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Author: Marguerite Keel, CPT, CNC, PBC | Located in Norfolk VA
 For nearly 20 years, I trained in traditional Japanese martial arts. For most of that time, though, I did very little actual physical conditioning outside of martial arts practice itself. The martial arts training was physically demanding. There were repetitive movements, falls, collisions with the floor, joint locks, standing barefoot on hard surfaces, and long periods of stress placed on the body. When I was younger, I could tolerate it fairly well. I recovered faster. Pain was temporary. My body adapted more easily. But as I got older, had children, and accumulated more wear and tear, things started changing. The repetitive stress on my joints became more noticeable. The break falls, standing on hard floors and mats without shoes, wrist locks, arm locks, and constant impact began creating discomfort that no longer disappeared as easily as it once had. At some point I realized something important: I was training for martial arts performance, but I was not training for wellness, longevity, recovery, or physical resilience. Those are not always the same thing. And I see this happen often with people involved in recreational sports, dance, martial arts, fitness classes, and other physically demanding activities. They are absolutely active, and in many ways they are training for the demands of their activity, but they are not necessarily conditioning the body in ways that support long-term joint health, muscular balance, posture, recovery, or overall wellness. Once I began focusing more intentionally on fitness conditioning itself—especially resistance training and structured physical preparation—I noticed major improvements in my overall wellness. Pain decreased. My strength endurance improved. Training sessions became easier to tolerate physically. Recovery improved. My body became more capable of handling the demands I was placing on it. This is one reason I strongly believe that conditioning becomes even more important as we mature, especially for women who often spend years prioritizing everyone else while neglecting their own physical conditioning. Because if we want to continue enjoying recreational activities, sports, martial arts, hiking, dance, fitness classes, or simply daily life with less pain and more capability, the body needs support beyond just participating in the activity itself. Exercise and Training Are Not the Same Thing Many people use the words exercise and training interchangeably. But they are actually very different approaches to fitness. Neither one is automatically better. The important thing is understanding which one you are doing, why you are doing it, and what type of outcome you should realistically expect from it. Because a lot of frustration in fitness comes from expecting the results of training while only participating in exercise. And there is nothing wrong with exercise. The problem usually comes from mismatched expectations. Exercise Supports General Health and Movement Exercise is movement without a highly specific physical outcome attached to it. Examples might include:
It can:
Especially during stressful periods, busy parenting years, demanding careers, or phases where wellness and stress reduction are the primary goal. Training Is More Intentional Training is structured around a specific adaptation or outcome. The purpose is not simply movement. The purpose is improvement in a measurable direction. That goal may involve:
That is what training is designed to accomplish. Why Proper Assessment Matters This is also why a proper fitness assessment matters before moving into more serious training. A quality personal trainer should first understand your current condition before designing a program. That assessment process may include evaluating:
It is understanding where the body currently is so a safe and effective path can be built toward where someone wants to go. Sometimes corrective work needs to happen first. Sometimes stability, mobility, posture, or muscular imbalance issues need to be addressed before more aggressive training is layered on top. Without that process, many people are simply exercising on top of dysfunction. And in some cases, that can increase discomfort, reinforce movement problems, or eventually contribute to injury. More commonly, people simply lose motivation because exercise continues to feel uncomfortable or frustrating. For example, someone may have an ankle weakness from an old sprain that was never fully rehabilitated. Physical therapy may have reduced the pain initially, but the long-term strength imbalance remained. Now they are trying to participate in recreational activities, hiking, dance classes, or line dancing and wondering why movement still feels unstable or uncomfortable. This is where training and exercise begin separating. Not All Personal Training Is Actually Training Many people hire a personal trainer simply because they want help exercising consistently. And that is completely fine. Some people benefit tremendously from:
True training involves intentionally developing the body toward a specific outcome. That process is significantly more valuable because it is individualized. Technology Can Help — But It Does Not Replace Assessment Many people today are becoming more involved in fitness through apps, smart watches, biometric feedback, online workouts, and AI-generated fitness programming. And honestly, this is not a bad thing. Something is almost always better than nothing. Many people absolutely improve their health through these tools, especially if they become more active, improve nutrition, and become more consistent overall. But expectations still matter. Technology can help guide exercise. It cannot fully replace individualized assessment and professional evaluation. Without understanding a person’s medical background, movement limitations, recovery status, posture, imbalances, conditioning level, and goals, true individualized training has not fully occurred. That does not mean the activity lacks value. It simply means there is a difference between generalized exercise and individualized physical training. Medical Conditions Matter Too This is another reason individualized guidance can be important. People with conditions such as:
And not every exercise program should be approached identically. A qualified trainer understands how to adapt movement, intensity, recovery, and progression to the individual. Exercise and Training Both Have Value People who are training still benefit from exercise. Daily walks still matter. Recreational movement still matters. Social fitness activities still matter. Mental health benefits still matter. Likewise, people who primarily exercise for wellness can absolutely decide later to move into more structured training phases if they want more significant body recomposition or performance goals. These approaches are not enemies. They support each other. Exercise supports wellness and lifestyle. Training drives specific adaptation and measurable change. Both belong in a healthy long-term fitness approach. Final Thought The difference between exercise and training is not about judgment. It is about intention and expectation. Exercise supports movement, wellness, stress reduction, and general health. Training is designed to create specific adaptation and measurable physical change through assessment, structure, and progression. Both are valuable. The important thing is understanding what approach you are currently using, what outcome you are realistically pursuing, and whether your current system actually supports those goals. Because once expectations become realistic, fitness becomes far less frustrating—and much easier to sustain for life. If you are struggling with how to make your body stronger and healthier after the age of 35, here are the three things you need to know, plain and simple.  If you’d like help applying this approach to your own training, I’d be glad to help.
On-site programs include Gym Training, Personal Training, and coaching for non-competitive and competitive physique athletes. Contact us at [email protected]
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