Physical Exercise and Its Benefits

[Lians]

Physical Exercise and Its Benefits

 

 

1. Introduction

I know you've all heard this before: "Exercise is good for you!" How many of you know exactly why that is? For people who don't exercise, this article is intended to be a brief introduction to exercising and why it matters. Those who already exercise may know a lot of the information I'm about to present, but having a general overview often gives birth to new insight. I've also tried to bring as much scientific research to this topic as I could. The amateur guy on the internet disclaimer still applies to what you're about read.

 

One of the goals of irrational and violent hierarchies like religion is to disconnect you from your body. You aren't allowed to trust your body if faith in imaginary entities is to be sustained. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard about this idea since Stef often brings it up in his podcasts. What better way to alleviate this particular side-effect of irrational upbringing than to start moving. Physical exercise can be the perfect complement to philosophy and self-knowledge, and I hope I can convince you of that.

 

 

2. Brief History

Until two hundred years ago, most people had to exercise through everyday work. Washing your clothes by hand, without detergent, can be a workout in itself. You couldn't afford to lead a sedentary lifestyle unless you were a part of the ruling class. The Ancient Greeks were probably the first to put physical fitness on a pedestal with their principle of a healthy mind in a healthy body. This principle is attributed to Thales, the philosopher who's also credited for the know thyself maxim.

 

The Greeks considered gymnastics, alongside music, to be vital in the development of every human being. "Exercise for the body and music for the soul," was a popular saying back in those days. The median lifespan of your average Greek was around 70 (if he wasn't killed in war), and exercise was one of the most popular prescriptions for health and wellbeing. The Greek ideal of physical fitness inspired the ancient world to exercise, and the idea was later rekindled during the Renaissance in Europe.

 

A lot of the famous Greek thinkers were athletes in their youth. Correlation is certainly not causation but a disproportionately large number of the great thinkers of antiquity came from Ancient Greece. I wouldn't dismiss the Greek love of physical fitness as a contributing factor.

 

References and Further Reading:

 

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/history.html

 

http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/life_history/age-specific-mortality-lifespan-bad-science-2009.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_sana_in_corpore_sano

 

 

3. Muscle Physiology

I'll start with a very short overview of how muscles work. First, you need to know a little bit about the human nervous system. It's comprised of two major parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord, and the PNS is divided into the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system (ANS) and the somatic (voluntary) nervous system. For the purposes of this topic, I'll focus only on the ANS.

 

In the spirit of subdivision, the ANS is further divided into the sympathetic (SNS; fight or flight), parasympathetic (PSNS; rest or digest) and enteric nervous systems. Physical movement is facilitated by the SNS. From an evolutionary standpoint, not dying took precedence over everything else, so the SNS is wired to override the other two systems when the brain deems it necessary. There's no time for rest when a predator wants to snack on you.

 

The muscles that are involved in movement are attached to our skeleton with tendons and are called, not surprisingly, skeletal muscles. The human musculoskeletal system is mechanically supported by large interweaving networks of fibrous collagen tissue called fascia. Muscles are comprised of muscle fibres. These fibres are often classified as Type I (slow twitch), Type IIa (fast twitch), Type IIx (super fast twitch) and hybrid. The nervous system is connected to the muscular system through neuromuscular junctions, where motor neurons control the contraction of muscle fibres. Multiple motor neurons often work together to contract a single muscle. The primary source of energy for physical activity comes from the oxidation of fats and carbohydrates, so proper diet and breathing are very important for optimal physical activity.

 

When your brain wants to activate a muscle, it sends an electrochemical signal down the spinal cord and through the sympathetic nervous system. This signal eventually reaches a motor neuron, which in turn contracts the muscle fibres that are connected to it. Since the amplitude of these signals (action potentials) is constant, the contractile force of a muscle fibre is proportional to the signal's frequency (it's frequency-modulated). Overall, muscle strength and size increases depend on hypertrophy (you exercise the muscle) and neuromuscular adaptations (your CMS becomes better at handling the stress generated by your movement).

