Benefits of Longer Workouts + Getting Sweaty
Most fitness professionals focus on just one dimension of training. The physical. Many don’t understand the mind-body connection that comes with slow, intentional movement.
You may have heard the advice: “You don’t need to sweat for it to be effective.” While physiologically that may be true — exercise is about more than just the physical body.
Since exercise is also about moving energy and supporting detoxification, sweating plays an essential role in flushing toxins as well as releasing emotions.
Exercise doesn’t just strengthen muscles—it moves energy through the body. Physical movement helps release emotions that can get ‘stuck’ in our tissues, whether it’s from stress, frustration, sadness, or trauma. Sweating, stretching, and intentional motion provide a way for these emotions to flow out.
Most of us have a lifetime of past suppressed emotions as well as physical and mental stress of our current daily lives. A 20-minute sweat-less gym session isn’t enough time to process and move that energy.
Plus, a 20- minute gym session can’t physiologically counteract all the hours spent sitting each day—so yes, longer sessions are sometimes necessary, physically and energetically.
Don’t get me wrong, not every workout needs to be a 3-hour marathon session - but do throw in those longer workouts a few times a week for increased benefits of physical endurance (muscular and cardiovascular) as well as energetic detoxing. And make sure you work hard enough to get sweaty!
If you’re focusing only on strength or hypertrophy, 20-30 minutes can be sufficient for that specific purpose.
But a truly healthy, high-performing body requires attention to multiple components—mobility, stability, core strength, muscular endurance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. You can’t effectively train all of these areas if you rush through each step, spending just a few minutes per area to fit everything into a short workout.
You need variation: long workouts, short workouts, HIIT training, strength training, core & stability training, and cardio training. My programs will be sure you hit all these areas to get a well-rounded fitness experience.
I do get it, on those days where you may literally only have 30 minutes to squeeze something in, definitely do only 30 minutes. SOME time is better than NO time.
Consider this – you could always break it up. Maybe a morning routine of mobility, stability, and core. And an evening routine of strength and cardio.
But to just say longer workouts “aren’t necessary” or that “sweating isn’t necessary” is myopic and doesn’t factor in the multitude of reasons why we need to exercise daily.
The key to all of this is finding what modality of exercise you love to do and do it. That way it’s not mentally hard to spend a little extra time challenging yourself. If you hate running, don’t run. If you love to dance, dance instead. Or engage in a sport you love. Maybe its hiking or biking or swimming. Find your joy. There are so many ways to get fit, and every fitness professional will tell you that their way is the “right” way. However, there are a million “right ways” to workout. I’ll provide you broad options and make sure you have a body strong enough to engage in your favorite activity.
Let’s get - and stay - fit!