Where Do You Start?

The scientific proof that muscular health and strength is fundamental to health and critical to both the prevention or treatment of chronic diseases ought to clinch the choice you now know looms before you. An article in The New York Times covered a South Carolina University study that revealed the examination of the brains of exercised and unexercised mice. Tissue samples from the cells of exercising mice showed that their brain cells contained newborn mitochondria. There was no similar finding in the sedentary mice. Creating more mitochondria may alleviate neurogenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Remember, it is not just our muscles that were selected for success in a physically active world now. It is every cell in our body, from our skin to our brain to our vascular system, that was long ago specifically chosen to compete in a physically active world. The problem is that the world we were designed for no longer exists. A relatively new theory holds that our bodies are therefore out of sync with the world in which we now operate. Therefore, we must change our environment and lifestyle to better fit our genome. Looked at this way, it is not at all surprising that most of these chronic ills can be cured or remedied in large part by exercise. So where do you start? We don’t want you to hit the gym for a month or two and then quit.

Don't Ever Change

To accomplish that, you need mental motivation. In this case study, you will learn how Peter got started on the StrongPath and how he stayed on track. He had pounds to lose and strength and fitness to gain after 15 years of doing no weight training while working at a desk. He had done some heavy lifting in the past, when he had been active with karate from ages 30 to 42, but he had stopped after a change in employment. Peter had relatively little training before coming into the program, even with his martial arts practice. He experienced strength gains that can only be explained by the initial training adaptations that take place among the generally sedentary population. Peter improved his technique as a result of this training, and while he started with noticeable shoulder and knee pain, he was able to accomplish his workouts consistently due to improved form with the exercises. On several occasions, we used variations of exercises to reeducate him on the use of certain muscle groups to improve his lifting and reduce his perceived pain. His work to learn how to move more effectively is undoubtedly also responsible for his improvement as evidenced in the chart below. Everyone was pulling for everyone, in fact. The gym isn’t full of people who want you to fail. Peter went into his initial session terrified.

Before The Beginning

He told us later that he thought he was going to look stupid by being pushed beyond his comfort zone in front of people he knew at the club. Everyone there was actually pulling for him. Everyone was pulling for everyone, in fact. The gym isn’t full of people who want you to fail. Peter said they all seemed genuinely happy to see other people being active, and they were encouraging to anyone and everyone on their own personal missions. His fears were allayed when he realized no one was looking down at him for starting out and being behind in his fitness status. Those fears had been in his head only. He couldn’t believe how off his balance was. He was also surprised by how good he ultimately felt as he got stronger. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be a part of this experiment initially, but as it progressed, he realized it was his opportunity to not only get in physical shape but to also feel good about himself. He hasn’t lost pounds, and would still like to, but he is tighter in general. Peter said he is happier, more alert, and less disgusted with his physique.

Famous Last Words

He’s not less tired, but he sleeps longer and more soundly after his workouts. I have no trouble getting to sleep at night, he said. At work, he’s seen a profound increase in his mental sharpness. Since he solves problems for a living, he said he’s now more effective at doing so. He said his mind is better able to concentrate now that he’s physically stronger. One of my goals is to test for another degree of black belt, he said. But with my age, the quality of the technique that I can do from experience alone, and just from having done millions and millions of repetitions, I can generate a lot of force inside my body with punches and kicks. However, I am not strong enough to handle that equal and opposite reaction that happens inside the body from generating all that force. In the past, I got injured and pulled muscles all the time. I would get into a bad cycle and be unable to train because I’d injured something. What I really do feel I got out of this training is that I got the body and the muscular strength to be able to handle that force now. And so I’m not injuring myself anymore when I do karate. Welcome your pain, said Peter. He said he used strength training to welcome that pain because it’s good pain. If you’re going at it and you’re improving yourself, he said, you are going to be in pain. We actually feel pain more or less intensely depending whether or not we believe the sensation is signaling damage or benefit. Peter’s observation about pain is very important. Our pain experience is subjective. It’s the kind of mental preoccupation that can make us trip over our own feet trying to step onto a stage or cause us to forget our own name when we are overwhelmed by being put on the spot in front of an audience. Giving the rising feeling of panic more attention will not allay your fears.