Many people enjoy variety in their weekly exercise routine.
They may like the idea of doing yoga on Monday, Tai Chi on Tuesday, swimming on Wednesday, padel on Thursday, horse riding on Friday, and maybe a walk or another activity at the weekend.
At first glance, this sounds like a wonderful plan.
And in many cases, it can be.
Variety can bring enjoyment, motivation, social connection, different physical benefits, and a richer relationship with movement.
But variety is not always the best strategy.
Sometimes it helps.
Sometimes it creates confusion.
Sometimes it supports progress.
Sometimes it blocks progress.
The important question is not simply:
"Is variety good?"
The better question is:
"Do I already have the foundations to benefit from this variety?"
My Personal Example (Arlindo Martins)
I can do Animal Flow on Monday, yoga on Tuesday, tennis on Wednesday, swimming on Thursday, martial arts on Friday, and basketball on Saturday.
I can even do two different activities on the same day without much difficulty.
Why?
Because I have spent many years practising many different sports and movement systems.
In my teenage years, for example, I often practised between two and five hours per day, doing different physical activities.
I have a strong background in gymnastics, martial arts, swimming, ball sports, Animal Flow, yoga, canoeing, mobility training, strength training and many other forms of movement.
The foundations are already there.
My body understands many different movement languages.
My nervous system already recognises many movement patterns.
My joints, muscles, coordination, balance and timing have been trained for decades.
So, for me, a varied weekly programme can work very well.
But not everyone is in the same situation.
And this is especially important for many mature adults who come to Empowered Ageing.
Some people have never done much sport.
Some have been sedentary for many years.
Some have lost strength, mobility, balance and coordination.
Some do not yet have the physical foundations required to safely and confidently learn more complex activities.
For these people, too much variety too early can become a real problem.
First, We Need the Foundations of Movement
Before learning many different activities, we need the foundations of movement.
This is exactly what happens in the first year of a baby’s life.
A baby does not start by walking.
First, the baby explores movement on the floor.
The baby learns to roll.
Then to sit.
Then to crawl.
Then to push.
Then to pull.
Then to stand.
Then to balance.
Only after building these foundations does the baby begin to walk.
Movement development follows a natural process.
There is a sequence.
There is repetition.
There is exploration.
There is trial and error.
There is time.
As we age, many people lose part of these foundations because of sedentary lifestyles, too much sitting, fear of falling, pain, injuries, lack of movement variety, or years without physical challenge.
That is why some people should not begin with a complex group class or a sport.
They may first need personalised movement coaching.
At Empowered Ageing, this is one of the reasons we offer private training with Arlindo Martins.
The goal is not just to exercise.
The goal is to rebuild the foundations of movement.
These foundations include:
- Getting up and down from the floor
- Basic strength
- Mobility
- Balance
- Coordination
- Body awareness
- Breathing
- Stability
- Confidence
- Safe transitions
- The ability to learn movement
Without these foundations, many activities become unnecessarily difficult.
And very often, they may also become unsafe, increasing the risk of injury.
When the Body Is Ready to Learn a New Activity
Once the basic foundations are in place, the next step may be learning a specific activity.
At Empowered Ageing, this may include:
- Animal Flow, created by Mike Fitch in the United States and adapted by Arlindo Martins for mature adults
- Fall Prevention and Safe Landing training
- Martial Arts for mature adults
- Body Expression
- Movement games
- Coordination and reaction training
- Other movement-based programmes
But even when the body is ready, learning a new activity still requires consistency.
Let us take the Animal Flow training system as an example.
Animal Flow involves strength, mobility, coordination, transitions, rhythm, memory, timing and body control.
It is not something most people can learn properly by doing 15 or 20 minutes once per week.
Especially after the age of 60 or 65, the nervous system usually needs more repetition to learn and memorise new movement patterns.
This does not mean mature adults cannot learn.
They absolutely can.
But they need to respect the learning process.
Ageing Changes the Speed of Learning
As we age, the brain and body remain adaptable.
We can still learn new skills.
We can still improve coordination.
We can still become stronger.
We can still develop mobility, balance and confidence.
But for many people, learning takes more time.
The nervous system often needs:
- More repetition
- More consistency
- More patience
- More exposure
- More practice between sessions
This is not a failure.
It is biology.
It is how the body learns.
It is how the nervous system creates, strengthens and remembers new patterns.
That is why, when learning something new after 60 or 65, one session per week is not enough.
It is similar to learning a new language for only one hour per week.
You may learn a few words.
You may enjoy the experience.
You may receive some benefits.
But it will be impossible to become fluent.
Movement works in a similar way.
For a new activity such as Animal Flow, tennis, martial arts, yoga, swimming technique or dance, many people need to practise at least three or four times per week during the learning phase.
Of course, every person is different.
But in my experience, it often takes at least six to twelve months, and sometimes much longer, to build solid foundations in a new movement discipline.
Not necessarily forever.
But long enough for the body and nervous system to understand, repeat and trust the movement.
