Lets face it. Life can be crazy. You got work to do, bills to pay, a family to take
care of, the list goes on and on. And oh yeah, don’t forget about eating healthy and exercising. The latter can sometimes be very overwhelming and almost impossible to fit in given the 24 hrs we have to work with in a day. But there is hope. Let me explain.
Stress can be good and bad. That is something that is very important to realize.
Working out can be a good thing resulting in increased muscle mass, weight loss,
releases of endorphins create happiness; the list goes on and on. But something people commonly overlook is that the same workout that gives somebody all the benefits listed above, could very well give another person the complete opposite effects. Some people may experience extreme loss of energy, depression, brain fog, weight gain or decreased motivation. This is why you see people that are all geared up to do a new year’s resolution normally fade out by about March. Working at a commercial gym for 6 years, I was able to see first hand how the gym was packed from sun up to sun down with new, motivated faces. But for some odd reason, by the beginning of spring there were only an average of 3 people who actually stuck to their resolution and made working out a true lifestyle change. This was mind boggling for me to watch. Where did the motivation go? Why couldn’t these people who were truly desperate to reach their fitness goals in January not even want to step foot into a gym by March? Most of the time, these same people would pack on more weight during their resolution year and actually get more unhealthy, sick and frustrated. This inspired me to look into this.
The culture code in Canada and the United States for health and fitness is
movement. Culture represents enough people doing the same thing that it just appears normal. We are constantly faced with new high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, DVD’s that leave us absolutely drained after only 30-50 mins of movement, familiar faces on a magazine claiming that this new ass kicking workout they have been doing will ensure amazing results, chiseled abs, flat stomach, blah blah blah. How many of you are attempting these workouts, and achieving LONG LASTING results? I think I can speak for most when I say not too many. So what’s the deal? What is the catch? Well let me tell you.
I’m going to be blunt and straight to the point. Working out should be the last
thing on your list when deciding how you are going to achieve any of your fitness goals. We will come back to that to explain just what I mean. Let’s talk about some of thethings that should be on the top of your list. In order of priority, here is what you should be focussing on.
- Rest. In the form of sleep, meditation, quiet or “me time”.
- Food and water. A diet composed of whole foods only. If it ran, swam, grew or flew, you can eat it. Water consumption should be 1⁄2 your bodyweight in ounces per day.
- Finally, movement. Notice how I use the term movement, not working out. Stay tuned, I will explain why in the following paragraphs.
Rest must be at the top of your list. If you are a person who isn’t sleeping at least 6 hours of sound sleep per night, it is a very clear sign that your body is not ready for high intensity exercise. Again, remember the title of this article. Energy in, energy out. The idea is to achieve balance. Let me break it down for you.
You have 2 branches to your nervous system. One is the sympathetic branch. This is responsible for what we call a fight or flight state. This branch is active when you are about to lift a heavy object, start a race, get in a fight, or if somebody breaks into your house when you are sleeping. This is extremely necessary for the human body, as the true reason for it is linked to survival. We must have something that makes us very alert and ready to react to a stressful situation. But here is the thing. Most of us have our sympathetic nervous system in overdrive. We constantly live in a state of fight or flight. This is why you have people that seem angry all the time, or blow their top in a situation that could have been dealt with in a calm manner. It creates an extremely high stress environment. And when you take a minute to observe your life or the world around you, it is very evident that this is a true fact. People are living in their heads, creating stressful situations out of nothing, and ultimately they have no idea what their body needs in regards to food and exercise. Fast food, quick snacks and high intensity workouts are all a very clear representation of this because they mimic the person’s fast paced, stressful life. You are constantly exerting energy. Energy out, energy out, energy out. This is why these goal oriented, driven people never make it past spring. They are absolutely exhausted. Their bodies are screaming ‘I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE’ so they put a stop to the gym, go back to their crazy lives and hold the belief that working out is impossible and they will never reach their goals.
The definition of insanity is to try the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
Let’s discuss the alternative. The other branch of your nervous system is called
the parasympathetic branch. This is responsible for resting and digesting. Can you say, take a deep breath? This branch is active while you are sleeping, deep breathing, meditating, doing yoga, tai chi, or just simply relaxing. Before I go further, I want some of you to know this. If the thought of doing one of those things makes you want to scream or seems like a ‘waste of time’, it is a very big sign that you are way too high stressed and would benefit hugely from one form or another of what we call working in. Creating a calming atmosphere in your life for literally 10 minutes a day will make you view the world completely differently in the short span of 1-2 weeks. Now I know this sounds crazy and far fetched. But please challenge my opinion. Try it. I went through the experience and can honestly say within 2 weeks my view on life completely changed. My clients agreed.
Remember, energy in, energy out.
If your life is high stressed and super busy, exerting more energy during a workout is a good way to ensure sickness, decreased energy and motivation. Some things you can expect after a work in session are: Increased mental clarity, better sleep, better digestion, increased stress perception/management, more energy, better mood, etc.
Note: Working in may make some people tired. This is a sign that your body is high stressed and has been begging for rest, but you have been ignoring it. So do it at night, and enjoy your sleep. Stay consistent and you will notice that before long, 10 minutes of deep breathing or any other form I listed above will increase your energy and make you feel more alert.
Next up, food and water! If you were preparing your gas fueled car for a road trip
across the country, and you either had no gas in it or you filled it with diesel, how far do you think you would get before the car quit? This is exactly how your body works. If you are eating processed food, sugary drinks or too many filling foods like breads, pastas etc you are putting diesel in a gas engine.. metaphorically speaking. Stick to the rule I listed above; If it ran, swam, grew or flew, you can eat it. Mother earth is a beautiful thing, eat from the earth and you are off to a very good start. I will save more information on this topic for a future article.
Movement is last on the list for a reason. I hope by now, it is evident that there
are other things that are of higher importance. I use the term movement because you don’t have to kill yourself, or drain yourself of energy to achieve the general fitness goal that most of the population is looking for. A daily walk, bike ride, 20 minutes of moving will do. Playing with your kids during the day will be more than enough exercise if all the other steps are made a priority and followed with care. If you work at an office, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from the door so you have to walk further before and after work, or go for a walk on your lunch. Working out implies energy out. Which by now, I hope you all realize that it is not a bad thing.. Your body just has to be in a state of readiness.
A simple rule to follow: If you have more energy and are in a better mood after your workout then you started with, it is a good sign that it was the right thing to do.
Your body is constantly sending you signals. If you are living in your head, or ‘tunnel vision’ as I call it, you are blinded to these opportunities of growth. If the food makes you feel good, it was beneficial. If the exercise hurts you, it’s probably not good for you. This is a simple game to play. You know all of the answers. Don’t follow fads because they worked for the person on the front page of the magazine. Challenge people’s ideas and strategies. Find what works for you. Listen to your body.
Energy in, energy out. Find your balance. This is what healthy feels like.
Tyler Woelfle
CHEK Professional, FRCms
