4 Principles For A Healthy Physique

These days exercise can be all about being bigger, faster, and stronger to kill. Is that what we are striving for?

___

The amount of new information is overwhelming.

• The latest workout technique.
• The latest diet.
• The latest miracle supplement.

All offering an easy way out. A quicker way to get from point A to point B.

Time to sober up guys. Like anything else in life, if it is worth having it wont come easy. To have a healthy physique means you will have to work for it.

I prefer principles over fads. I prefer them because they are proven, time tested and always provide results. They can be adapted to your unique situation without diluting the value.

This article will show you the foundations for a healthy physique. It is not a how to guide. But if you take these principles and apply them to your life, you will see drastic improvements.

Principle 1 – Do the work

• No matter how well you eat. No matter how good your intentions. You will never achieve it without moving your body.
• Now, the gym is not for everyone. That is fine. We live in a world full of possibilities. So choose your weapon.
• The important thing to remember is that principle one relies on a physiological occurrence known as SAID (specific adaption to imposed demand). This means that your muscles will respond to an increased demand by becoming stronger and bigger. You need to challenge your muscles. Stimulate them to grow.
• Resistance is the key. No matter the activity, it needs to make your life hard. You should be required to dig deep in to your mental and physical reserves to accomplish the task at hand. The more you sweat in training, the less you will bleed in war.

Principle 2 – Feed your muscles

• You would have heard it whispered around the gym that abs are made in the kitchen. That the key to feeling good is 70% how you eat and 30% how you train.
• Although the specific ratio is not important here, the principle definitely is. No matter how hard you train, you cannot out-train a bad diet. Once your muscles start responding to an increased demand, they will need adequate nutrition to repair themselves.
• The world of nutrition is vast. There are thousands of eating plans available. The best one is the one that works best for you.
• Do not be fooled by quick fix diets. Or liquid diets. Or miracle foods. Or miracle pills.
• Feed your body clean, natural foods, devoid of processing and steroids. Your body will thank you for it by making you look like a god.
• You are an individual with a specific lifestyle, tastes and preferences. What works for me will not work for you. If you follow a diet that you hate then the chances of you sticking to it is slim.
• Find a diet that can become a part of your lifestyle.

Principle 3 – Get rest

This principle is two fold.

1. Did you know that your body repairs itself when you are sleeping? Did you know that the more active you are the more rest your body needs?

   Sleeping is not just something you do. It is something you have to attack and be very serious about.

   On average, most adults require between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you are training you need to be towards the further end of that scale.

2. Remember the SAID principle from earlier?

   Let’s add another cool acronym shall we? DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is what you will feel a day or two after workout. It is a combination of many things. The important thing is that you realize that you are dealing with a muscle that is still recovering.

   To train optimally, you need to rest optimally. If you go in to gym with aching muscles you will underperform and delay muscle repair even more.

   It is wise to group your training so that certain body parts get rest whilst others work. Taking supplements such as amino acids and Creatine can accelerate the recovery process.

Principle 4 – Persevere

• Results do not come quick or easy. Most programs will require strict adherence for at least 12 weeks. You should see steady improvement in that time but do not become disheartened after a week.
• It is always a good idea to take baseline measurements such as waist circumference, body fat percentage and weight. I also recommend you take before and after pictures.
• When you have these baselines you can measure your progress. You will see that even though it is slow, it is still happening.
• Focus on the small wins. And eventually the small wins will become your big win.
• Most people fail because they do not want a good physique badly enough. They want results. They just don’t want to work for them.
• But you are different. You are here. Reading this. Because you want change.
• You are taking the time to educate yourself. To learn about the principles. To dive deep(link) in to what it takes.

Best of luck on your health building journey!

___

Photo: Flickr/garryknight