SBM 018 : The Simple Approach to Health and Fitness with Chike Lindsay

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The Real (And Simple) Way to Attain Health and Fitness

If there is one topic out there that has been talked to death in the Internet (aside from cats and memes, of course), it would be health. There’s just too many health and fitness programs out there along with standalone articles, guides, and even self-proclaimed fitness gurus out there that throwing your own take on the subject sounds a bit derivative.

However, despite that, health and fitness remains an ever pressing issue in these days for the fact that many are still having a hard time attaining it; amongst several other reasons. What many don’t know, on the other hand, that it’s actually not a complicated concept to understand. With that in mind, it’s best that we break down and tackle the major concepts of health and fitness to make them easier to attain.

Why Aren’t You Making Gains in Your Workout Program?

You might have stumbled on to a fitness program on the internet only to find out that is not yielding the best results for you. It’s easy to lay the blame on the program for being a lousy one but, quality of the program aside, it may be for several valid reasons like:

• 1. It’s Too Hard

  

  When it comes to fitness programs, the mind actually has two perspectives. It’s either thinking that your body is in a better shape than it actually is or it thinks that it should be in a better shape than it actually is. In both cases, your mind is going to do the one mistake that a lot of people make in exercising: overcompensation.

  It’s either you make up for lost time by doing more reps, doing workouts that you used to do a few years ago, or constantly shock the body and force it to adapt. There’s no denying the fact that the mind and body can adapt to adverse conditions. There are some people with Private Pyle-type bodies that manage to shape up after simulating the Hell Week green berets go through. But trying to force this without the presence of, say, an immediate threat on your life can be damaging on the body in the long run.

  What you should do, instead, is to have your body assessed first and find out which workout routines out there that can fit its current capabilities. Think of fitness as a tight titanium dress that your body will eventually ease into with time and work. It’s not something that you can force your body into without breaking a few bones in the process.

• 2. You’re In More Pain than You’ve Bargained For

  

  Every stereotypical gym bro out there will scream at you “no pain, no gain!” as you go through your reps. It’s true that pain is an indicator that your body is reacting to the fitness regimen but it’s important to understand what kind of pain you are supposed to go through. A burning sensation in your limbs and joints are good as this is a telltale sign that the muscles are being broken down and replaced with tougher ones.

  But what about other kinds of pain? Things like a sensation as if something is stabbing you at the sights, a stinging sensation on the chest, headaches, and even redness and swelling in the joints are all telltale signs that something in your body has snapped.

  If you ever feel that the pain your body is going through is stopping you from doing anything else, it’s time to see a doctor and opt to lessen the intensity of your workouts. The truth about pain is that it is there to tell you that your body is reaching its limits and you should stop. The moment it prevents you from even completing your day-to-day tasks is a sign that you are overdoing things.

• 3. It’s not Balanced

  

  Many people think that having a balanced workout routine is having an equal focus on all three major areas aka The Big Three of Exercising which are Cardio, Strength Training, and Stretching. The problem with this is that people just stop there. Aside from the different exercises that you have, you should also find time to balance your exercises with your current work schedule, our body’s energy levels, and our physical needs.

  We often make the mistake of thinking that we can do the same thing week after week when it comes to exercising. That is not the case your body will require a higher intensity the more it goes through training. And this is where trying to find a balance between your workouts and other priorities in life become a problem. If you force a schedule that you can’t manage to yourself, the chances of you dropping out from the fitness program are high.

Some Simple Truths That You Should Know Of

Being a widely talked about topic, it is unavoidable that you will stumble on some misconceptions about health and fitness. Some misconceptions are harmless but some can have some considerable effect on the results you get from your workouts. As such, it is best that you learn some simple yet surprising truth about working out.

• 1. Muscles Don’t Equate to Fitness

  

  First of all, having muscles that seemingly bursting out of your shirts is not an immediate sign that you are a fit person. There are some exercises and programs out there meant for toning your muscles but they don’t actually help you improve the capabilities of your body. There’s a difference between exercising and bodybuilding; at least on a philosophical level.

  Remember Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the 3rd person to ever play Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in Game of Thrones? The dude might be tall and huge but he doesn’t have any well-toned muscles. And he does not need them because he’s a champion weight lifter. Even the late Andre the Giant is not a muscly person but he could lift and throw smaller people if he wants to.

