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:

• Physical Fitness (e.g., strength, endurance, etc.)
• Mental Acuity
• Appearance (e.g., lean, muscular, etc.)
• Health and Well-being
• Activity for Self-Betterment

And let us expound the problem with the following auxiliary details below.

Scenarios of concern:

• Training Activity
• Diet
• Recovery

Principles of concern:

• Efficient - time-saving.
• Enjoyable - it is my belief that any routine activity which is not enjoyable is not sustainable for the long-term. We are likely doing something wrong if the activity is not enjoyable--that is, we should figure out the changes (e.g., perspective) necessary to make the activity enjoyable, take a sufficient break, or find a different activity.
• Maintainable
• Correct (e.g., form and movement)
• Simple
• Safe
• Accessible - accessible to the common person.

Characteristics of concern:

• Mental stress level
• Mental focus
• Physical strength
• Stamina
• Mobility
• Muscle fiber composition

I will address the concerns above with research data and my own personal anecdotal experience.

There are 2 main types of physical exercises which can be utilized to train our bodies: aerobic and anaerobic exercise (ref: 1 ). Anaerobic exercises (e.g., heavy weight lifting) are more conducive for developing bigger muscles and strength building, while aerobic exercises (e.g., distance running) are more conducive for building stamina. These type of exercises relate to our 3 types of muscle fibers (i.e., type 1, type 2a, and type 2b); anaerobic exercises primarily develop type 2 muscle fibers and aerobic exercises primarily develops the smaller type 1 muscle fibers (ref: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). From a health perspective or fat-loss perspective, both types of exercises should be employed. Compound exercises (e.g., squat, bench press, deadlift, pull-ups, shoulder press, etc.) are the most effective and efficient options for achieving results, because they target multiple parts of the body. My personal routine only includes one non-compound exercise, which is for the biceps. Progressive overload should be employed to gradually improve our capabilities and achieve greater results. It is absolutely sensible to start small--say 1 minute of walking and increase the exercise duration by, say, 5 seconds on each session, or start with 1 set of an exercise and gradually increase the reps, sets, or weights when appropriate and reasonable. For safety reasons and to achieve proper results, it is important to maintain proper form during the exercises (e.g., straight back during squats). That said, our genetics and anatomy can play a significant role in determining the appropriateness of our forms; for example, concerning squats, persons of eastern descent are generally more suited to a narrower stance, whereas persons of western descent are generally more suited to a wider stance (ref: 1 ); personally, given my genetics and body structure, when using a wide stance for squats, my movement may outwardly look correct, but I feel less stable and my hamstring (rather than my glutes) are primarily engaged during the exercise in comparison to using a narrower stance. Stretching can be employed to improve our flexibility and therefore, ability to perform exercises with a full range of motion for a more balanced development of muscles and joint stability (ref: 1 ). Personally, I primarily stretch in-between my exercise sets (if helpful for my range of motion) for the exercise that I am performing. Furthermore, I believe that one's mentality does have a significant impact on one's training performance. Personally, for me, given our natural ability to develop our bodies--which we are born with--I consider training to be an opportunity and a privilege; it is a duty (with respect to our health and our ability to perform); it is a worthwhile endeavor; and, it is sacred. With this sort of mindset, I find that I am more focused, perform better, and enjoy the training process. During training I mentally focus on the present--my breathing, my grip, my stance, my form, my control--so, besides training my ability to focus and my physical capabilities, the process also serves as a form of meditation to de-stress from other mental concerns.

To achieve a healthy diet, we should ensure that we obtain an adequate amount of macro-nutrients (ref: 1 ) and micro-nutrients (ref: 1 , 2 ). Research suggests that a low-carb diet is effective for fat loss (ref: 1 ). For physically active individuals trying to build muscle, the data varies a bit, but between 1.2g-2.0g protein per kg bodyweight is sufficient (ref: 1 ), since excessive protein intake can damage the organs (ref: 1 ). Personally, I find that a low-carb, low-fat, high-protein diet works well for me--that is, I feel satiated, alert, and healthy. Higher carbs tend to make me drowsy during the day. Note, low-carb and low-fat does not mean no carbs (particularly when strength building is a goal, given glycogen--produced from carbs--is utilized during anaerobic exercise) or no fat; I find that I am less satiated (more specifically, I crave and consume more calories) if I cut out carbs or fat entirely. Generally, I consume less than 70g carbs, about 15-30g fat, and about 70-120g protein daily. Basically, I try to find the right balance of macros to maximize satiety and minimize caloric intake. Additional salt and creatine supplementation should be considered to help the body retain water in-place of reduced carbs. Furthermore, most of my food intake is plant-based--which reduces clogging of the arteries (ref: 1 , 2 ). However, given my (mostly) plant-based diet, I do take a vegan multi-vitamin supplement to round out my micro-nutrients. Additional supplements I do take are probiotics (for gut-health), omega-3, creatine (for muscle building purposes; ref: 1 ), collagen (for tendon and ligament recovery; ref: 1), and psyllium husks (for additional fiber). For fat loss and health reasons, intermittent fasting (i.e., restricted eating window--say, 8 hours) can be employed to improve results (ref: 1); note, I do feel hungry at times when employing fasting techniques, but it is manageable.

Muscles are broken down during training, and are rebuilt during recovery. Sleep, a passive recovery method, is a crucial part of this process as it promotes muscle recovery through the secretion of muscle-building hormones (ref: 1 ); furthermore, to function properly, we require a sufficient amount of sleep--typically, between 7 to 9 hours daily (ref: 1 ). Active recovery, where the participant perform light-exercises (e.g., walking), can also be utilized to facilitate the recovery process through increased blood flow, toxin removal, etc. (ref: 1 ).

Additional Tips for Achieving Progress:

• Micro-habits can be added to help with progress. Walk a bit before or after a meal; walk in-between working sets; take the stairs when possible; or do a little body-weight exercise after waking up; if employing intermittent fasting, in-place of the meal, do a light exercise instead. Small daily activities can add up over time. 
• Actively reduce stress from your life. Stress can make it more difficult to lose fat, mess with our hormones and distract us from our efforts (ref: 1).
• Listen to your body (within reason). If our hormones are relatively balanced, it can tell us about our current state--whether we're fatigued and need additional rest for recovery, or whether we're lacking a specific nutrient and should eat more of a specific food, or etc.
• Gradual change and consistency is a key strategy for making progress. This means no binging, no cheat days, no pro-longed fasting, etc. for a period of time (say, 12 weeks) that you want to achieve change. It's difficult to consistently hit key goals when major, abrupt changes are introduced into our lives.

Topics for a Further Study:

• Central nervous system fatigue (ref: 1 )
• Concentric, eccentric, isometric training (ref: 1, 2 )
• Body structure and composition
• Energy production
• Muscle, ligament, tendon, bone, etc. rebuilding process at the molecular and cellular level

Disclaimer:

I am not a certified professional. This blog post is only an expression of my opinion. Any actions that you take as a result of reading this blog post is at your own discretion.