Evan Howard
Co-Founder, Forward Thinking Fitness, trainftf.com
While endless harebrained treatments and biohacking strategies trend in pop culture, a free, accessible and proven activity has always been at our fingertips. “Exercise is the best and most underutilized longevity drug on the planet,” says Evan Howard, co-founder of Forward Thinking Fitness. Here's his best advice on how to jumpstart your fitness for a longer, happier life.
Adjust Expectations
The biggest obstacle to sustained success is in our mentality. We tend to overthink decisions, partly because there are so many options. All you need to get started are some flexible clothes to move in, and Howard recommends barefoot shoes, which allow the foot's musculature and proprioception to operate unhindered.
Slow down and trust the process. Give yourself a consistent month to notice mental improvements, and two for physical changes. “The fitness journey isn't linear,” Howard says. “Instead of being frustrated with plateaus, use them as motivation to push through to the other side. Too many people are impatient with their progress and think they should see end results in a matter of days, despite it taking years to slip to the unhappy place they're currently in.”
Goal Right
That said, there are ways to exercise that are going to leave you feeling like a hamster struggling at the wheel. At Forward Thinking Fitness they streamline and personalize workouts to be as efficient as possible, utilizing strength and functional training based on the latest research to optimize their clients' time.
Instead of making aspirational goals to lose a set amount of weight, it's more effective to make tangible goals of the activities that yield body composition changes. For example, set a goal to work out four days per week, practice yoga twice per week and get eight hours of sleep every night for the next eight weeks.
Put that time in and you'll move better, feel better and live longer, at a weight that reflects your body's needs.
Time, Though
Howard would ask anyone concerned that they can't make the time for exercise to consider that the average American spends almost three hours a day on social media. It's our right to do so, but is it improving quality of life, or, notoriously, not? “We've got time for that but we don't have time to invest in the only body we're ever going to have?” he asks. “Nonsense.”
Think of time scarcity as a matter of priorities. If you tend to put in extra hours at work, consider moving that down the priority list. “You will be replaced tomorrow morning if you dropped dead tonight,” Howard promises. “The work-first culture in our country needs to end. Take care of yourself before you take care of everything and everyone else.”
Whole Health
Howard's clients devote two percent of their total week to coming in for workouts, but in order to see great progress, they have homework. Getting eight hours of sleep every night is essential. “Without that minimum,” he says, “you are impaired cognitively and physically whether you realize it or not.”
As far as dietary advice, most people Howard sees are eating too many carbs and not enough protein. “Protein has an increased thermogenic effect, which means your body burns about 20–30 percent more calories through the digestion process,” he says. Cold water boosts thermogenesis, too, for a more active metabolism. With increased intake of protein and water, you're looking at higher performance during and better recovery after workouts as well as a host of health benefits, including stress and blood pressure reduction.
On that note, Howard is a proponent of intentionally practicing gratitude on a daily basis to keep symptoms of anxiety and depression at bay while amplifying satisfaction in life.
The choice is yours to make time for your health now…
Start with Support
To get moving without worries about injury, inefficiency or what modifications might be right for you, input from coaches like those at Forward Thinking Fitness will set you up for success. Their intake process examines health history, lifestyle habits, schedule and goals, tailoring their services to meet clients where they are.
Motivation is a fleeting means to make the changes we want. “Given that it will come and go, it needs to be replaced with one of two things,” Howard says. “Discipline or accountability.” Discipline, or doing the necessary things we don't feel like doing, is hard, especially when modern technology actively trains us to expect instant gratification.
The most effective form of accountability is an expert who can assure you that you're doing the right things the right way, but even a workout buddy helps your chances.
“Living healthy is hard in the present, but living unhealthy now is going to be way harder for you in future,” Howard warns. “The choice is yours to make time for your health now or be forced to make time for illness later.”
Published as “Ask the Expert” in the February 2024 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