 

The nervous system adapts to a particular type of motion through repetitive training, and different types of athletes have different nervous system behaviour based on their genetic make-up and exercise routine. For example, long distance runners can activate motor neurons connected to well developed slow-twitch muscles for energy efficient movement, while sprinters rely on their powerful fast-twitch muscles for speed. In general, muscle training is a matter of finding the right balance between endurance (small force output over a long period of time), strength (maximum force output over a short period of time) and speed (moderate force output over a very short period of time). The number and location of activated motor neurons is also very important for optimal performance.

 

References and Further Reading:

 

http://neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s2/chapter01.html

 

http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/understanding-your-fascia

 

http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/bodywork/fitness-coach/Is-It-Possible-to-Change-My-Muscle-Type.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_contraction

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential

 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/415559-neuromuscular-adaptations-due-to-strength-training/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy

 

 

4. Stress

Stress, the physiological reaction to a fight-flight-freeze (FFF) SNS response, stimulates the production of adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol hormones, which prepare the body for action. Stress is generally divided into two categories: eustress (good) and distress (bad). The difference between these categories lies in the type of stress response (fight, flight or freeze) and the way the released hormones are appropriated.

 

Here's a brief overview of the function of these stress hormones. Adrenaline and noradrenaline bind to receptors on the heart and heart vessels, increasing heart rate, muscle contraction and respiration. Your body's now primed for action, but it still requires energy. Cortisol provides this energy by binding to receptors on the fat cells, liver and pancreas. It inhibits unnecessary (according to the brain) functions like digestion, immune response and reproduction, while pumping out glucose to power the muscular system. 

 

Eustress is associated with a fight-or-flight response and has numerous health benefits. Physical exercise is a good example of eustress. All the generated energy is put into action and hormone production normalizes when the stimuli are no longer present. I'll go into a more detailed overview of all the positive effects of this state a bit later.

 

Distress is the bad guy in this story. It's triggered when your amygdala enters a prolonged freeze feedback loop. Something is causing you anxiety, but you don't know what that is or you can't act on it. You have to remain vigilant. Tests with animals have shown that random stimuli, unlike consistently good or bad stimuli, cause long-term health damage. The animal's freeze state is constantly on because it has no idea what dangers lie out there. It can't fight or run away from the unknown and it's severely distressed.

 

Physiologically, stress hormones keep building up in your system, generating muscle tension and energy that aren't put to use. Since there's no physical release of the FFF state, cortisol levels continue building up in your bloodstream and wreak havoc on your mind and body.

 

Due to our rapid technological and social development, the more primitive fear and pain centres in our brain haven't had the time to catch up through evolution. Even an offensive comment from a colleague can trigger an FFF response, which our rational faculties will try to inhibit. We perceive that we're in danger, but we can't act on it. If you've watched the Bomb in the Brain series, you already know that a traumatic childhood further contributes to this unhealthy dynamic, setting you up for a lifetime of health issues.

 

Physical exercise will not resolve the underlying causes of distress, but it will alleviate the associated negative side-effects by burning through the excess of stress hormones in your body. This factor alone is enough to consider incorporating regular exercise into your daily or weekly regimen.

 

Finding the motivation to exercise in a distressed condition, while difficult, is a matter of practice. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Avoid distractions like music so you can concentrate on the problem that's stressing you out. In my experience, thinking proactively about the problem (focusing on what you can control in the situation) while exercising provides the best of both worlds - you can better concentrate on finding a solution and you stay healthy in the process. Work on self-knowledge can be incredibly taxing on the body in terms of distress. It's also very difficult to apply your knowledge of philosophy when your body is in an FFF state. Don't try to suppress the stress response with exercise. Manage it! While I prefer the dual benefit of the health and stress relief that physical exercise provides, it's just one of many available approaches (massage, aromatherapy and so forth). Choose whatever works for you!

