According to the American Heart Association the recommended amount of exercise per week is at least 30 minutes a day five times a week, which in my opinion is on the conservative side. Having said that, almost 80% of adults don’t meet with this fitness recommendation, yes that’s right a staggering 4 of 5 adults don’t meet the minimum recommended exercise. My initial thought is that there must be a reason the vast majority of the population fails to meet this physical recommendation, one of the most common issues/excuses I hear is TIME or lack thereof. Now while I can fully appreciate that most adults work at least 5 days a week, we all have the same 168 hours in a week, the thought that out of that we can’t set aside a measly 2 ½ hours in a week is something I can’t and will not accept. What makes it worse is when you stop to realise that those two and a half hours’ sole objective is to BETTER one’s life, either by significantly improving it or even prolonging it, yes that’s right living longer is a very real effect of improving one’s health, fitness and lifestyle. However for those of you thinking this is a quick fix or some kind of elixir of youth, you’re gravely mistake, and what better way to emphasise this than using one of my favourite quotes;
Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy
I truly believe this is one of the most applicable sayings that exist, just like anything worth having fitness is not something you can do once, twice or even thrice and expect everything to change. It is something you have to incorporate into your daily regiment, just like oral hygiene, one can’t expect to brush your teeth once and suddenly have glistening pearly whites worthy of a Colgate add, can they? The answer is NO, however with a consistent habit of brushing one’s teeth daily paired with flossing, the likelihood of being a Colgate model is a million times higher than if only done a few times here and there. Put even simpler, one doesn’t start brushing their teeth a couple days or weeks before and important event/date, in fact that would be perceived as silly, yet every year when summer is approaching that EXACT same thing happens with fitness, with people wanting to be summer ready and have their #summerbod or #bikinibod. The truth is that there is so much more to fitness than merely the physical/visual elements, in fact, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle may include; reducing serious health problems, boosting brain functions so in a sense it can make one smarter and can improve one’s mental state and health, as well as, one’s emotional health, allowing for one to be more disciplined as a person whether for work, school, university or in life, and last but certainly not least it has the power to create and increase confidence both inside and out.
The vast majority of people start exercising for one of three reasons; either they want to lose weight, look better or they have health issues. I’m guilty of this, the main reason I got into fitness and started working out was because I wanted to “look better”, and largely the reason that fuelled this was in order to impress the girls. Since then I’ve found out that, ironically, the only people that I really impress, if any, are other guys which in hindsight makes complete sense because they can sympathise and completely understand the journey and struggle it takes. Naturally once I came to this realisation my motivation changed, now I exercise because I’m trying to become the best version of myself possible, as Socrates said in Xen. Mem. 3.13.1;
“it is a disgrace to grow old through sheer carelessness before seeing what manner of man you may become by developing your bodily strength and beauty to their highest limit.”
(Obviously it goes without saying that when my dear old friend Socrates says man he’s using it in the same way as mankind, and is applied to anyone and everyone). I think that we can all relate to wanting to be the BEST version of ourselves. Pushing myself and setting new goals week in week out is something that really gets me going, I love the challenge, the sense of accomplishment it gives me, seeing my body transform is an amazing feeling but most importantly I love inspiring and helping others.
Which brings me to the important point of how exercise can actually reduce health problems such as these chronic diseases;
- Obesity
- Heart Diseases
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Osteoporosis
Sadly the list goes on and on, but with just this handful it’s highly likely that you will either have or know someone that suffers from at least one of these diseases. Without proper care prevention all of these diseases can actually be LETHAL. Over 1/3 of the population are actually considered obese which can and will lead to many of these diseases.
HOWEVER this can largely be prevented via proper nutrition and exercise
When you exercise and make healthy food choices on a consistent regular basis a few things start to happen to your body; you begin to put on muscle which in turn makes your joints and ligaments stronger, which has makes you less prone to injuries. Not only will you feel better but you will also look better as you will begin to lose fat, “where will you loose this fat” I hear ask, well that’s the amazing thing, not only do you lose fat on the outside (arms, ‘bingo wings’, belly, hips ‘love handles’, legs), you will lose non visible fat, known as visceral fat. This is the kind of fat that surrounds our organs, visceral fat can cause many of the diseases listed above which can be lethal. Therefore the reduction of said visceral fat can very much be a way of prolonging ones life, and you don’t have to take my word for it, there are hundreds of studies that demonstrate and prove this, one of them being Kishida, K., et all Funahashi, T., & Shimomura, I. (2011), who’s conclusion is
“Visceral fat reduction by voluntary lifestyle modification is an important strategy in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases events in the metabolic syndrome.”
