The Power of Walking w/ Trainer Alyssa Mattson
Le Health Club member, Alyssa, is a personal trainer that ah.mi’s founder has been working with for almost a year! After several weeks of experimenting with increasing her daily step-count, Alyssa has grown to believe that walking has been the biggest game changer in her fitness journey.
She credits the major differences she felt and saw in her body after only one month to the increase in consistent daily walks. Rachel went live with Alyssa on the ah.mi Instagram account to chat all about it! Read the recap below.
P.S. ah.mi hosts regular group challenges for Le Health Club members throughout the year and in the spirit of walking, our next SPRING STEPS challenge begins on March 1. If you’re ready to look and feel your best and have a whole team of motivated women supporting you and holding you accountable, consider joining us as a Le Health Club member ASAP!
The Beginning:
As a trainer, movement is a big part of Alyssa’s regular life. She typically exercises five days a week for around 45 minutes. When the holidays hit, she realized that she was getting her daily “workout” in, but not much other movement throughout the day. It is very common for individuals to get their primary workout in for the day, but then remain sedentary or mostly inactive for the rest of the day. This is when the “afternoon sleepies” hit, productivity levels slip, sleep quality can suffer, and so much more. Alyssa recognized that she was doing this and therefore, decided that she wanted to try to increase her daily steps.
Adding Movement:
Alyssa aims for 8k-10k steps per day. Sometimes she hits it, other days she doesn’t, and certain days, she goes over. She explains that this is all okay and that it is important to not beat yourself up if you don’t meet your daily step count each day because every day is different!
Depending on her schedule, she tries to break up her movement throughout the day. She often takes numerous, small walks at work to answer calls if she has a jam-packed day. Other times, she may start her day off strong with a 2-3 mile walk and achieve her daily step count early on. As Alyssa explained, “There is always a way to squeeze in a little more movement each day!”
The Results:
“It’s a mental and physical thing,” Alyssa told us when describing how walking more has made her feel. When she first started taking more steps, she noticed herself feeling energized due to the extra daily movement. She also started feeling better mentally and enjoying the outdoors more. She has lost 7 lbs in the past month and noticed her clothes fitting better, simply from adding in extra walks throughout the day and reducing her alcohol intake. Alyssa still does strength-training multiple times a week and has found that she enjoys the combination of strength-training and walking.
To put things into perspective… the average American takes 4,000 steps a day and in the healthiest countries, the average citizen takes around 11,000 steps!
If you’re ready to make a change, feel more energized, and do something that will benefit your health for the long run… join us inside Le Health Club for our next group challenge! LHC was created to hold you accountable and give you the tools and resources you need to stay consistent.
And if you’re in the Boca Raton, Florida area and looking for a personal trainer… reach out to Alyssa on Instagram @alyssa_mattson!