 

References and Further Reading:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/pdf/childhood_stress.pdf

 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1

 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/207432-adrenaline-cortisol/

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/adrenaline-cortisol-stress-hormones_n_3112800.html

 

http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/fall-2010/the-physiology-of-stress-cortisol-and-the-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis

 

 

5. Fatigue

So what happens during prolonged exposure to stress? Well, there's only so much your central nervous system can handle. Sending and coordinating signals to your muscular and cardiovascular systems will eventually cause your CMS to fatigue. Even if you can handle more stress physiologically, your brain considers it dangerous to continue reacting to the FFF stimuli. Chronic distress and excessive eustress can put a lot of strain on your CMS. They may even cause it to break down. This phenomenon, when caused by excessive eustress, is known as overtraining. Chronic distress can develop into mild or even severe chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

 

Essentially, the SNS goes rogue and overwhelms the PSNS, bringing about a constant FFF state. The PSNS is now unable to heal the body from the damage created by prolonged physical arousal. Recovery is very slow, and in the case of CFS, extremely difficult. Overtraining and CFS symptoms include fatigue, concentration issues, muscle and joint pain, constant headaches, stomach pain, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, depression, irritability, panic attacks and excessive sweating. PTSD and symptoms of CFS were observed in the entire population of Gulf War veterans. Needless to say, soldiers experience severe levels of distress.

 

Here's where it gets worse. A lot of the PTSD and CFS symptoms are the same, so there might be a lot of misdiagnosed trauma. What're more, if you're suffering from a mild form of CFS as a result of child abuse, you may not be aware of the symptoms because you don't have a standard for comparison. It's how you've felt your whole life. Athletes who overtrain and soldiers with CFS are acutely aware of the symptoms because the differences in their health are very obvious. Someone who's grown up with this issue may consider it normal.

 

Treatments for CFS include talk therapy and graded exercise therapy. Hang on, this is interesting! People exercise to cure fatigue? As it turns out, exercise reduces fatigue by strengthening and improving the efficiency of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

 

If you have a heightened FFF response that interferes with the healing functions of your PSNS as a result of childhood trauma, you may receive a lot of additional benefits from physical exercise.

 

References and Further Reading:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_nervous_system_fatigue

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_fatigue_syndrome

 

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/157/2/141.full

 

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chronic-fatigue-syndrome/Pages/Treatment.aspx

 

 

6. Health Effects

You may already be familiar with the numerous health benefits of exercising, but I'll briefly cover them in case you need a refresher.

 

The benefits of exercising on the cardiovascular system are well-known and thoroughly researched. There's no better way to prevent cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and heart failure. Exercise will also improve your blood circulation, strength and endurance. A stronger heart burns through more calories which will result in greater weight loss.

 

Regular exercise can really beef up your brain as well. It will improve the overall efficiency of your entire nervous system. It also facilitates the production of new neurons in the hippocampal area of the brain through a process called neurogenesis. The hippocampus is our learning and memory centre, so physically active people will experience improved learning ability, concentration and an increase in short-term and long-term memory capacity and retention. Neurogenesis is particularly important for older people because the brain starts to lose nerve tissue at around the age of 30. Through regular exercise, you can work towards preventing diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

 

Exercising can increase bone density, making your skeleton frame a lot tougher. This is important because chronic distress can result in more brittle bones and even osteoporosis.

 

Finally, one of the more unintuitive benefits is an overall reduction in fatigue. If you're chronically tired you may want to consider a gradual increase in your physical activity to alleviate the problem. Jumping into an intense workout program will only result in additional fatigue, so make sure you pace yourself appropriately.

 

References and Further Reading:

 

http://healthpsychology.org/health-psychology-meets-the-central-nervous-system/

 

http://jp.physoc.org/content/587/23/5551.long

 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/398179-what-happens-to-the-cardiovascular-system-during-exercise/

 

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/burn-calories-heart-beats-faster-8069.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurogenesis

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/your-brain-exercise-1C7262506

 

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro05/web2/mmcgovern.html

 

http://www.brainfacts.org/across-the-lifespan/diet-and-exercise/articles/2013/physical-exercise-beefs-up-the-brain

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/how-exercise-benefits-the-brain

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_physical_exercise_on_memory

 

http://nof.org/articles/238

 

http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/11/03/exercise-reduces-fatigue/385.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise#Health_effects

 

 

7. Priming

Priming seems to be a pretty controversial topic in the realms of psychology. There are indications of a dual correlation between emotions and physical movement. In other words, emotions can influence physical behaviour, and in turn, physical behaviour can influence emotions. For example, feeling happy may cause you to contract the muscles on your face in a smile, and smiling while feeling unhappy may improve your happiness. There's no conclusive evidence about the degree to which this is the case, but it's important to consider the possibility.

