Staying physically fit in a lockdown (part 1)

Physical fitness

1/23/2021

Physical exercise is essential to well-being. When the walk to the bus station or the bike ride to work is replaced by a 5 ft walk to the home office, then we need a plan to get the muscles moving and pulse elevated. There are two elements that require attention: a.) making a habit out of self-motivated exercise and b.) devising a balanced training plan.

A habit takes between 21 and 28 days to form. It means that until completing this time period, there is resistance to overcome. This applies to any change, whether it is becoming vegetarian, losing weight, or getting rid of any unwanted behavior, for that matter.

If the resistance to start is overwhelming, then Neuro-Associative Conditioning developed by Tony Robbins (author of "Unlimited Power"), might provide a remedy. Imagine the impact of the current pattern of laziness. Envisage the result of continuing this adverse behavior: shoulder and back pain, predisposition for cancer and cardiovascular diseases (visceral fat) later in life, not fitting into loved clothes, etc.

Emotionally elevating that imaginary pain triggers a response of a strong dissatisfaction or deep unease. At the same time, a glimpse of the feeling of pleasure as a result of the first signs of success is mentally unfolding. In essence, stimulating the brain in two areas - pain and pleasure - conditions us to follow through because eventually it feels natural and gives us the hormonal rewards which make our new behavior a habit, leading us to ultimate pleasure.

Once the person without any present physical activity has overcome this obstacle, how is a workable plan devised? The WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (article). "Aerobic" means that the person is still able to speak without exertion. To keep the stress on the joints low, one should consider walking, cycling, swimming (the outdoor season starts soon again!), or guided online gymnastic exercises (e.g., with resistance bands).

To reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (plaque forming in the blood vessels) for example the University of Rochester Medical Center (1) recommends: "It's OK to start slowly and work up to at least 30 to 40 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week. But before you start, ask your healthcare provider's advice about what kind of exercise program is right for you."

A peer-reviewed article (2) recommends tracking the waist circumference: men with circumference > 102 cm and women with waist circumference > 88 cm should reduce their weight.

I am at 94 cm and have a Body Mass Index of 23,2 kg/m². Both are quite OK, but not where I want to be. In the next article, I will explain what kind of personal exercise schedule (aerobic for endurance, anaerobic for improving strength, yoga for flexibility) and nutrition plan I have developed to improve my physical fitness and health.

References:

1.) What You Can Do to Prevent Atherosclerosis, URMC; https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=1583

2.) Waist circumference as a measure for indicating need for weight management; M. E. Lean, T. S. Han, and C. E. Morrison; BMJ. 1995 Jul 15; 311(6998): 158–161.

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