Fitness Unleashed: Your Path to Peak Performance and Going From 0 to 1

Fitness comes in various forms. It can range from an evening walk, to yoga, pilates, calisthenics in the gym, or then playing a sport. The idea is to essentially ensure that one conditions their body to some form of exercise so that they can carry out daily activities without being fatigued or requiring extra energy.

When I workout, I ensure I mix strength training with cardio and functional movements. Some of these terms may look alien to you, and trust me, a bunch of this made no sense to me too when I first heard them. However, I am a keen learner, and in the process of getting fit I also started simultaneously getting lessons on anatomy. Strength training makes sure that a specific muscle that is being worked isometrically (ie. independently) is getting trained via resistance.

For instance, using a dumbbell to do a bicep curl would mean a concentric (contraction) movement of the bicep when curled, and an eccentric (extpansion) movement when the bicep is extended under load. It seems simple, but is dynamic, because there is a simultaneous eccentric movement in the tricep when the bicep is curled and a concentric movement of the tricep when the bicep is in extension. THE HUMAN BODY REALLY IS FASCINATING!

Photo by Jeff Tumale on Unsplash

Cardio involves all those exercises that get your heart rate up! Simple! I recently learned how to calculate my heart rate in 6 seconds. Definitely quite a handy hack!

Photo by Ali Hajiluyi on Unsplash

Functional training is something that never really made sense to me until it was finally explained to me in detail quite recently. It involves every exercise which makes your body work as one unit. So EVERY MUSCLE is working to support it, and is great for stabiliser work.

Photo by Anastase Maragos on Unsplash

But, that’s just a bit about my exercises and interest in anatomy. So why should anyone for that matter exercise?

Discipline:

When one decides that they want to ‘get fit’, they are setting a goal for themselves. This is their 0 to 1. Getting more and more ‘ripped’ is just a 1 to n. By setting this goal, one creates a burning desire to work towards it. This desire creates motivation when the individual starts seeing results. In turn there is an auto-suggesting obsession to workout. This becomes a part of one’s daily routine. A habit is now formed. The individual has now created a set time everyday when they HAVE TO exercise. Hence, it creates consistency.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

2. Responsibility:

A disciplined person is never hasty. They will always listen to their body and know what their limits are. They will be responsible and learn the correct technique of performing an exercise and then HAMMER IT TILL THEY GET IT RIGHT! Many people see an exercise and think it looks cool and that they should do it for that reason, or that they will look amazing if they bench 100lbs when they have never even benched 10lbs before. Learn to walk! In doing so they do not weigh the risk vs reward, and end up injuring themselves . Fitness makes a person think! They ask themselves what their body is actually capable of and gives them clarity in their mind! It gives them the ability to make informed decisions and to pause and ask themselves questions rather than to dive right in withough THINKING!

Photo by Fabian Møller on Unsplash

I personally had to work very hard. I was very out of shape when I started my fitness journey. My trainer was perplexed where to even begin with me because if I worked my upper body, my shoulders would hurt as I had mirror labral tears in my shoulders. When it came to my lower body, my hip flexors or iliotibial bands would keep kicking in. And if we tried working my abs, my quadratus lumborum would kick in. So for 6 months, we consistently hammered my glutes with stretches, dog lifts, and all the other possible mat work that was WITHIN REASON. Then we started working on my shoulder mobility and strengthening, alongside constant physiotherapy. Finally, for 2 moths, all we were doing was mat work to strengthen my posterior chain and core! Now, I am on track for my 1 to n!

3. Sleep:

According to the John Hopkins Center for Sleep, there is solid evidence that exercise does in fact make you fall asleep more quickly and improves the quality of sleep. Aerobic exercise also assists in increasing slow wave sleep. This is the deep sleep that the body requires. However, it is advised not to exercise too late in the day.

Essentially, exercise and the circadian rhythm are quite closely linked. Exercising leads to an increase in endorphins. These are your happy hormones. Thus, when one works out in the evening, it takes time for these to drain out of the system. It also leads to a rise in the core body temperature. This signals to the brain that it is time to be awake and as a result, reduces sleepiness.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

4. Health:

As mentioned above, the endorphins that are produced as a result of exercising, make for a happier person. Other hormones released include dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

Dopamine helps nerve cells send messages to each other.

Serotonin is a mood hormone

Oxytocin plays an important role in the reproductive system

All these hormones are important for the overall wellbeing of an individual. In general, exercising is a major stress buster. Stress is the root cause of various health problems such as anxiety and depression which causes several mental health problems. By setting aside time to workout everyday, one gets to stay focused; detach themselves from everything around them; and just be in their own state of zen.

Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash

Your Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *