Why I do what I do - Sustainable Fitness

So, building on my last post, this one sets out my philosophy for staying fit and in good health. These are quite different not synonyms, as I will explain. As I said last time though, I'm following a path of gradual improvement. I carefully deleted the word 'continual' there as I do like a pie and and sit down, too. We're only human and backsliding can be so character building. 

Marks of a good run - mud, punctures, scratch

My approach to fitness is the scenic route to success (via some brambles, see right). What I want to share is a philosophy of fitness and health that fuses a stoic approach to tackling challenges with an epicurean attitude to enjoyment. People criticise New Age religion for picking and choosing from whatever bits of established beliefs suit someone's ideas. So what? This is my new age fitness approach, drawing on what works and what I like. It is determined yet easy-going, driven yet relaxed. These might seem paradoxical or conflicting principles, but they are not. There is a long and illustrious history to complementary principles, reflected best in the Taoist yin-yang; light and dark, hard and soft, constantly flowing and merging according to the occasion.

Good sustainable fitness can be built on a few key principles. These are my principles, but they are repeated or endorsed in various ways, words and emphases by nearly all of the people I cited in my last blog post - read here if you are interested.

Strength and endurance are normal - Being healthy and fit shouldn't be seen as something special that you have to make time for; 

• Having good quality kit is good, but you can do effective strength work in jeans and a shirt without breaking into a sweat. I'm not sure that looking sharp is quite as important as being consistent and skilled - remember, "all the gear and no idea" is an insult, not a complement (though it is nice to look good).
• Regularity and consistency is more important than occasional maximal effort - Little and often will see strength and conditioning gains without significant bulking. In fact, it is really hard to bulk up to comic book proportions, and it typically involves supplementation and diet control. These things do work but they are not natural. Its all about values and goals. I'd rather be unassumingly naturally awesome than have to make an effort.
• Leave useful stuff lying around
• Leave weights, heavy things and kit accessible for the odd passing whim.
• Make it convenient to lift something heavy or hang from a beam or rings as you move about your daily life.
• Reject labour saving opportunities.
• Carry your shopping.
• Use the stairs (all seven flights of them).
• Remember, if something is saving you effort it is robbing you of ability.
• Work to success (stop before failure). As soon as capability drops off (weakness, attention span, etc), stop until next time.
• Concentrate on quality of movement control.
• Do some movements deliberately slowly with pauses. This is not only providing isometric training but developing neuro-motor control and allows you to tell where you lose control (the wobbly, juddery, vague bits where you lose fine control).
• Stop when you feel you are losing good control. Not only will this leave you feeling fresher, your muscle memory will store control rather than desperation. Psychologically you'll know that you can, not reinforce that you can't yet.

Live the life - Make doing the do part of your self-identity;

• It worked for Kung Fu Panda, why can't it work for you?
• Make being physically capable part of who you are, not just something you do.
• You can create your own life story, make sure it includes being capable. There is a whole psychology of self-talk, but this is more than just being nice to yourself. Confidence and positivity are trainable. As with physical skills, the more you work on them the easier and better they become. Why let others dictate how you view yourself?
• As well as benefiting attitude, focus and concentration during action, your overall self-talk will affect your ability to perform physically  - are you certain you can, or do you think you might not? It matters, and regular practice - physical and mental - makes the difference.

Variety in all things - Aim for balance and harmony, dude; 

• Don't work hard every session. Just don't. 
• Listen to your body, not your head - if you are tired, not feeling it, or feel ill/ injured, go easy or skip it. Just as silence is required between sounds in music, rest is required between actions in life.
• When you do feel good, work hard, push yourself, take no prisoners. It'll leave you feeling great.

Physical fitness isn't health (told you I'd come back to it) - Never forget good food (not fast food, processed food or horrible food), rest and enjoyment.

Health and fitness are not the same thing, but sustainable fitness is built upon a healthy body. While often used interchangeably, fitness refers to the capability to carry out a task while health reflects the efficient and effective operation of the body's processes (physical and mental). 

Even if you are not aiming to be the next champion of the world you still need to have one or more motives. If you have no reason you will not keep with it. Enjoyment seems to be a good reward if standing over the bodies of your slain is looking less of an option.

I think that is enough. It looks as if I'm at risk of writing a top X things of successful wotsits, and that isn't my goal. No lists or instructions, just some principles and a philosophy. I'm going for a run now, it will have dirt, trees, logs and smiling. You are all invited.