MOVEMENT
In laying a foundation for fitness, we have to start with one of the most basic of all human functions: movement.
Prior to getting any more in depth, it is important to remember that we were made to move. A LOT.
It is easy in modernity to be sedentary. The myriad reasons are worthy of a post (or series of posts) all alone. For now, we’ll just acknowledge the fact.
What was once a level of activity simply needed for survival, is now seen as extreme by large parts of the population. I am not talking about working out, or even hard manual labor (though that could be a part of it). Many today don’t even walk enough. Improvement can be that simple. Walk more.
Practical Application: walk more. We (almost) all have a watch or phone that tracks our steps.
Look at your current average daily steps.
Make it a deliberate point to increase that number until you are reliably in the 8-10k range each day.
Start slow if needed. 3,000 per day to 4,000 per day this week, with continued future increases to get you to your goal will work well.
As with nearly everything involved in health and fitness, this is very simple. A child can understand this goal (probably even the reasoning why it is important), but execution is the key.
If you change nothing else but diligently work your total daily movement upwards over a few weeks to a couple months… you WILL be healthier and in better shape.
PICK UP HEAVY THINGS
The next pillar in our foundation of fitness principles is to spend time each week lifting up something heavy (relative to your current ability). We are already moving more in general, now we get a bit more deliberate.
Strength is one of the top indicators of performance and longevity. Muscle mass, which will increase for the majority of us with some general strength training, also improves injury resistance, increases metabolism, and gives you a better physique.
Practical Application: this is not the place to get into program specifics. That can come along later (honestly much later than many assume). Assuming you are relatively sedentary now aim to spend 30-60 minutes, 2-4 times per week with the dedicated intention of lifting weights in some way.
Very general precepts to follow:
Pick movements that use a lot of your body at the same time
Generally trend towards free weights where possible
Stick to the same or similar movements often to improve over time
Aim to get just a bit better (heavier weights, more reps, shorter rest, etc) each time you step in the gym.
Combining increased general movement with intentional strength training for a period of 3 months can absolutely set your fitness and life on a steep upward trajectory.
Again, execution is the key.
SLEEP
Sleep is important for, in part, its ability to allow you to recover and continue moving well and often, along with training in the gym regularly and hard. It also has a ton of other long term health and performance benefits when there is enough of it.
Practical Application: I do not consider myself a sleep expert, nor is this an exhaustive list. That said, implementing the following recommendations to your sleep routine if you are not already, will definitely help.
Get enough… this is pretty widely known, but aim for 7-9 hours for the general person.
Go to bed physically tired… plenty of movement and lifting will help this a lot.
Limit/eliminate digital consumption before bed.
Avoid caffeine late in the day… people are all slightly different, but a blanket statement of “no caffeine after noon” works well.
Blue light from electronics, along with the constant social media dopamine drip make phones and computers a near death sentence to quality sleep.
You may not think you’re feeling the effects, but caffeine lasts for hours in your body. This can make proper sleep very difficult.
You may well know all these suggestions. If not, you do now. This is just scratching the surface. As always, application is where the rubber meets the road. Improving sleep quality/quantity, along with increased movement and strength training will radically improve your life and fitness.
NUTRITION/HYDRATION
The final pillar of our foundation discussed in this series is nutrition and hydration. Definitely better guys to go to for the details on this one than me. Luckily, we are sticking to the application of the basics. I excel at application of the basics.
What you fuel yourself with has a massive impact on your health and fitness. This is something that everyone knows, no need to belabor the point there.
Practical Application: With regard to nutrition… if it didn’t have a face or a mother, or didn’t grow out of the ground, don’t eat it. Simple.
Prioritize real food.
Aim to eat a lot of animal protein (whatever you’re eating now you should very likely increase it).
Nuance can come later. Execute ruthlessly here first.
For hydration: half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day is a solid baseline. Start to consistently hit that if you are not already, and you will feel noticeably better.
Now that we have the four pillars– movement, strength training, sleep, nutrition/hydration– consistent execution becomes the key factor to success. We can go much more in depth on each singular aspect, but execution of the most basic tasks puts us in a place to appreciate and improve from increased nuance and complexity.
Complicating prematurely is a waste of everyone’s time.
Go and execute.
When you’ve been consistent for 3 to 6 months, then we can with more detail at each aspect of building fitness and physical capability.
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