If you’ve never worked out before, chances are you’ve tried to make it a habit at some point. Maybe you started too fast, got injured, or felt discouraged by not seeing immediate results. Perhaps you were frustrated by being out of breath or too sore the next day, leading you to think it wasn’t worth it.

Or maybe you’ve always been fit, but illness or age has made your workouts feel harder than they used to. You might be frustrated by your body not performing as it once did.

As a fitness professional with over 30 years of experience and an athlete for 37 years, my best advice is to give yourself grace. As you age, it’s important to listen to your body and adjust your approach while staying consistent. For me, working out is second nature—I take one day off per week, no exceptions, and I stretch daily, both before bed and throughout the day.

Some days, you may not feel like working out, but those often turn into great sessions. Other days, everything feels harder, and that’s okay. On those days, it’s important to scale back—use lighter weights, take more breaks, or opt for easier exercises.

Remember, long bouts of cardio can be harder on your body than short, high-intensity intervals. Research has shown that long-duration, high-intensity endurance workouts can temporarily weaken the immune system and decrease white blood cell count. This phenomenon, often referred to as the “open window” theory, suggests that after prolonged intense exercise (like long-distance running), there is a period where the immune system is suppressed, increasing the risk of infection. For example, if I’ve planned a 4-mile run, I sometimes switch to shorter, more intense track work instead, totaling just 2-3 miles. Pushing yourself in bursts, followed by rest, can be just as effective.

Here’s why this happens:

1. Stress Hormones: Intense, prolonged exercise causes the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can suppress immune function.
2. Inflammatory Response: Long bouts of endurance exercise cause inflammation in the body, triggering an immune response. While this is necessary for recovery, it can also temporarily lower white blood cell activity, reducing the body’s ability to fight off infections.
3. Decreased White Blood Cells: Studies show that during long endurance exercise, the number and effectiveness of certain white blood cells (particularly lymphocytes, which help fight infections) decrease, creating a temporary dip in immunity.

However, shorter, more moderate exercise or interval training, like High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), has been shown to have the opposite effect—boosting immune function and reducing inflammation.

This information supports the idea of varying workout intensities and listening to your body, as you suggested in your message.

The key is consistency. Doing something, no matter how small, is almost always better than doing nothing.