Why Once Per Week Is Not Enough for Learning
Once per week may be enough to maintain something you already know.
But it is usually not enough to learn something complex from the beginning.
Imagine someone starts Animal Flow and only practises once per week.
Between sessions, they forget the details.
The body loses the feeling of the movement.
The nervous system does not receive enough repetition.
The movements feel unfamiliar again the following week.
Progress becomes slow and, for most people, may not happen at all.
Confidence becomes fragile.
Frustration appears.
The person may start thinking:
"I am not good at this."
"I am too old."
"I cannot learn."
"Other people are better than me."
But often, the problem is not age.
The problem is not lack of ability.
The problem is the method and a lack of accurate knowledge about how the body works.
The person is trying to learn a complex skill without enough repetition.
The Vital Flow Group Class at Empowered Ageing
In our Vital Flow group classes, one of our innovative training systems created by Arlindo Martins, we combine different movement approaches.
Vital Flow may include elements of Body Expression, Animal Flow, Fall Prevention and Safe Landing skills, mobility, coordination, games, balance and other movement practices.
In these classes, we often include around 15 to 20 minutes of Animal Flow practice.
Some clients attend only once per week.
For some people, this is perfectly acceptable.
But only if they are also active on other days of the week.
For example, they may also do yoga, Pilates, swimming, walking, padel, gym training or other regular physical activities at least two or three more days per week, apart from the Vital Flow group class.
In this case, Vital Flow once per week can be part of a broader weekly movement lifestyle.
But if someone is sedentary, unfit, and does no other regular physical activity, attending Vital Flow only once per week is not enough.
It is not enough for general health.
It is not enough for learning.
It is not enough for strength.
It is not enough for balance.
It is not enough for confidence.
It is not enough for motivation.
And it may even increase the risk of injury because the body is not receiving enough regular stimulation to adapt.
This is why, at Empowered Ageing, we do not encourage sedentary people to join a group class once per week and believe that this is a complete exercise programme.
It is not.
For someone who is unfit or unskilled, private coaching may be the safer and more intelligent starting point.
A better strategy may be to start with two sessions per week, then gradually increase towards four or five days of movement per week, including shorter home-practice sessions of around 30 minutes when appropriate.
The goal is not to do everything immediately.
The goal is to build the habit, the capacity and the foundations progressively.
The Difference Between Learning, Maintaining and Improving
This is one of the most important distinctions.
There is a big difference between:
- Learning a new activity
- Maintaining an activity
- Improving to a higher level
Each one requires a different level of commitment.
1. Learning a New Activity
If you are learning something new, you need repetition.
For example, if someone starts Animal Flow at 60 or 65, I would usually recommend practising three or four times per week if possible.
Why?
Because the person needs to learn:
- The basic positions
- The transitions
- The technique
- The coordination
- The rhythm
- The specific strength
- The mobility
- The memory of the movements
After consistent practice over time, that person may have enough foundations to reduce the frequency.
For some people, this may take six to twelve months.
For others, it may take two, three or four years, depending on their starting point, goals, consistency and previous movement experience.
Then they may practise Animal Flow once or twice per week to maintain it while learning another activity.
2. Maintaining an Activity
If you already know an activity well, you may be able to maintain it with less frequency.
For example, imagine someone has practised Animal Flow for several years.
Then they decide to learn tennis.
They may reduce Animal Flow to once or twice per week and practise tennis two or three times per week.
Why?
Because Animal Flow is already established.
The person is not starting from zero.
The foundations are already there.
Now the focus is tennis.
Tennis requires technique, footwork, timing, coordination, strategy, reaction and specific conditioning.
Doing tennis once per week from the beginning will probably lead to slow progress and frustration.
But doing tennis two or three times per week during the learning phase makes much more sense.
3. Improving to a Higher Level
Maintaining is one thing.
Improving is another.
If someone wants to become really good at Animal Flow, create beautiful choreographies, learn advanced transitions, improve flow quality, and develop more complex movement, then once or twice per week is not enough.
That person may need to practise four or five times per week (30 to 60 min/session).
The same applies to tennis, martial arts, dance, swimming, or any skill-based activity.
If the goal is improvement, the body needs a stronger stimulus.
If the goal is only maintenance, less may be enough.
Variety Works Best When Foundations Already Exist
Let us imagine someone has already developed good foundations in three activities.
They have practised Animal Flow for several years.
They have learned tennis properly.
They are also a confident swimmer.
Now they can create a varied weekly programme.
For example:
- Animal Flow twice per week
- Tennis twice per week
- Swimming twice per week
This can work very well.
Why?
Because the person is not trying to learn everything from zero.
They are maintaining and enjoying skills that already exist.
But if the same person had never learned Animal Flow, never played tennis, and was not a good swimmer, doing each activity once per week would probably not be the best strategy.
It may feel interesting.
It may feel varied.
But the learning would be slow.
The confidence would be low.
And the person may feel frustrated.
Confidence Comes From Results
This is also connected with motivation.
Many people lose motivation because they do not see progress.
