Welcome to Week 2 of The New Year’s Phase 1 Challenge as we shift our key focus from a healthy diet over to regular and dynamic movement.
Yesterday I spoke about the importance of understanding the impact of all of our decisions on the ultimate state of the body. Are all of our decisions that we make all day long supporting good health, or are we really only focused on one or two particular areas and hoping that those carry us along?
When it comes to taking on the modern, industrialized world and all of the novel factors that are misaligned with the natural design of the human body, good health is an all-in effort. We must be able to look at our entire day, putting in an effort in any way we can so that we stand a chance against the full force of poor health and modern disease that is so prevalent in today’s society.
When thinking about diet, we can focus on what we are putting into our bodies to nourish it – that is, to allow cells, organs, and other systems to function as they need to while also providing the physical stuff (e.g. proteins, lipids) that will actually make up the physical structure of the body. The last piece is then how we do not want to send to wrong stuff into the body such that it becomes a burden on the systems supporting the body, making the cellular environment too stressful or toxic to function properly.
The idea is the same with movement. When thinking about how we move our bodies, we can focus on the signals we send to it via our actions that result in certain beneficial adaptations (e.g. muscle fiber recruitment, mitochondrial biogenesis*). Moreover, we can think about the physical changes that are caused by exercise (e.g. the breakdown and re-building of muscle tissue). Lastly, we must be careful not to put too much of a burden on the body, overloading systems with excessive breakdown (by working muscles too hard) or chronic stress signals (by working out too intensely too frequently).
This week, I am going to walk you through all of the above, along with how you can set up your time to ensure that you are supporting the physical health of your body to the best of your ability.
Let’s get started.
As I introduced yesterday, a primary goal of this week is to move away from exercise as a set period of time devoted to one specific goal (burning calories) and towards embracing movement as a regular part of our day such that we accomplish a broad set of goals. Yesterday I discussed one in particular which is central to The Reprogrammed Systems Model as it relates to the progression of poor health and modern disease: that is, the inability to effectively oxidize fats as a fuel source.
Now I want to add in a couple of other items that are essential for a life free of the dysregulation and dysfunction currently seen distributed across the population.
First, we need a strong and stable body capable of supporting itself. The most significant risk factor for early death is not high fat percentage or cholesterol levels – it is your lean mass percentage – the density of your bones and percentage of muscle. When the body loses this lean mass, it loses its ability to support itself, and in that case, the risk of falling and serious injury becomes a significant problem.
Second, we need the mobility of our bodies so that they can move dynamically without resulting in injury. The modern body is one that is capable of just a few basic movements: sitting, standing, and walking. This means that any time we go to do something different (lifting a heavy table), the body is at risk for a debilitating injury.
Finally, that most important one I discussed in greater detail yesterday: oxidative capacity. We need our bodies to be able to effectively utilize the sources of energy that we provide. If our cells can’t actually use the fat delivered to them, then that fat and its by-products will build up inside our cells while we are left with low energy.
All in all, our goals for building in regular movement into our day will revolve around the following:
- Strength and Stability
- Mobility
- Oxidative Capacity
As we move through the week, I will help you understand the specific actions that you can take to achieve each goal.
Getting started today, I have one simple task for you:
Your task to accomplish, today, is to take a look at your day and identify pockets of time throughout in which you can add in movement. These will vary from short periods of time (a few minutes) in which you can perform 1 or 2 short exercises, to extended period of time in which you can fully immerse yourself in physical activity.
Focus today simply on understanding that these periods of time do exist as opportunities for movement throughout your day. Understand that consistency over time will get you results, even if it is just a minute or two here and there.
Then, tomorrow, we will begin walking through the specific actions we can take to help us achieve each goal.
1-5 minute pockets: These short periods of time are to be seen as opportunities to take a little bit of action that adds up to significant outcomes over time. You do not have to have an extended period of time to get in a full workout. You can get the same benefit if you spread it out throughout the day if you are consistent.
These pockets are already spread throughout your day; all you have to do is identify them.
- Do you have an extra two minutes before jumping into the shower? What about while dinner is on the stove?
- Is there a pull-up bar in your house that you walk under throughout the day? Do you have a few seconds to put in a set?
- Can you get up from your desk routinely so that you can take a lap around the office or up and down a set of stairs?
20-60 minute pockets: You may already have one or two of these in your day, or if not, your task now is to create them. These pockets of time are for a bit more serious effort, although these do not have to mean getting all sweaty and requiring any more time to recover.
- Do you have time to go for a walk at lunch, or a walk/jog right after work?
- Do you have a specific time to put in a short set of lifting in your own living room?
- Can you make time for your own yoga routine?
60+ minute pockets: This is time that you can spend actively engaging in activities that you enjoy while you build up your oxidative capacity.
- organized sports
- running, biking, swimming, hiking
- rock-climbing
- organized gym workout
This is time to have fun while you help improve your body. It may be more difficult to perform regularly, but making the time throughout your week is well-worth it, as the payoff goes beyond physical and into mental (mood, cognitive ability).
Once again, the ask for today is simply to identify (or to make) these times in your day. There is no need to stress over checking every single box. If you seriously cannot find a time to make it to the gym or go on a run 3-4 times a week, focus instead on finding more shorter pockets of time.
Then, tomorrow, we’ll begin filling in these pockets with action.