As if lowering the risk of death and prolonging one’s life wasn’t reason enough to start pursuing a healthier lifestyle, there is also the added benefit that exercise can actually make us smarter. When we exercise our heart pumps more than it would otherwise to transport blood to the muscles, in turn this blood is also taking more blood and oxygen into the brain. This combination of exercise and elevated blood flow to the brain allows for the body to release tonnes of hormones which provide a nurturing environment for the growth of new brain cells, it may also act as a first aid kit on damage brain cells. So in a sense incorporating exercise into one’s daily routine has the potential to aid in the healing of the brain and the thus the mind, preparing one for mental stresses that is encountered in our lives, it will also increase their retention of new information improving your memory and also giving better reactions to complex situations. So reiterate, not only does exercise make you healthier, feel better and look better it also has the potential to make us more productive… but wait THERE’S MORE!
Studies have shown that exercise can treat depression, anxiety and stress just as well as medication except it has NONE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS. Exercise triggers the body to produce more endorphins, which are hormones that make us feel good (this is wear the term “runner’s high’ comes from), it may also act as a natural painkiller, has been shown to improve alertness and concentration, as well as, improving one’s ability to sleep. Any one of these individual benefits is a reason to start implementing exercise into our daily routines, when all of them are added up it is evident to see that it is clear way to treat stress and tension both physical and mental, as the mind and body work hand in hand, when one feels better it has a knock on effect to the other one.
By this point you must be thinking “Okay Nico, I’m sold, where do I sign”. Well with exercise comes all these intrinsic health benefits, however to quote uncle Ben/aunt May
“with great power there must also come great responsibility”
In order to reap the amazing benefits that come with exercise there has to be consistency. It can’t be something that happens every now and then, these need to be things that are implemented on a day to day basis, CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY. In order for there to be consistency there must be DISCIPLINE, as consistency does not happen by accident. One doesn’t stumble into a healthy routine of exercise and nutrition, it’s something that we must all work towards everyday. It can be as walking up the elevators instead of letting them carry us, which then progresses to choosing the stairs instead of the elevator. Or not parking as physically close as possible to the supermarket, which can then progress to parking half a mile away. Or choosing to not sit down on the tube/bus ride home, which then progresses to getting off a couple stops earlier and walking the rest home or walking to the next stop instead of the closest one to work, which then progresses to walking a third of the journey and so on and so forth. It’s about creating a lifestyle that is REALISTIC and DOABLE. Along with exercise comes healthy food choices, make sure to eat good sources of protein so that the muscles can build and repair themselves, incorporating healthy fats into one’s diet is fundamental as they are responsible for the production of hormones, yes even growth hormone (essential for muscle growth), making sure to have enough energy for use throughout the day and also a good amount of micro nutrients which are the vitamins and minerals, fruit veggies and all that good stuff. Just like with exercise, It’s not about renouncing to any type of processed food for the rest of your life, and it’s certainly not about cutting out and changing your diet completely from one day to another. Remember, we’re trying to build a LIFESTYLE not a flash diet, it may start with switching to zero calorie drink options, which then turns into choosing water instead. There are so many resources out there, but more importantly it’s about finding WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, some people find fasting helpful (more to come on this), other people find eating less carbs and others would rather eat more smaller meals which is the opposite of fasting.
I can assure you that all the healthiest and happiest people in the world, (and to an extent the most successful, but that’s a whole other topic for another blogpost), have one thing in common, discipline. Because the secret to living a healthy lifestyle is consistency and discipline. Like a lot of things in life, it may seam easier said than done. The good news is that discipline is like a muscle the more you strive to use it the easier it becomes, habits are formed and thus it becomes part of our daily routine. Not only will things get progressively easier, I promise and you have my word that your confidence will begin to grow exponentially. Because when you look and feel good nothing can stop you and the crazy thing about confidence is that it’s contagious. The healthier you are → the happier and more confident you are → your mindset will become healthier → the more positive you are → the easier for you to socialise with new people allowing new friendships to be made and possibly open doors and new opportunities. Confidence is contagious, people want to be around you because you will inspire them.
Remember health is not a one size fits all, it may not look the same for everyone, but it is something we can and should all strive to be together because Together we are stronger. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
If you made it this far, and found anything even a slight bit useful consider sending this to someone that you feel might need to hear it, a friend, a loved one, a family member. “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” – John Holmes
Kishida, K., Funahashi, T., & Shimomura, I. (2011). Clinical significance of visceral fat reduction through health education in preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease – Lesson from the Amagasaki Visceral Fat Study: A Japanese perspective. Nutrition & metabolism, 8, 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-8-57