The Importance of Maintaining an Active Lifestyle: Why Lifting Isn’t Enough

Lisa Colesky
Nov 19, 2024
3 min read

When it comes to fitness, hitting the gym often feels like the ultimate goal. Resistance training is excellent for building strength and sculpting your body, but it’s only part of the bigger picture. To truly optimise your progress, you need to balance gym sessions with daily movement—especially walking or increasing your steps. Combining resistance training with consistent activity throughout the day is the real magic formula for long-term fitness success.

In this blog, we’ll explore why maintaining an active lifestyle that goes beyond the gym is essential for achieving your health and fitness goals.

Lifting Is Great, But It’s Not Enough

Lifting weights offers countless benefits, from boosting muscle growth to increasing your metabolism. However, focusing solely on resistance training can leave gaps in your routine.

Limited Energy Burn: Even the hardest gym session burns fewer calories than the total energy you expend throughout the day. Activities like walking contribute significantly to overall calorie burn.
Inactivity Cancels Gains: Spending the rest of your day sitting, whether at a desk or on the sofa, can undo some of the benefits of your workout. Staying active outside the gym keeps your body moving and healthy.
Missing Out on Cardio: Resistance training strengthens muscles, but consistent low-intensity activity like walking supports cardiovascular health, which is just as important.

An active lifestyle bridges the gap between gym workouts and total-body wellness.

The Power of Daily Steps

Walking might seem too simple to make a difference, but don’t underestimate its impact. Incorporating more steps into your day comes with many benefits:

Burn More Calories: Walking increases your daily energy expenditure without overloading your body like high-intensity exercises can.
Supports Recovery: Gentle movement helps reduce soreness, boost circulation, and aid recovery from tough gym sessions.
Improves Longevity: Research shows that walking 8,000–10,000 steps per day is linked to better health outcomes and a lower risk of chronic illnesses.

Adding more steps to your daily routine is an easy and effective way to enhance your overall progress.

Why Balance Is Key

The magic lies in combining resistance training with daily movement. Together, they work in harmony to improve your fitness and overall well-being.

Build Muscle, Burn Fat: Lifting builds lean muscle, which boosts metabolism, while walking burns calories, helping you achieve fat loss.
Boost Functional Fitness: Staying active throughout the day keeps your joints, posture, and mobility in check, making everyday tasks easier.
Prevent Plateaus: Adding movement outside the gym keeps your body engaged, helping you avoid fitness plateaus.

Balancing the two ensures you’re addressing all aspects of fitness, from strength to endurance.

Easy Ways to Add More Activity

Not sure how to get started with adding more movement to your day? Try these simple strategies:

Set a Daily Step Goal: Aim for 8,000–10,000 steps a day. Break it into smaller walks to make it more achievable.
Incorporate Walking Breaks: Get up and walk every hour, especially if you work at a desk.
Make It a Habit: Walk to nearby errands, take the stairs, or park further from your destination.
Socialise While Moving: Go for a walk with a friend or family member instead of meeting for coffee.
Track Your Progress: Use a fitness tracker or app to monitor your steps and celebrate small wins.

Small, consistent changes add up to big results over time.

Conclusion

While lifting weights is a fantastic way to build strength and improve your fitness, it’s not the whole picture. Pairing resistance training with regular daily movement—like walking—is the secret to maximising your progress and overall health.

Fitness isn’t just about what you do in the gym; it’s about maintaining an active lifestyle throughout your day. By finding a balance between resistance training and steps, you’ll unlock the true potential of your fitness journey and feel stronger, healthier, and more energised.

So, don’t just lift—move, step, and thrive!