Things I've learned

I’m coming up on the fourth anniversary of the day I decided I was going to take back my health from the brink of disaster, and I’m doing a bit of reflecting on what I’ve learned. It’s been twenty five years since I first started playing with barbells in earnest, and I’ve been through a lot of programs and more ups and downs than I’d care to admit.

I like to think that I’ve gained some knowledge along the way, either through trial and error or by spending a significant amount of time reading and evaluating information I’ve searched for or come across. By sharing this, I hope some of you will pick up a thing or two that helps you on your own journey.

These apply to everyone, now matter what you’re trying to do:

1. You need to decide what you want. Even though I said these are in no order, you really should do this one first. What are you trying to accomplish? Is it realistic? Is it sustainable? Do you really WANT to sustain it long term? Can you measure it? Get to the bottom of what you’re really looking for. For example, I want to gain weight or I want to lose weight are substandard goals. Why? Because lean body mass is important. You want to add muscle. You want to lose fat. Goals like that will shape what you do, and they will keep you focused.
2. Align what you like to do with your goals. If you really enjoy going for very long runs, it would be silly to have a goal to add thirty pounds of muscle and enter a bodybuilding competition. You will be working against yourself, and will get nowhere, or you will be giving up something you really enjoy doing.
3. Whatever your fitness goals, diet will be at least 85% of the equation. Health and fitness begin at the grocery store. The types of foods you bring home will set you up for success or failure. If your goal is fat loss, you just cannot outwork a bad diet. A pound of fat equates to 3,500 calories. That could take more than 5 hours of exercise to burn off. If you frequently splurge, it will be very difficult to drop fat from your body. If your goal is to gain muscle, providing your body with substandard or inadequate amounts of nutrients will not optimize your ability to build muscle. It is absolutely critical to understand this point.
4. Train to your goals. If you want to build a lot of muscle, you need to train to that, and, more importantly, eat to that as I’ve noted above. It is very, very difficult to add significant muscle mass while you’re trying to lose a significant amount of weight. If you want to be a power lifter, you will train very differently that someone training for a triathlon. There will always be some crossover, but you need to train with your goals in mind.
5. Exercise is a catalyst for change. Food is a major factor, but exercise is critical for achieving your goals and improving your health and well being. It cannot be ignored.
6. Everyone benefits from some form of strength training. What and how much will depend upon what your goals are, but this should be a part of everyone’s program.

My next post will be a bit more specific to what I do and my own thoughts on health, fitness, nutrition and wellness.