The big idea in part 1 of this series was that the smart approach to exercise is to establish good posture as your foundation. Now we’ll keep that focus and watch your game build.

With posture basics under your belt, your options widen and the next few stages of exercise can be a lot of fun.  As your confidence grows you can navigate the gym like a pro, get into group classes without feeling embarrassed, or go straight outdoors if it’s calling you.

No matter what you decide to do with your exercise foundation the next step is going to require a bigger buy in.  Testing your physical limits will bring unusual challenges that will test your commitment and discipline equally.  Here are some of the most common routes you can take with a mixed bag of pros and cons.

• Paying for a personal trainer has great benefits: they bring creativity so your workout routine isn’t too “routine” and accountability from money spent and drill sergeant mentality.  The problem is navigating around overzealous, often younger trainers who are out to make an impression.

• Group classes make coaching affordable and are often included with gym memberships, but the pressure to keep up with the crowd can overshadow good decision making.  I’ve heard of people doing headstands in a beginner yoga class.

• Cardio machines conveniently bring the roads, streams and mountains to your home or gym but don’t zone out just because you aren’t dodging traffic.  Stick with headphones for learning audios and set the machines presets and monitors to pace your workout ahead of your comfort zone.

You can turn posture can turn into sport quickly with yoga, or some prefer Pilates.  Connecting power poses with movement without losing your breath is deceptively difficult at first.  I’ve successfully used a set of 5 yoga callisthenic maneuvers (search The 5 Tibetans) as a primary training for aggressive skiing and the longest run of my life.  The key is to spread out breathing over equal stages of movement allowing your antagonist and agonist muscle pairs to stretch one another.

Cardio training for endurance, sustained elevation of heart rate for extended periods of time (45-60 min), is like kryptonite for metabolic diseases like type II diabetes.  When metabolism slows it’s like your body’s cells are lounging on a hammock, forgetting what they were meant to do.  Wake your cells up with cardio training and turn those hammocks into windmills, generating power for your brain and body.

As you step up your intensity, the nervous system has to figure out if you are thriving or barely surviving.  When you lose your breath the struggle begins and the brain goes to a more protective mode.  Maintaining “space” between your breaths sends the message that you are handling the stress and it’s ok to proceed.  This is the key to building endurance and managing stress effectively, not just for monster workouts but for whatever cards you are dealt in life.

Take an Epsom salt bath, pull out your foam roller, you’ll need to recover actively to get the most out of these workouts and be prepared for part 3!