But sometimes they do not see progress because their weekly structure does not allow progress to happen.
Confidence is built through results.
When we practise enough, we improve.
When we improve, we feel proud.
When we feel proud, we become more motivated.
When we become more motivated, we become more consistent.
And consistency creates even more progress.
But when we constantly jump from one activity to another without building foundations, the opposite can happen.
We feel confused.
We feel behind.
We compare ourselves with others.
We feel frustrated.
We may start believing we are not capable.
But this belief may be wrong.
The real issue may be that we are not respecting the biological principles of learning.
The Body Needs Time to Adapt
The body does not improve because we wish it to improve.
The body improves because we give it the right stimulus, repeated often enough, with enough recovery and enough time.
The nervous system needs repetition to memorise movement.
The muscles need repeated stimulus to become stronger.
The joints need progressive exposure to become more resilient.
The brain needs familiarity to feel safe.
The body needs consistency to adapt.
This is why a weekly exercise programme should not be created only around what we like.
It should also respect:
- Our current fitness level
- Our movement skills
- Our injury history
- Our age
- Our learning capacity
- Our goals
- Our ability to recover
- Our current foundations
A programme that is exciting but unrealistic may not help.
A programme that is simple, progressive and consistent may be far more effective.
One Session Per Week Does Not Mean One Exercise Day Per Week
This is a very important clarification.
When I say that a well-established activity may be practised once per week, I do not mean that a person should exercise only once per week.
That would not be enough at all.
International physical activity guidelines recommends regular physical activity throughout the week.
Adults are often encouraged to do around 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week (30 to 60 min/day), or an equivalent amount of vigorous activity, plus strengthening activities at least twice per week.
Older adults are also encouraged to include varied multicomponent physical activity that develops strength, balance and functional ability.
So when I say you may maintain one specific activity once per week, that activity should be part of a broader weekly movement routine.
For example:
- Animal Flow once per week
- Swimming once per week
- Vital Flow group class twice per week
- Home practice
That is very different from doing one class per week and spending the other six days sitting, resting and being sedentary.
The goal is not less movement.
The goal is smarter movement.
How to Choose the Right Weekly Strategy
A good question to ask is:
"Am I learning, maintaining or improving?"
If you are learning something new, practise it several times per week.
If you are maintaining something you already know well, once or twice per week may be enough.
If you want to improve to a higher level, you will need more commitment, more repetition and more focus.
Another important question is:
"Do I already have the foundations?"
If the answer is no, start with the foundations.
If the answer is yes, then variety may be a very good idea.
The Empowered Ageing Perspective
At Empowered Ageing, we believe movement should be intelligent, progressive and meaningful.
We encourage variety.
We encourage curiosity.
We encourage people to explore different ways of moving.
But we also teach that variety must respect the body.
There is no problem in choosing variety.
There is no problem in doing many activities.
But people need to understand the consequences of their choices.
If you want variety before foundations, progress may be slower.
If you want to learn something new, repetition is necessary.
If you want confidence, you need enough practice to experience success.
If you want long-term health, one isolated class per week is not enough.
The purpose of this article is not to tell people what they must do.
The purpose is to help people become more aware.
When people understand how the body learns, they can make better decisions.
They can avoid frustration.
They can avoid unnecessary negative beliefs.
They can stop saying, "I am not capable," when the real problem is simply that the programme was not structured correctly.
Final Reflection
So, should your weekly exercise programme include many different activities?
The answer is:
It depends.
If you already have the foundations, variety can be wonderful.
If you are learning something new, focus may be wiser.
If you are unfit or unskilled, rebuilding the foundations should come first.
If you want to maintain skills, variety can work well.
If you want to improve deeply in one activity, you need more repetition and more commitment.
Movement is not only about doing more.
It is about doing what makes sense for your body, your history, your skills, your goals and your stage of life.
Variety is beautiful.
But foundations come first.
And when the foundations are strong, variety becomes freedom.
Written by Arlindo Martins
Founder of Empowered Ageing
Recommended reading:
1. WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour
This supports the section explaining that one weekly class is not enough as a complete exercise programme. The 2020 WHO guideline recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate activity, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity per week, plus strengthening activities; for older adults, it also recommends multicomponent activity including balance and strength.
2. ACSM Position Stand: Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Fitness
Useful for supporting your point that a complete programme should include aerobic, resistance, flexibility and neuromotor elements such as balance, agility and coordination.
3. Brain Plasticity and Motor Practice in Cognitive Aging — Cai et al., 2014
Good support for the idea that older adults can still learn motor skills, but practice, repetition and neural plasticity are central to that process.
4. Aging, Brain Plasticity, and Motor Learning — Gooijers & Swinnen, 2024
A more recent review supporting your message that older adults retain the capacity for motor learning, although ageing affects performance and learning processes.
5. Neuroplasticity Subserving Motor Skill Learning — Dayan & Cohen, 2011
Useful for the deeper principle behind the article: motor skill learning is not just “exercise”; it involves functional and structural changes in the nervous system through practice.