How to Restart Your Exercise Routine Using What Worked

This week in building health 👇

To Stay Active, See What Worked for You Before

These days it’s been HOT here in the Philippines.

So I haven’t been exercising at all. I’ll go for a morning walk, stretch a bit, and that’s about it. It’s the least I’ve been exercising all year.

While it’s easy to blame the heat, it doesn’t change the fact that I still have to do something.

So what changed? What worked before?

Earlier this year in March I had my most active month of 2023.

During March I did all of this:

• Walked 12,000 steps each day

• Went hiking on 3 out of 4 weekends

• Lifted weights on 23 out of 31 days.

That was the peak for me.

But I don’t think I can simply do that again right now.

• It’s been raining, so hiking is out

• It’s too hot to walk that much

• And gym has become a bit uninspiring to me

Don’t just copy-paste, figure out why it was so effective for you

Even though I can’t recreate this routine in its entirety, I can still figure out why it worked well for me. Thinking this way, and understanding why things work or don’t work for you can do you wonders.

When I analyze it, these worked because:

• I had joined a step challenge in March (so I put all my extra time to walking)

• I had a hiking buddy for each of those 3 weekends

• I had just signed up for a new gym

Based on that, I can extract these two principles

It’s easier for me to stay active when there’s social motivation

and

I like novelty, and benefit from the ‘new gym’ // ‘new workout’ feeling

Learn the principles then reapply them

With that in mind, how can I apply that to my workouts today.

Novelty, ‘new gym’, and ‘new workout’ is easy

I just need to pick something that I think is fun and doable right now! I addressed this recently by signing up for a “Muscle Up Training” cohort- which is pretty exciting.

Added bonus is the social element that comes with that.

For social motivation, I’ll consider something new

I still have my hikes (though less often because of the weather). And I remember early this year I joined a JiuJitsu class- which was fun and inspiring (until I got injured)

So maybe it’s time to find a new class that I can join for the hot months of the year.

It’s a constantly changing process, there’s is no once-and-for-all

Since my goal is to keep moving, it’s going to go through cycles of ups and downs.

Each time movement is on a down though, that’s the time to go back to the principles, refresh and rediscover ways to move again.

My favorite health things for the week

// one

Embracing stress is more important than reducing stress

12 minutes | Clifton B. Parker

We hear a lot about how stress has negative effects on health.

It can lead to increased risk of illness, depression, and even early deat.

So what’s this about embracing stress?

This does not mean denying its harmful impact.

It's about balancing one's mindset to feel less overwhelmed and hopeless in the face of stress.

Because stress is inevitable- we all go through it. So it makes more sense to prepare and practice dealing with it. Embracing stress requires a tolerance for ambiguity and recognizing that it can have both negative and positive outcomes.

These skills can change your relationship with stress to one of personal growth and resilience.

→ Read the Post to Learn more

// two

Why do we lose muscle strength with age?

4 minutes | Peter Attia

Part of getting older is losing some muscle quality— it’s simply inevitable.

On top of this, the principle of “use it or lose it” applies here also. Meaning that without regular exercise and activity, our muscles and their strength deteriorate.

Just a friendly reminder that it’s important to stay active and keep exercising throughout your life.

→ Read the Post to Learn more

// three

Interval Training May Be the Most Efficient Way to Improve Endurance

17 minutes | Steve Kamb

I have a confession to make— I don’t really like pushing my heart rate

I like doing slow, steady state training — or lifting weights.

But if I want to stay healthy over time, it’s kind of a non-negotiable.

And when it comes to building endurance, Interval Training is the best. There are tons of studies on this, but the most famous ones are this and this.

To summarize them:

6 weeks of moderate-intensity endurance training did not affect anaerobic capacity, but that 6 weeks of high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) may improve both anaerobic capacity and VO2max simultaneously.

So the most efficient thing I can do is Intervals, and right now for me that’s going out for a run, with 4 minutes where I push, followed by 3 minutes where I go lighter.

But there are many ways to do interval trainings, and I’m sharing a great guide to getting started with it, no matter what your preference is.

→ Check out the Guide

Thanks for reading!

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Until next week,