Workout - No Pain, No Gain ( The ugly truth )

We have all heard it all over the place. Gyms, work place, friends, jogging buddies, fitness groups, bootcamps, online training programs, crossfit communities, etc. No pain no gain! How much truth would most people know about this approach? It's a hype around conventional fitness world, but yet few know what is really happening with the body physiologically and psychologically, if this approach is followed for a prolonged period of time. 

As the concept of 'burning calories' floods almost the entire population especially the weight loss paradigm and its followers, we have been led to believe that the only way to lose weight and be healthier is to exercise (workout) more, and eat less (caloric restriction).  We have been hardwired to think that working out in the gym is the way to go, but guess what? We have more gyms and fitness studios ever existed in the history of mankind, yet we have the sickest and more overweight people on the planet earth then ever before. In terms of common sense, one will realize that we don't need an IQ of 160 (equivalent to Einstein) to figure out this statistic. It doesn't make any sense at all. 

Going back to the future a few generations ago, our great grand parents and ancestors do not even know what calories is, nor is there any gym available. But guess what, our ancestors are so much stronger, functional, healthier and better shape then most of us. How can that be even possible? They don't 'workout' in the gym, they don't count calories every single meal, nor do they even have any dietary experts and personal trainers. That's the million dollar question most people DON'T even ask themselves. No one even bother asking common sense related questions, and we all kept following so called diet, fitness and health advises/programs available out there. 

First thing first. What makes sense? What works for sure every single time? Have we all lost track of how we should live our lives or integrating primal patterns? Back to basics, how humans evolved for millenia, what made humans @ caveman, able to reproduce and stay functional and healthy for thousands if not millions of years. Do we ever train and move on fix machines, cardio centric treadmills or even stationary bicycles? How many of us know how humans suppose to move functionally?  Apart from countless generations of moving contra-laterally and bi-pedal, our primal ancestors (including us) were meant to do activities such as hanging our shoulders on bars like apes, walk, run, sprint, crawl and even animal-based movements. A better question, how often do we even practive such primal movements? Daily? Six days a week? Almost 2 hours per session in the gym?

When we talk about workout or exercise, we first need to understand what workout actually means. Most people thought of workout as an activity to burn calories, burn body fat, build muscles or even improve fitness and health. But what 'workout' actually means? 

Work -  Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something

Out -  Away from a usual or original place

Think for a moment of credit card usage. I'm sure most people who own credit card realize the consequences if he or she is unable to fully pay back the total amount for each billing month. Imagine you spent USD300 for that particular month, but if you don't have the sufficient resources (money) to pay back in full, what's going to happen? Yes, you will be in debt or resources/money owed and penalty will incurred. It's the same with what happened when we 'workout'  and do not realize we could be expanding way too much resources then we could actually restored back. 

If one kept focusing on working-out., the prolonged regular sessions of expanding resources (nutrition, vitality and energy) will cause physiological deficit, impacting the health and reserves of vital organs and glands in the body. Building brick house with woods is another silly analogy which is similar to this scenario. The popular hype of 'no pain no gain' workout paradigm, is a cliche which derived from military training which is based on survival protocols, a very sympathetic dominant mental and physically drained environment. 

Since fitness magazines,TV shows and youtube channels have all commercialized and publicly hardwired the images of six pack abs and ripped physical bodies, this obsession has become global priority, for some, it's an addiction. Ever since the publicity and popularity of bodybuilding in the days of Arnold Schwarzenegger, it has over spilled to the fitness industry. Ridiculous amount of money has snowballed ever since decades ago, with bodybuilding supplements has become a powerhouse in sports and fitness world. 

We have lost the primal instincts of how humans suppose to move and live, not to mention the health of muscoloskeletal systems and biomechanics. We have more incidents of lower back and joints problems then ever in the history of mankind, yet there are more physical therapists and orthopeadic surgeons born every year. How can that be? Research has shown that up to 80% of all orthopeadic injuries are chronic, meaning, non-acute and no physical contacts with another person which resulted in the injured individual. And the cruel irony is, the experts in the field don't even know what causes the injuries in the first place, not to mention how to rehabilitate safely and effectively. Thus, reoccuring injuries, and it has become more common in the field of sports, fitness and even general population. 

As most people tend to forget that the muscular systems act as 'slaves' to the vital organs and glands in the body. When I mention the word 'slave', what I meant was the muscles will always provide the resources and reserves to the organs and glands which share the same neurological pathways. Always remember, vital organs and glands always have first priority when it comes to resources and reserves in the body. Reason?  It's the body survival mechanism to keep the host alive at any given situation.

When we talk about building and maintaining good health, it is plain common sense to realize that priority is set towards the immune system, vital organs and glands and gut health. Depending on which studies, the immune system consist of 70-80% of gut flora. Gut health is one of the most important pillars of health, and almost all diseases start in the gut. Now, from my years of personal training and coaching clients, i have yet to find an individual (Malaysians) who really develop relationship with his or her body. Most of them don't even know how to listen to their body signals when it is in crisis or state of stress. But guess what, tons of people too obsessed with what's in front of the mirror, building a six pack abs or losing pounds of fat in time for the wedding event in few months period. 

Before we deep dive into 'workout', let's discuss the fundamentals of how our immune system and hormonal system work, from the perspective of energetic and autonomic stand point. We have the sympathetic and para-sympathetic nervous system. YIN and YANG, or the anabolic and catabolic activities. A question everyone should be asking themselves, "Which is more important, health or fitness?". Or another question one should be asking, "Does feeling energetic, happy and pain free matter more then looking good on the physical side?"

To be bluntly honest, almost all of us will only do something about our health if there is a life threatening situation impending or your doctor mentioned " Your health screening result is alarming, you better do something about it immediately". To make changes in our life, it takes commitment and some level of self-discipline. Most people do not want to make lifestyle changes or any change at all, because they are in comfort zone, even though they know it will kill them. Smoking and alcohol consumption are two good examples of mentioned scenario. Firstly, awareness is the pre-requisite to change. Next, mindset is what determine what an individual decide and take action. Doesn't matter if it's planning and preparing your own healthy meals, or spending time with your kids more then on social networking and friends. A healthy mind reflect a healthy body.

To be continued...stay tuned..