  There are countless examples out there of people who have leaner physiques that can outmatch bodybuilders in everything but bodybuilding. The point is that your goal for fitness is not to have extremely large muscles (at first, at the very least) but to achieve the proper muscle to fat ratio for your body.

• 2. Exercising is Different from Losing Weight

  

  The truth is that exercising is not exactly the best method to lose weight; if that is your sole goal for exercising that is. By design, exercising is there to help you convert your stored fat into energy and build new muscles for you. Even if you exercise like nobody’s business, you will find out that you are within the same weight range when you started. In essence, it help you put your body in a better position to lose weight but, on it’s own, it can’t do that.

  If you really want to lose weight with exercise, then it needs to be accompanied with major dietary changes. For starters, you should replace fat-gaining food with ones that give you cleaner energy, help you build on your muscles, and improve the density of your bones; amongst other physical benefits. As a bit of consolation, even if exercise does not exactly help you lose weight, it does allow your body to enjoy from some other health benefits.

• 3. Exercise is not Limited to the Gym

  This might suck as an analogy but do you remember that early part in Conan the Barbarian? That one scene where he had to push the Wheel of Pain? It was tantamount to slave work but pushing that large grain mill was what gave Conan his stunning physique (along with some other backbreaking work off-camera, of course).

  The point here is that, if you really want to stay in shape, then the options to do so are limitless for you. The best kind of fitness regimes out there are the ones that are seemingly incorporated to your daily living. If you love to take long walks, then you can use that as a start of your cardio activities and then following it up with some lifting and stretching.

  Some even turn their passions into part of their workout routines. Aside from the usual examples like boxers and runners, there are also people who exercise through hunting. Fishing, and blacksmithing as these are physically demanding activities. It’s basically hitting two birds with one stone. You get to do what you love to do the most while also allowing your body to improve itself.

Picking the Right Fitness Program

You have heard it countless times before. “This (Insert Program Here) is the Ultimate Fitness Routine!” or something to that effect. But, as we have discussed, what is the best fitness program is purely subjective. What works for others may not work well for you and vice versa.

With this in mind, you should remember a few tips when picking a fitness program.

Always Mind Your Current Level

As was stated, doing more than what your body is currently capable of is going to hurt you in the long run. When picking a fitness program, choose the one that you’d know your body can handle. A program with routines that are easy enough to handle should be ideal but you have to make sure that they don’t get too easy or otherwise your body won’t be exerting the required effort.

Don’t worry about things becoming easier as time passes, however, as most programs are “scalable” i.e. they allow for changes in sets, frequencies, and intensities the better your body gets used to it.

Pick the Ones That You’d Enjoy

For most of the time, the one person you’d have to constantly fight with when it comes to exercising is YOU. Your time constraints, lack of drive, and even your tendency to get bored eventually will serve as stumbling blocks for your fitness goals.

With that in mind, why not choose the activities that you find enjoyment in? This would prevent you from getting bored from them and it won’t take much motivation for you to engage with them. Basically, if you enjoy what you are doing, you are not going to drop it after a few weeks.

However, it is important that you keep your exercises as varied as possible. After all, you want every part of your body to improve on every area. Things like weight lifting and stretching are must-haves but you can also add in other activities into your program including hiking, running, swimming, and martial arts, depending on what is available and what your body will allow you to do.

Find a Buddy

This is not exactly important so you can ignore this tip entirely. However, think of it this way: how many times in your life had you succeeded because someone was there to prod you on? Doing things on your own is perfectly okay but, once you lose focus, there would be no one there to slap you back to your senses.

The same is for health and fitness. Every program out there is meant to be carried out even on your own but things tend to get more productive (and enjoyable) if someone else is doing it with you. Plus, nothing can motivate a man more to do complete their goals than a rival of sorts who is attempting to complete the same.

In Conclusion

With all of the fitness programs out there made available for you, it can be understandable if you feel a bit overwhelmed. However, you should always keep in mind that the best for you is something that only, well, you can decide on.

Which fitness programs out there are suitable for my lifestyle? Will I have the time to engage on them? What is my body currently capable of and what must be done to improve on it? How you answer these questions will determine which route you should take in order to make your body achieve that physique you have dreamt for it, or at least, the one that it should have.

What other problems have you faced in achieving your fitness goals? What did you to address these? Let us know in the comments below!

References:

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