I reflect on my current beliefs about exercise. If any of these beliefs are questionable, please share in the comments. In Organic Learning, we constantly re-examine our assumptions to see whether they are valid. The word ‘RE-SEARCH’ has the same philosophy: to SEARCH the truth AGAIN.
sedentary lifestyle (lack of movement) may be a leading cause of many health issues
movement (physiology) is directly linked to emotion and thought and vice versa. Hence, changing our posture or moving our bodies can change our mood instantaneously. A simple experiment is to do a jumping jack or air squat. It can immediately alter your emotional state.
‘no pain, no gain’ is only partially true. It is true that we need to stress our body to make it grow stronger, but it is not true that the longer or harder we work out, the better. We shall learn to exercise smart, not hard. Ultramarathon is not the ‘ideal’ exercise for fitness, as it may cause more harm than wellness for most people.
the basic level of fitness can be attained without intentional exercise. We only need to have frequent movements and use our muscles. This was the #1 advice I share with those who dislike exercise: you can get tremendous health benefits by simply moving your body more frequently, with no need for vigorous exercise.
if we do not like to exercise, it is still important to exercise our core muscles and thigh muscles
if we don’t use our muscles, we will lose
exercise in the morning, especially exposure to the first ray, can help us sleep better at night. Exercising too late at night may disturb our sleep. I still walk on my treadmill after dinner but do not exercise vigorously.
it is possible to reverse aging or stay fit even when we age
It is not your fault if you do not feel like exercising. From the evolutionary standpoint, exercise is not essential, but body movement is essential. Hence, I do not classify ‘exercise’ as one of the core pillars of health. Human biology is designed to conserve energy. Hence, there is no gym or exercise equipment in ancient society. Our ancestors do not have to exercise intentionally. However, there is a big shift in our sedentary lifestyle as we spend more time sitting down, less foraging, farming, or moving about. Food's energy density increases and availability is readily accessible, so the ‘more input, less output’ lifestyle is the problem.
I shared on Bear Path Journal that health is a personal responsibility. It is important to ensure that we are fit throughout our health span. We should maintain a fitness level at which mobility is not an issue as we age. We can stand up from sitting, walk freely, and enjoy sports or dance.
Imagine we must depend on others to change our clothing, get up from bed, or walk to the living room. There are unfortunate circumstances in which we may lose our mobility. Still, in many cases, we can reduce the risk or prevent this scenario by exercising and eating a healthy diet. I also share that exercise is the eustress (good stress) in the three pillars of health: sleep, diet, and stress management.
After Thought about “Physical 100”
It was timely when I started watching Season 1 of Physical: 100, a Korean reality show on Netflix. The show has the slogan, What is the ‘ideal physique.’ 100 top athletes and celebrities who are physically fit, have attractive body forms, or have unique physiques. 1 out of 100 contestants who survive 5 rounds of competition wins the prize of USD230,000. Besides the prize money, I think the pride of being the last one standing is priceless as each contestant is the top talent in their respective fields.
Many sports focus on partial and not all muscles or fitness. From the show, I find CrossFit, MMA, and calisthenic interesting.
When it comes to competitive sports, cognitive and mental strength are important, too. In Quest 2, the underdog (the weakest team) competes with the leading strong team and wins by their sheer determination. In Quest 3, a team of 10 contestants has to pull a 1.5-ton ship. The strongest team almost loses to the weakest team. By ‘weakest,’ I meant body size and muscle strength.
Many of the bodybuilders or muscle men or ladies lost to skilled MMA fighter who knows the fighting technique, lost to a climber who knows how to use their legs to support their body weight on the rope, who have better cardio endurance to run or do the compound movement like flipping black and white boards. Nice body form indeed looks good from a bodybuilding perspective, but it is not the only way to define the ‘ideal physique’. The ultimate winner partly validates this point (partly due to a bit of luck, too); Woo Jin-yong is a CrossFit athlete and a snowboarder.
In short, I think the show is inspiring but imperfect (or fair) as it has to retain some entertainment elements. Treat this as a ‘show’ instead of a scientific measure of the ideal physique.