 

It's a well-known fact that emotions are associated with the activation of particular muscle groups. People can often identify an emotion by its effect on their body (fear is the best example of this). Even if the reverse - emotions being influenced by movement - isn't true, physical movement may still trigger emotional memory and cause you to re-experience a particular event that is associated with the type of motion that you're performing (body memory hypothesis).

 

Priming and body memory, while not strongly established, are worthwhile considerations for those of who work on self-knowledge. Changing the way we move may give us additional insight into our inner worlds. I've seen top athletes freeze on the dance floor. They were perfectly capable of performing the movements but were afraid of the associated feelings that often come up when we dance: "I can't relax when I dance even when I'm all by myself."

 

References and Further Reading:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priming_(psychology)

 

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0029081

 

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/01/18/primed-by-expectations-why-a-classic-psychology-experiment-isnt-what-it-seemed/#.UsB_Y_jxBOR

 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-natural-unconscious/201205/priming-effects-replicate-just-fine-thanks

 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479475

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_memory

 

 

8. Exercise Approaches

This part will only consist of my personal opinions, so take it for what it's worth. To establish at least some credibility, I was a competitive athlete for many years and have been very physically active since I was around 4 years old. I've got a minimum of three years of experience with martial arts, sprinting, football, basketball,volleyball and even Latin dancing. I've played other sports for shorter periods of time.

 

Physical exercise is no substitute for self-knowledge, but it can certainly complement it. If you're not particularly active, committing to an exercise regimen will be a long-term project as you may not see significant benefits even until the first year. There are lots of exercise programs that will offer you an instant six-pack and a permanent injury. Stay away from them because they're designed for people who want short-term value over long-term sustainability. The economics of hidden costs!

 

You can either research exercise techniques on your own or find an experienced coach. The goal is to have a program that fits your needs. Luckily, there's lots of information on the internet. Make sure your regimen fits in with your other activities as well. This, alongside habit, is the key to long-term commitment. Ideally, with slight modifications, you want your program to continue supporting you many years into the future. Don't get discouraged if you have to stop for a while. It's perfectly normal. The idea of the Aristotelian mean applies quite well in this case. You're not aiming for a perfect (What a terrible word!) track record, so keep your mind on the long-term goal and make your effort proportional to it.

 

If you've never exercised before, make sure you correct your posture by resolving muscle imbalances and build your core strength through bodyweight and light dumbbell training. You can do all this in the comfort of your room, so social anxiety won't be an issue. Don't forget to include lots of stretching before and after exercise! Once you have a solid foundation, you can move on to weight lifting or sports. Focus on proper form (how you move) over performance (how much force you can generate) if you want to stay healthy in the long run.

 

Finally, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to go for a team sport. Unless you've got control over who you play with, it's not a bad idea to avoid full-contact sports like rugby, football, basketball etc. because they attract a lot of aggressive people who want to channel their dysfunction into physical dominance. Even experienced players can get seriously injured by aggressive amateurs. Nowadays, volleyball is my sport of choice. It gives you a full-body workout while keeping you away from dangerous opponents. It's quite popular, so it's not hard to find people to play with.

 

 

9. Conclusion

This was certainly a long way of saying the following: Take care of your bodies, folks! I hope I managed to convince some of you to start doing that. An exercise regimen can certainly make its way into your New Year's resolution! In case you've never exercised, use the information presented here as a starting point for your own research. I'd be happy to address any questions or criticisms. If I've made an error, please let me know!

[kcq]

a very illuminating post. All FDR members are recommended to exercise and take care of their health. What also helps is having a good diet. Consuming the right amount of the right types of food helps your whole body and mind especially if you're planning to exercise.

