Conditioning for chaos (part 3)
In part 1 https://www.fitbynature.org/blog/kqdp3sl29ua2c4d9xf9k6jq7nd38s8 we looked at the importance of building body foundations to weather any storm and in part 2 https://www.fitbynature.org/blog/conditioning-for-chaos-part-2 we looked at how that conditioning for chaos necessarily looks different on everyone!
So what do YOU do?
Conditioning for chaos seems an odd sentiment to our bodies which are stubborn (understandable as their operational conditions—temperature, hydration, blood volume, etc.—exist in a pretty narrow window!). Yet, we’ve also superpowered dynamic systems that help adjust and moderate small, daily fluctuations. These systems react like they are trying to keep the bubble between two lines on a level, using automatic physiological responses and behavioral changes like sweat, thirst, hunger, blood pressure, and heart rate to help keep things steady.
But, the problem is often the solution - we ourselves need to be stubborn on the basics and dynamic in the responses! By basics I mean daily food, movement, sleep, play, connections and mindset. When these are in place, you’re set in your environment to thrive!
The ‘shape’ our bodies are in is the result from all we’ve done before now! It’s the meaning behind "conditioning". Your daily choices - workouts, walking, carrying shopping, picking up a pot from a low cupboard - stack your daily movements into your current body. These are your body’s ‘work-it-outs’.
You are a collection of these small choices you make each day. They have compounded over time: the good and bad, big and small, the most effortful and the laziest! While that list is so different for everyone, there remains a few basics I have collected after nearly two decades in the health and fitness industry that apply to us all:
Tick the foods before the superfoods, the ordinary before the extraordinary, the basics before the correctives.
You are your own gym. Moving your body throughout the day is better for a long term view (your youngevity!) than a 40 min all out workout followed by or following sitting at a desk for 8 hours.
Consistency is more important than intensity
Methods are many but principles are few
Different over more works most for continually learning with your body and mind
Worry less about doing the “perfect” workout. Instead focus on lifting consistently with intent & utilize progressive overload & you'll make better gains than 99% of folks. And don’t worry about gaining “too much" muscle too fast. It takes a long time.
Adequate protein & quality sleep help with progress way more than expensive supplements.
Lifting weights is about more than aesthetics. Strong muscles & bones, increased confidence, & improved mental health are just a few benefits. Free your mind and your ass will follow!
Focus on “all or something" instead of “all or nothing." The 10 min warm- up, 5 min walk, 15 min bodyweight circuit all add up.
It ALL adds up. What’s the next teensiest best step you can take?
Strength will never depend on what happens today. It is a process of constant change, in which we should savor and indulge for as long as possible, making small changes—extending the process of making progress—because we can!