My view of a good physique or fitness is endurance (stamina and mental), agility (speed and flexibility), and strength of each muscle. I set a basic benchmark of fitness for myself:
maintaining 7,500 steps a day
able to hang our own body weight with the straight arm for 100 seconds
able to do 2 proper sets of pull-ups or chin-ups
able to run 5km at zone 2 heart rate
able to complete 2 sets of 4 mins (20s HIIT + 10s rest) Tabata with 16 combination of HIIT movements
The minimal fitness level is that we should be able to carry our own weight.
core muscles (muscle groups from the pelvis to the rib cage) to support the coordination between the upper and lower body, protecting us from injuries and providing greater stability
leg (thigh) muscle to support our body weight is the key muscle to predict the longevity of life
other muscles group each has its own purpose but is secondary if we do not have good core and leg muscles. e.g., neck muscle to protect our upper spine
In July 2022, I could not move a muscle when I attempted to do a pull-up. I could not even hang on a bar for 30 seconds. My arms are too weak for my body weight. So, it was my dream that I could do one (1) pull-up. That was my ‘Incredible Rock’ in Q3 2022.
This morning, I made a short video recording for the record of my journal.
I started exploring calisthenics, a minimalistic exercise using our own body weight, which is ideal for home use. After 12 weeks (end of September 2022), I achieved my rock with 1 chin-up. Now, I can do 3 chip-ups and 3 pull-ups, but I still need a lot of practice before I can do 10 pull-ups.
I am happy because it confirms that exercise and strength training are learnable. Organic Learning is lifelong learning and pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones. If I had not started this self-challenge, I would have been at zero pull-up capability forever, meaning I would not have realized my real potential.
A side note for world records related to pull-ups (to appreciate human potential):
The most pull-ups in one minute is 74 and was achieved by Hong Zhongtao in Guangzhou, China
The world record for 3-minute pull-ups is 112 by Wang Xincheng, a university student in Beijing, China
The most consecutive pull-up, 651, was achieved by Kenta Adachi in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan, on 4 March 2022.
The most pull-ups in 24 hours is 8,008 by Jaxon Italiano, Australian
I see myself as still ‘weak,’ but I am happy with my health and physique at age 51 compared to three years ago. I think my fitness is better than when I was 35. I ignored my fitness in the past three decades.
Malaysia is ranked as the #1 obese nation among the ASEAN countries, according to a recent study by NHMS. We walk an average of 4,000 steps and rank the world #3, counting backward (2017, Standard University). The world average is 5,000 steps/day. Malaysia has gyms, but we like to drive our cars searching for the closest parking bay to the entrance. Malaysia Boleh!
I am writing this post to encourage my teammates to have more frequent movements while working from home and cultivate a hobby for specific exercises or sports that they enjoy. ‘Organic’ is about sustainability using systems (like habit and environment), and less reliance on willpower.
Exercise with minimal gears
Many of us work from home (WFH) or have experienced the lockdown during the pandemic. Being sedentary poses a greater health risk, especially if we have a poor diet, poor sleep, and a high-stress lifestyle.
Micro-movement:
raise your heel (contract your calf muscle) while working or watching TV
stand up, do a bit of stretching every 30-60 minutes, walk to another room
any simple movement like doing a bicep curl actually activates your muscle
make it a game to extend or contract a different muscle of your body
Home exercise with little or no equipment:
HIIT exercises like Tabata
Calisthenics
2-in-1 exercises (movement + breathing): Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, dancing etc.
Some affordable exercise gear worth consideration:
running or cross-fit shoe
yoga mat
weights like dumbbells, kettlebells
resistant bands
smartwatch paired with a smartphone
other accessories like jumping ropes
Bigger exercise items and investments:
Power station, press bench, pull-up bar
treadmill
home gym equipment like the stationary bike, Pilates reformer etc.
I did a quick hyper-lapse video capturing the park where I enjoy the morning sunshine. It has been a couple of months since I didn’t ride my Elliptigo.
Personal Learnings
Here is a short summary of my personal experimentation and learnings from exercising at home. It may or may not be applicable to your situation because everybody is different.
It is not necessary to exercise 3 times a week
we can stay relatively fit by just frequent movement of our body (physically active throughout the day)
we can achieve heart rate variability by doing HIIT exercises like Tabata, which takes only 4 minutes at home (instead of 30 - 60 minutes jogging outdoors)
For optimum fitness, mix strength + endurance training, anaerobic + aerobic exercises
The most useful features of a smartwatch for me are:
resting heart rate. Mine is 55 beats/minute. My sleeping heart rate is about 40 or below, and my higher heart rate is about 180+. I have not pushed to zone 5 yet in case I have a heart attack. A resting heart rate of more than 60 -100 has a higher risk of health issues or a shorter health span
monitoring and maintaining a zone 2 heart rate (mine is about 130+) when I am jogging
the number of steps I walk, I try to maintain 7500 per day, or at least 5 times a week. Do take note that particular brands (starting with F) of smartwatches take hand gestures into account (meaning they are not very accurate even though your legs are stationary)
vibration reminder when I am
build systems
set up the right environment, e.g. use a motorized raise table or active chair to encourage the switching between standing and sitting poses
develop a habitual exercise routine that takes specific que as the trigger to exercise (similar to ‘anchor’ in NLP)
master exercise that can be done anytime, anywhere
lifting your heel
heel drop at the staircase
heel raise (heel lift, exercising the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles when we do eccentric calf raise)
air squat
Stay hydrated with sufficient minerals (including trace minerals) and electrolytes. We must pay attention to key minerals like Magnesium, Potassium, and Zinc. Perhaps I can write a journal dedicated to electrolytes and minerals.
