Lifestyle Optimization Pt 1 – Becoming More Active

If you’ve been feeling off mentally, physically, and emotionally as of late, the odds are that one or more things in your lifestyle need some proper optimizing.

And well, the truth is that most people feel that way nowadays, whether it is chronic or just from time to time.

This is without a doubt because the cities we live in make life relatively easy – We tend to live sedentary lives, and while doing so, we can easily get junk food delivered to our doorstep.

It almost seems like the cities were designed to deprive us of our natural ways of moving and eating.

With this in mind, we’ve decided to share our take on this in a 2-part article series, with the goal of helping you optimize your lifestyle, which will, in turn, lead to a better quality of life overall.

In this first part, we’ll get through one of the most important aspects of lifestyle optimization – Becoming more active!

But first, let’s answer an uncommon yet important question.

Is Fitness An Achievement?

Many people nowadays consider that becoming active and having good habits as a whole is somewhat an achievement.

But with the above-said in mind, we concluded that the modern-day lifestyle has taken us away from our natural movement & eating patterns.

Therefore… If or when you start moving more, eating & sleeping well and improving your levels of fitness… Is that an achievement, or just something you get back to?

Well, that’s certainly some food for thought, but for now, let’s have a look at the different types of training one can do to get back to the natural fitness that we’re all supposed to have and enjoy.

Types Of Training

If you know a thing or two about the human body or have heard about certain sports achievements of fellow human beings, you know for a fact that the body is capable of a LOT.

This is perhaps due to the myriad of environments the human body has been through and had to adapt and thrive in.
And well, whatever the case may be, facts are facts – We have access to an incredibly capable configuration of muscles and bones.
Now, generally speaking, most types of training/exercise fall into two main categories – Aerobic & Anaerobic.
Both of these utilize different components in the body and lead to different adaptations (end results of the training stimulus).
So let’s analyze each type of training so you can determine which one fits your goals better.

Anaerobic Training

First and foremost, we have the most common type of exercise – Anaerobic training.
The term “anaerobic” is derived from the 3 Greek words – An, aeros & bios, meaning “no,” “air,” and “life,” respectively.
In simple words, anaerobic training activities do not require oxygen to use up the energy needed to execute the movement.
Generally speaking, anaerobic training activities are of high intensity and short in duration.
Think weightlifting, sprints, HIIT training, etc.
This type of training engages the fast-twitch muscle fibers, responsible for power output, maximum strength and… Visual muscular development!

In terms of hormonal stimulus, visual changes to the body & the development of strength, explosiveness, and strength endurance, this is the type of training you’d want to opt for.

Aerobic Training

On the other hand, we have Aerobic exercise, also referred to as “cardio training.”
This is opposite to anaerobic and thus, requires oxygen for the energy to be used during activity.
Aerobic training activities are of low intensity, but as compared to anaerobic exercises, they are way longer in duration.
Think of aerobic training as any activity that isn’t strenuous but is long in duration.

Aerobic training activities include but are not limited to:

Jogging
Running
Rope skipping
Swimming
Cycling

Aerobic training activities don’t really have a prominent effect on visual & strength development, but they can help you increase long-distance endurance by optimizing the work of your heart & lungs.

Which Type Should I Choose?

To further clarify what we’ve said so far, think of the two types of training as… Two types of training with different results!
Ultimately, there isn’t really a “better” type of training if it’s not put into context.
What we mean here is that both types of training have their advantages, simply because they produce different end results!
Both have health benefits.
Both help you develop certain physical properties.
Both allow you to enjoy the freedom of movement.

Ultimately, your best bet is to do both on a regular basis, with an emphasis on the one that resonates more with your goals.

Do you want to be stronger, more explosive, and improve your body visually? Go for anaerobic training and do some cardio (aerobic training) here and there.

Do you not care about looks and strength as much but want to be a beast over long distances? Go for aerobic training and do some weights here and there.

Try This!

If you’re someone who just wants to get off of their butt and get a little from everything that the body is capable of, try this simple workout routine 2 to 3 times a week, with at least two days of rest between each session.

NOTE: “Close to failure” means that the set should be challenging and get you close to the point where you can’t complete another rep unassisted.

Exercise	Sets	Reps/duration	Rest times between sets
Rope skipping	1	4-5 mins
Squats (Either bodyweight, barbell or machine)	5	6+ close to failure	2.5 to 3 minutes
Horizontal or incline bench press (either with barbell or dumbbells)	5	6+ close to failure	2.5 to 3 minutes
Deadlift (Either with a barbell or dumbbells)	5	5, close to failure	3 minutes
Rope skipping/other cardio activity	1	20 mins

This full-body circuit will give you the best of both worlds – Plenty of stimulus for strength, explosiveness and visual development, but also a great deal of cardio endurance!

Sooner or later, you’ll be addicted to seeing improvements in how you look, perform and feel!

And trust us – When this happens, you’ll be HOOKED and will look for ways to further improve this.

When that happens, reach out to us at _______

And until then, remember that movement is just one part of lifestyle optimization.

The other, even more important part is to make the right food choices.

We have that covered, too, so follow up with us over on the 2nd part of this article series by clicking HERE!

See you there!