 

I always thought religions in far east asia had strict regimen of training the body, for example monks who train martial arts every single day. But the disconnect is certainly there when you incorporate western religions who consider the body as a temporary vessel.

[Lians]

What prompted the writing of this post was a chat I had with a recent caller into the show who didn't know what to do about the physiological effects of his PTSD. I, myself, had undiagnosed PTSD as a toddler (bedwetting, frequent nightmares, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, insomnia, excessive sweating etc.) which I recently confirmed through an examination of my medical history.

 

What amazed me is that I didn't suffer from any of the severe health issues that PTSD brings with it. Insomnia and IBS flare up during periods of physical inactivity (poor diet is also a factor) and I still sweat quite a bit, but that's about it. Matter of fact, I was often praised for my health during blood tests and medical check-ups that I had to undergo as part of my training. I didn't have any concentration issues either. I'm not ignorant of statistics and I've seen the ACE studies, so I decided to investigate a little further.

 

It turns out that my parents signed me up for training because I was a very sickly child. They didn't know what to do, so they figured exercising should help. My diet was very poor (lots of soda and chocolate bars) and judging from the health issues in my family, I don't have "good genes" either. The only thing that kept me from breaking down was exercising. I figured others might benefit from this information.

[kcq]

our first and nearest proximity is arguably our body. failing to take care of that says alot of things on many levels. Our body is responsible for a majority of things in your life experience. some here might feel a disconnect between body and mind, other treat that as one. Having a body in a good condition helps you with self-defense, physical contact with objects, posture, health as mentioned, movement, and self-esteem among many others.

 

in one hour at any given time of the day, you can exercise your whole body, read 10 pages of a book, cook a meal, listen to a podcast, organize your stuff, and listen to your thoughts.

[cynicist]

Awesome compilation Lians. This is one of my biggest weaknesses: nourishing my mind at the expense of my body. (which ironically hurts my mind ) I'm looking forward to learning more, and I may revisit this thread for questions later.

[Rob_Ilir]

Great work Lians. 

[fractional slacker]

Lians - Thanks for posting. That is quite a comprehensive and detailed description for the importance of exercise. Not surprisingly I didn't learn any of that in public school. It was just go move around because it's good for you.

Which reminds me. I live near a high school. When it's sunny out I walk down to the track and field where the staff often bring students for gym class. What do they do? They play some sort of Capture the Flag game which has about the same amount of activity as a typical American baseball game. It looks tedious and I feel horrible the kids are forced to play this non sense while the staff are off chatting amongst themselves or looking at their iphone.

[Lians]

Lians - Thanks for posting. That is quite a comprehensive and detailed description for the importance of exercise. Not surprisingly I didn't learn any of that in public school. It was just go move around because it's good for you.

Which reminds me. I live near a high school. When it's sunny out I walk down to the track and field where the staff often bring students for gym class. What do they do? They play some sort of Capture the Flag game which has about the same amount of activity as a typical American baseball game. It looks tedious and I feel horrible the kids are forced to play this non sense while the staff are off chatting amongst themselves or looking at their iphone.

 

Given the overall quality of education, it's not surprising that they don't teach these things in school. It's also sad that the kids you saw will most likely learn to associate physical activity with compulsion. As usual, force achieves the exact opposite of its supposed goal.

[dsayers]

the kids you saw will most likely learn to associate physical activity with compulsion

 

Plus it's kind of creepy to have to take your clothes off after you're done in front of a bunch of other people, knowing the gym teacher could walk in at any time. I know all of this combined made me shy away from most physical activities for a very long time.

[Gunnhvatr]

I've noticed a surprising amount of people seem to hold the belief that mind and body are divorced from each other.  That you have to choose one at the total expense of the other.

[aFireInside]

Thanks for that, I suffer from fatigue ! 

Wow . 

I have been having trouble with motivation. I think its because my body relates studying as something dangerous because i over worked myself .

[lee1138]

I have heard reports that as little as 4 minutes of strenuous exercise a WEEK has a significant measurable benefit to overall health.  Your mileage may vary.

