The Fitness Problem
Motivation: Many chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes are preventable or can be alleviated with physical exercise and nutrition (ref: 1 , 2 , 3 ). According to a 2002 publication, 17 million people in the U.S. suffer from diabetes and 12.6 million suffer from coronary heart disease (ref: 1 ). Beyond preventable conditions, exercise can improve many aspects of our lives--such as sleep quality and mental health (ref: 1 ). Yet, only about 23% of the U.S. population meet the guidelines for performing physical exercise (ref: 1 ). In this post, I will attempt to dispel the idea that it is difficult or daunting to get onto a fitness journey and to provide a broad view on what it takes to get started. Let us define the goals of the fitness problem as roughly achievement of the following items below. Note, I am intentionally leaving out interrelated goals such as longevity and flexibility in order to contain the length of content. Goals: P...