Many V-Workers set their personal goals to include health and fitness in 2023. It is week 10th in 2023; 10/52 weeks is about 19% through the year. Have we made 20% progress toward our fitness rocks (goals)?
My next goal is to research and learn CrossFit exercises at home or at the park. I should also continue with the calisthenic exercises. I notice waking up with less energy (like cell-level lethargy). Perhaps I should investigate factors that influence mitochondrial performance, perhaps oxygen or specific minerals.
We use a modified model from ISO practice PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) to PDCB (Plan-Do-Check-Build) in OLO. Setting a goal is good, but we want to use systems to achieve it, not willpower.
Learning this week
Kerrygold Irish grass-fed butter using cancer-causing agent PFAS in the packaging wrapper. I consume this brand of butter (and another brand of grass-fed butter), and they are still on the shelf at our local food mart. I thought it was Irish butter, but it was actually made in the USA.
Here is the news from CBS News USA 2 weeks ago.
The event highlights the problem of forever chemicals like Bisphenols (e.g. BPA, BPB etc.), Per and Polyfluoroalyl Substances (PFAS, PFOS etc.), and hundreds of these chemicals in our daily products like clothing, cookware, food packaging, food container, receipts etc.
these forever chemicals can be found in our water system
Forever chemicals are known to cause immunity problems. It takes thousands of years for these chemicals to break down.
This is related to OLO. Anything synthetic has unknown problems until decades later. This is the blind spot taught in Systems Thinking because the consequences of impacts are indirect and time-delayed.
Environmental toxins are difficult to eliminate. As individuals, we can only raise awareness and take care of our core health. If our bodies are already inflamed and in bad shape, these industrial toxicities can be the last straw that breaks the camel's back. Young children have decades ahead of them, exposed to even more such toxins; hence, awareness from education is important.
Use a home water filter system.
Avoid drinking bottled water and beverage, I don’t trust the BPA-free bottle and also more environmental friend, do not support this economy that poison our environment and our bodies. A bottle that took out BPA (BPA Free) but replaced it with BPS, same toxicity. Now, BPS has a bad name, so the new BPA-Free and BPS-free bottle now has BPF, and on and on (there are a few thousand variants). This is the famous regrettable substitution of an industry chemical whack-a-mole.
Avoid fast foods or take away food using disposable packaging that is high in chemicals, and avoid reheating directly with the wrapper in the microwave
The occasional bloating of my stomach bloating may be stress-induced, not limited to food. This is because the same type of food sometimes caused gas and sometimes did not. I learned something new this week: a gene in the human body regulates stress and gut mobility. The speed at whereby food is pushing through our intestines has two problems if the pace is out of order, firstly the pH level is not right (at different segments of the gut), and the bacteria colony and their functions are also different. The bacteria has to break down food particles that weren’t digested, probably in the stomach or previous gut segments, leading to excessive gas production.
I am learning or, more precisely, ‘re-learning’ how to floss and clean my teeth.
The way I flossed my teeth was incorrect. I could have used an arm's length of floss, making a C-shape cleaning motion using my thumb and index fingers and coiling the floss using my middle finger.
I started using the water floss gadget, my favorite toy of the year.
My brushing method was also incorrect. I should brush every 2 teeth with about 15-30 strokes, starting with one end for the top row, making a U-turn back to the starting spot, and repeating for the lower row. It takes too much brushing motion, so I bought myself an electric toothbrush. I am satisfied.
I only have to brush the ones that I want to keep, hah hah.
I started giving Google Reviews about restaurants and cafes in 2019. It is a community contribution, as I appreciate other fair reviews by others who helped me decide if the outlet is worth patronizing. I also make it a point to visit different cafes from time to time. Part of my motto is to “have an interesting day, a meaningful life.” I am surprised that I am working for free for Alphabet, but I am still happy to contribute to Google Maps and Waze.
