Adapt or Decline!

Same with health. When is the best time to start focusing on and prioritising your health? Probably twenty years ago. And the next best time is today!

Let's take muscle. Muscles don't decline from use; they decline from disuse.

THREE THINGS

1. You are stronger than you think!
2. You were built to move.
3. Comfort accelerates decline.

Our bodies are great at excuses, even more so when you're hungry. When I was training for Ironman, I learned this only too well. I would head out for a run, and after a few kilometres, the mind games would begin, with the brain prioritizing energy preservation. The brain doesn't play fair or honestly. It comes up with arbitrary, unrelated excuses to get you to stop exercising or slow down. "You might fall or get injured", "Remember that email you need to send, need to get it done now", "You could be finishing work and earning money rather than be doing this right now, so cut it short," and the list goes on. Any and every convincing excuse offered has nothing to do wth exercise. 

Eventually, I came up with the mantra "Don't think, just run".

So bottom line, movement is one way to adapt.

BUILT TO MOVE

Read books like "Endure" by Alex Hutchinson, "Why We Run" by Bernd Heinrich, and "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall to understand how humans are built for movement, mental endurance, and energy efficiency, not sedentary living and comfort-based lifestyles.

• We have long legs, spring-like mechanics, and energy-efficient movement (Running and walking).
• We can sweat across the entire body to cool efficiently. We win by not overheating.
• We also have large hearts, dense capillary networks, and a high aerobic capacity, so oxygen delivery is optimised and muscles can work for long periods.
• Think about mood, we feel better, even happier, after movement.
• Our skeletons respond to movement by strengthening bones, not by causing bone loss.
• Our muscles are designed for slow-twitch and fast-twitch fibers, and for higher resistance fatigue than most animals.
• We are built to move repeatedly.
• Our biggest advantage is our energy system: we can store glycogen for quick fuel and fat for long-term fuel, and switch between the two.

Comfort is everywhere now, and the trap. Micro movements are just about gone; we have a remote to do just about everything. We don't even have to get out of the car at quick-serve restaurants. 

Movement is your friend, but it is sabotaged at every corner.

DAILY CHOICES

1. Move everyday.
2. Don't outsource your health; educate yourself. Take ownership.
3. Eat well, most of the time. Protein and nutrients are key.
4. Train your brain. 
5. Be accountable. Join a group, train with others.