[fractional slacker]

Adam Carolla, of all people,  was a big influence on me as far as appreciating fitness goes. Back in the Love Line ( late 90s I think,  the radio show with Dr. Drew) days, he was talking about about sleeping issues. At that time I was battling depression and a messed up sleeping routine. Carolla shared a little analogy that just stuck with me. He said you ever notice how the people who have sleeping issues are never brick masons, ditch diggers, or roofers? It's always people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. His point being our bodies require some form of physical stress for health.Of course he said it in the funny way Carolla is known for and for which he has parlayed into a career.IMO sleep is a key component to evaluating one's health. It is also one of the easiest components to neglect, not without costs.

[jonschnee]

Thank you Lians for your article:)

 

I think I'll start jogging. Or riding a bike. Or go swimming from time to time. 

 

Therapy, delving into childhood stuff, thinking about more and more about my life has put some extra weight on my nervous system recently. I think I might wanna help my poor CNS a little now. It needs me now. And it seems like sport might be a good idea for me right now:)

 

So definitely some physical activity for me this Spring and Summer. And I'm gonna be more consistent with what I say I believe in, say I value my health, I might wanna start doing something about it. Thanks again, mate.

[Lians]

Some interesting information related to how your body influences your mind:

 

[Wiltin]

Great post! I have personally done some self experimentation to see how various forms of exercise alter my state of mind.

 

Of course, I found that my mood, patience, and sense of well being improves in the hours after exercise. What surprised me though is that raw effort and deliberate exertion seems to be proportional to the amount of benefit I feel to my mental state. Heavy weight lifting where I make fast and hard repetitions or playing a hard game of soccer that requires moments of full exertion are more beneficial than casual weight lifting or slow cardiovascular exercise such as cycling or backyard sport with friends. Maybe it's just me but pushing my body to its limit in a momentary deliberate way makes me feel great.

[Snafui]

Awesome compilation Lians. This is one of my biggest weaknesses: nourishing my mind at the expense of my body. (which ironically hurts my mind ) I'm looking forward to learning more, and I may revisit this thread for questions later.

 

I listen to lectures, audiobooks (both fiction and non-fiction), and podcasts while at the gym. It did take me some practice to do this with a lot of rewinding at first

[MMX2010]

I would like to tentatively recommend the Insanity program.  (And I say "tentatively" because it's a very challenging workout plan that has many well-deserved warnings attached to it.) 

 

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/fitness-review-beach-body-insanity-program does an excellent job of reviewing the program, but I want to add my own personal reviews/warnings. 

 

1.  I "tried-and-failed" the program six times before I finally got it right.  A "try-and-fail" is when you begin the program with completely earnest intentions, but then abruptly stop long enough to regress to "day zero". Some of these were because I have exceptionally weak lower back muscles, which would tear/pull really badly.  (Thankfully, you can find free lower-back strengthening and stretching exercises by typing "HASfit lower-back" into the YouTube search bar.)  But most of these were because:

 

2.  You CANNOT stick with this program unless your Exercise-Motivation-Philosophy, your Self-Care Skills, and your Self-Negotiating Skills are all perfect. 

 

My first exercise-motivation-philosophy was to "be more attractive", but that doesn't work because it feels like enslaving yourself to invisible future-beings. 

 

My second exercise-motivation-philosophy was to "be more healthy for myself, because it's the right thing to do".  (But this moralistic-language first triggers my Angry-Demanding-Father Parental Alter, which I inevitably defy.  And then it triggers my Helpless-Nihilistic-Mother Parental Alter, which puts me in a depressed, apathetic state for months after I abruptly quit.) 

 

My third exercise-motivation-philosophy is "because it's fun to see how much I've gotten better than I was yesterday, even if I haven't at all gotten better than I was yesterday".  Do you remember when you were between 4 and 8, just hanging out with other kids and one of them said, "Bet I can beat you in a race to that car over there!"?  That is the only attitude / spirit which can carry me through the exercises.    In this state, I find it both funny and fair to be flat on my face, completely exhausted - even though I should be performing an exercise.  (And by funny, I don't mean self-attack-funny nor bullying-funny; I mean cocky/encouraging funny.  "Oh hey!  Isn't it funny how we always meet when you've hit the proverbial wall, when you've squeezed every last bit of energy from your lungs or muscles, and you just can't do anything? hah hah hah") 

 

3.  Because sleep, food-intake, and (especially) caffeine / alcohol intake have to be balanced just-right, you'll probably "try-and-fail" the program once or twice based on the above reasons.  You'll also have to negotiate with yourself over these parameters. 

