing health)?
3. Are you reaching your goals, or on track to do so?

If you answered yes to all three questions, then you’re doing it right. Period.

What about those of you who can’t answer yes to one or more of those three important questions? There’s probably something missing. “I do it“, “it isn’t hurting me“, and “it’s helping me reach my goals” shouldn’t be too much to ask of your exercise regime.

This leads to the question: if you answer no to at least one of those questions, what should you change?

1. Do you do it?

If you’re not doing it, why not? Is it that you don’t enjoy it enough? Try something else until you find something you enjoy. This is the single most important determinant in what you should do, because if you’re not doing it, the details of what you’re not doing are irrelevant. Not sure how to find out? Try stuff. Find a friend or family member who’s willing to try with you. Did you know that some people actually enjoy lifting weights? Seriously! Allegedly some of my clients actually look forward to their workouts.

I’ve also heard of peole who look forward to their yoga classes, or their running group. Personally, I feel this way about skiing and tennis.

Try to find that thing that you will look forward to, and do that. It may be about the activity, or it may be about the people involved. Whatever it takes to get you to enjoy moving!

2. Are you staying healthy (or not losing health)?

If you love what you’re doing but your body doesn’t, that’s a problem. Sorry for bursting your bubble, but exercise should enhance your life, not reduce it.

I believe there is one exception to the rule that your exercise choice should make your body feel good: if you are someone with a chronic, degenerative joint problem who has pain 24/7; it’s highly unlikely that your joints will magically stop hurting during exercise. But the initial question still holds true for you: “Are you staying healthy (or not losing health)?” Consider whether the exercise you do is making anything worse. If it is, it’s probably time to revisit whether it’s right.

If this sounds like you, consider trying something different. I don’t necessarily mean you should completely stop doing your thing; but it may be time to cut back and add in something that complements it. For most people who only do one type of exercise, this typically means adding in something else that works your body differently.

For instance, I believe most people do either too much or too little yoga. I think those who do yoga as their sole source of exercise would benefit from adding strength training; and conversely, those who do strength training as their sole source of exercise would beneift from adding yoga. Most runners will also benefit from strength training and/or yoga, and/or swimming.

3. Are you reaching your goals, or on track to do so?

Do you have fitness or performance goals? If you do and you aren’t meeting them with your current exercise approach, then is your current approach really working for you? I’m going to suggest it’s not. You can really fix this in one of two ways: change what you’re doing, or change your goals. That latter part was not meant to be cheeky, but rather is a reality for many of us.

Sometimes our goals don’t fit any more. It may be a factor of the time we have available to commit to exercise, or it may be that our goals are more appropriate for a younger version of ourselves. That’s not meant to be defeatist! Appropriate training can work wonders to prepare the body to take on great feats, regardless of age. Just ask these 80, 90 and 100 year olds. But there are two realities to consider in regards to how our bodies perform at 50 versus at 25:

1. A 50 year old body has 25 more years of wear and tear on it than a 25 year old body. If you’ve spent those 25 years playing a sport at a high level, odds are you have a joint or two that has suffered as a result.
2. While a 50 year old body has the physical potential to accomplish a lot, it has some physiological limitations like stiffer connective tissue, and slower recovery.

If the reason your exercise approach isn’t helping you meet your goals is that your goals don’t match you or your life, then work out some new goals, and start working toward them.

If your goals are appropriate, but you’re not reaching them, then you’re due for a detailed review. If your goals are weight loss related and you’re not meeting them, it’s probably more about what you’re eating than the exercise you’re doing. If you’re not sure how to address that, consider getting help from a nutritionist. You may also find my Get Lean program will be a good start to helping you address some habits that are slowing your progress.

If your goals are performance related, then what is the deficit? Most athletes know their shortcomings if they really reflect: is it speed? Endurance? Strength? Flexibility? Power? Are your opponents getting away from you on the ice because they sneak around you, because their first step is better, or they eventually overtake you? Or is the limitation related to question 2 – is there an injury problem limiting you? Often some self-evaluation can help you to recognize what you need.

Maybe your goals are about life-performance? Want to be able to play with your grandkids in the park? Or be the coach of your kid’s soccer team? But maybe you’re worried you’ll be huffing and puffing after demonstrating one drill? Or that you’ll throw your back out with one kick? For most people, reaching these goals will be best achieved with some combination of strength, flexibility, and endurance training. Unfortunately there isn’t a book or website I can point you to that will find the answer for you. What I can suggest is that you find a health care professional that you trust and ask them for guidance. Odds are they know who the good fitness professionals are who can help you figure this out. And of course if you’re in the Ottawa area and you think this all makes soooo much sense, then you may be interested in getting some help from me or one of the personal trainers who works with me at Custom Strength. We’re all about helping people find the right exercise for them.

How do you fare against the three questions? Are you doing it right? If so, what are you doing? And well done! If you answered no to one or more questions, has this been helpful to steer you to a better path?

Elsbeth Vaino is a personal trainer in Ottawa Canada who loves that she gets paid to help people reach their goals.

[1] I recognize some of the “exercise types I listed are really tools (TRX, kettlebell) or protocols (Tabata), but I often hear people speak about them as though they were types, and following the perception is reality philosophy, it made sense to me to include them. In a similar vein, some are overlapping or flat out redundant, for the same reason as above.