I have been doing some research to help me better understand what healthy exercise looks like. Like with diet plans, there is not a lack of ideas on the subject of exercise. For some 30+ years we have been told that in order to stay healthy you have to have cardio and weight training to keep your strength up and you bone density in tact. If you are not sweating and your heart is not racing, you are not exercising.
The problem is that we tend to overdo everything; taking them to the extremes.
I like to use the term "Bigger, better, faster, more" to describe the typical western consumer mentality. For example: If a 42" TV is good then an 80" projection screen is better. If an "econo-box" car is good then a luxury sedan is better... If a 1/4 lbs hamburger is good then a full pound has to be better right? Just one (1) hamburger patty, NO WAY I need three (3) patties to be happy oh, and BIGGIE SIZE that fry for me!
In this system of "consumer programming" driven by market study groups and some very sophisticated marketing science, it only stands to reason that we hear "exercise at 50 to 80 percent of your maximum capacity" (American Heart Association Standards)
and we translate that to "run till your drop!" "Push as hard as you can"; "FEEL THE BURN!" and even "PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY". If I have not heard these myself I have seen them on popular gym t-shirts.
The problem with this programming is that we are taxing our bodies beyond designed functional limits. Do you really think we were designed to dead lift 800 pounds? What about professional athletes? They are the epitome of good health right? According to some insurance companies the average life expectancy of a professional football player is between 55 and 56 years of age! READ THE ARTICLE Not that they are in poor health they just push their bodies so hard for so long that they get damages and burn out. Is that what we want? In my 29 years of martial training I came up in this "push hard" mindset and can tell you from personal experience that I have paid dearly for doing such physically demanding training. If it were not for my Tai Chi and Qigong training I would be in MUCH worse shape right now, especially if I had continued on that path.
Fight or Flight Mechanism...
Stress. the body's natural reaction to stress is to stimulate a "Fight or Flight" response. Here are some of the symptoms of that response mechanism...
* Acceleration of heart and lung action
* Inhibition of stomach and intestinal action
* Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body
* Liberation of nutrients for muscular action
* Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
* Inhibition of lacrimal glands (responsible for tear production) and salivation
* Dilation of pupil
Notice any similarity with this list and how you feel during and after a grueling workout? it is not a coincidence, you are stimulating this fight or flight mechanism by pushing too hard in your training routine! The idea behind health exercise is to work the body not wear it out. There have been many studies showing that weight training increases bone density. It is true, the body will respond to the demands placed on it as part of the survival mechanisms we have in place. If we live a very sedentary life then our muscles and bones will get more fragile. Move it or lose it!
So, back to the original question...What is good exercise?
If your personal fitness goal is to be generally healthy with energy and vitality then you will want to exercise 30 to 60 minutes, at about 50% of your maximum capacity at least 4 or 5 times a week. This will stimulate all the important systems for health without taxing them to the point of triggering a survival mode response. If you can swim 20 laps in a pool and end up exhausted for 2 days then swim 10 laps everyday you can and feel good about it. Tai Chi and Qigong training are both very good at working the cardio, muscular, nervous and respiratory systems while creating a demand on the skeletal structure as well through its slow, demanding movements. The most important points to a good exercise program are;
* You enjoy it enough to do it frequently (at least 4 or 5 times a week)
* You work to 50% of your maximum capacity
* Incorporate deep breathing to exercise your lung capacity
* Listen to your body, if you are feeling weak or stressed after a workout then you are doing too much for your current fitness level
By all means, whatever you chose to use as a way to stay healthy, please enjoy it! Life it too short, Smile from the Heart!
1 comment:
Seriously, has your blog become a place to tell me all about weight training? ;o)
I can't say I ever have any of those symptoms (besides the occasional acceleration of heart and lung action) after a grueling workout. But they sound very unpleasant.
I enjoyed this entry. Thanks for writing it.
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