 

4.  This program is excellent at producing cardiovascular fitness, general flexibility, core balance, and general-muscle-tone BUT if you're trying to get "ripped" you'll have to lift weights. 

 

5.  A pre-workout drink (such as C4 or Volt) is highly recommended, followed by a whey protein shake. 

 

Even if this program isn't for you, I can't over-emphasize how surprised I was that any serious and consistent exercise program will trigger your abusive parental alters.  And every single one of them has to be acknowledged and patiently negotiated with.

[Pepin]

I am on Juggernaut FitnessTV's novice program, and I've found that lifting heavy comes with a lot more benefits in terms of stress, proprioception, sleep, and energy. Becoming stronger is also quite nice.

[MMX2010]

I am on Juggernaut FitnessTV's novice program, and I've found that lifting heavy comes with a lot more benefits in terms of stress, proprioception, sleep, and energy. Becoming stronger is also quite nice.

 

Once I move, I'm going to add strength training to my regimen.  There's a certain justice in becoming stronger bodily as I become stronger philosophically. 

[adaywillcome]

Thanks, Lians. This was a nice boost in getting motivated to move again.

[AustinJames]

Great post!  This article may also be of interest to anyone with creative ambitions:

 

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/april/walking-vs-sitting-042414.html

 

 

 

Stanford researchers found that walking boosts creative inspiration. They examined creativity levels of people while they walked versus while they sat. A person's creative output increased by an average of 60 percent when walking.

 

I am interested to know whether Stefan is familiar with this research, or if his proclivity for walking is merely intuitive.

[Jeremy Dahl]

Fantastic post!As someone who has battled weight, depression, respiratory illness, allergies, anxiety, etc etc, and is now in the best shape of my life, I can strongly vouch for the wide reaching effectiveness of exercise.

 

There are almost no parts of my existence that have not been enhanced by improved fitness, including profession, cognition, and relationships.As people increase their level of fitness they most commonly improve their nutrition, which has a multiplying effect on the deep impacts of fitness.Lian hit the nail on the head, work out for life, make it fun and find something that works for your life, but do not forget to push your comfort level a bit. 

[Pepin]

A skill that I have been developing is understanding continual improvement and planning long term. When you become a bit more serious about fitness and health, you manage the day to day while keeping your longer term goals in mind. There is also something about strength training where it becomes far more obvious that you need to put in the work to progress. It is true of everything, but first hand experience is nice.

 

Most of my life, I've never really had to try to get results, so running into barriers is pretty difficult. Like in school, I never had an issue understanding the material, and would always get good grades. It wasn't until college that I started actually having the issue of not understanding a topic, and having to really work to gain fluency. This is very confusing and it isn't something at all that I've figured out in the last 4 years since I dropped out. With trying to gain strength and the mentality that is needed for it, I'm having an easier time facing struggles in other areas of my life.

 

Might sound a little strange, but I think Elliot Hulse is onto something.

[Devon Gibbons]

What does CMS stand for? Central musculoskeletal system?

[Mark Serene]

That was a very interesting read, thank you! I have just started Elliot Hulse's Lean-Hybrid-Muscle training program last week, and so far I feel relaxed and focused throughout the day. Last week I also gave up drinking coffee after drinking about a pot or more a day for the last few years. I really enjoy Elliot Hulse's warm-ups and energy-boosters like shaking and vibrating because they have helped tremendously as caffeine-alternatives and I feel a little more confident about myself after doing them because they make you look and feel ridiculous. 

[Pepin]

I think Elliot is a decent example of a rational spirituality. The rational part may be hit or miss, but I think the subjective aspect of our mind and body is given too little attention. I am very science oriented, and most claims made by Elliot are not scientific at all, but I think there is a role for that kind of thought. Mindset shifts are quite important in life and in fitness, and they are not directly measurable.

 

For instance, with pull ups, you might think about pulling the bar down to you instead of pulling yourself up. There is no real difference in the movements as you are essentially doing the same thing, but changing your perception can make it easier and result in more gain. I find this to be the same with self help advice, like seeing problems as opportunities does not change the circumstance, but it certainly affects your perception of it and how you handle it.

 

There may be methods which really ought not to work, but for some reason do. You might not have emotion pent up in your body, but attempting to release emotion and stress through vigorous shaking might still provide a large benifit. I hesitate to call this placebo, but rather mind body management. I think there could be studies that show the effectiveness of particular methods, but since much of it deals with subjective content, it might be difficult to quantify the gains and losses.

[Mark Serene]

Thanks, Pepin. "Rational spirituality" is a phrase that I've been searching for to explain what you just said so eloquently. Its sort of like dream analysis where you could never prove to anyone that your dream occurred or that it meant something, but the subjective emotional benefit is sometimes chilling in its discovery. If your perspective on dream analysis is that its phony, then any attempt in it is going to end up, I would think, with a lot of creative potential blocked because of your belief. Whereas, being completely open to the idea will lead to you putting forth a creative effort in learning about your self. 

 

I know I have come a long way from talking about exercise, but I think, at least for me, the idea of rational spirituality needs to be explored further if we are to understand and fully benefit from the use of conscious minds. I feel pretty uneasy about whether or not I'm making any sense right now. Haha *Laughs to manage anxiety

[st434u]

You should know that Elliot Hulse has admitted to using steroids in the past to build muscle. Some people believe he still does, I don't know.

 

I used to think his ramblings were interesting, but eventually I started to get a sinking sensation when I was watching them or when a new one would pop up, and when thinking back, I think most of the ideas were just rehashed empty motivational speak.

[Mark Serene]

Wow, nope. Didn't know that. Thanks for the enlightening post. I was wondering why the training manual had me buy all those needle kits. 

[Pepin]

You should know that Elliot Hulse has admitted to using steroids in the past to build muscle. Some people believe he still does, I don't know.

 

He probably does not anymore, but it really doesn't matter if he does, as his standards and advice is pretty realistic for drug free lifters. Being enhanced doesn't discredit advice at all, unless you're a bodybuilder, in which case you likely shouldn't be giving advice.

[Mark Serene]

As far as workout and nutrition go, Elliot's program has been kicking my ass these last few weeks and he does a great job explaining in detail the benefits of everything that's going on. Of course, it will take some more time till I get "THE RESULTS YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!", but I'm happy with the extra energy and focus I have throughout my day. 

[Pepin]

Well, if you have average genetics, are working out with enough progressive overload, and are in a calorie surplus: you ought to be able to see results pretty quickly. It might take up to five years to look like you are really strong, but you can get really good results in just a year. I've been lifting with a good program for about 10 months and I certainly now look somewhat muscular, not extremely muscular like a bodybuilder, but enough for most to consider me muscular.

 

Honestly, looking muscular is a bit of a farce, as you get mostly judged on your arm size. It is difficult to see the chest, back, and legs when you are wearing a shirt. I've shown a progress picture to my boss at work, and he knew I was muscular, but didn't think I was that muscular.

[Mark Serene]

Haha I see guys at the gym all of the time who look similar to this.

[AccuTron]

From a yoga book:  Enough is necessary, enough is enough.  (Stop trying to prove something!!)

 

Cats and dogs and other animals allowed to move around are in great shape.  They NEVER do sit-ups; probably don't want to cause a hernia or spinal injury.  They don't have paid coaches to misguide them.  

 

I NEVER had a P.E. teacher, where the E is for education, actually explain or guide me on anything, even if it was dangerous.  (Except for Shirley at Coral Gables Bowling Lanes in 1966; I still know how to bowl.  Hi, Shirley.)

 

PE classes convinced me that I was a slow uncoordinated fat loser.  Only when I got away on my own did I discover I'm actually a natural athlete.