The Grind is not the glam. I want to talk about the role of aerobic conditioning or “Cardio” as it relates to your long-term health and longevity, and use that as a model of something deeper.
I’ve seen it a thousand times. So often when a person embarks on making changes to improve their health and longevity, there is an element of self-determination that manifests itself as work ethic in the traditional Western sense, which often means willingness to suffer, or go through discomfort to achieve a worthwhile goal. “I’m ready!” you say while making a steely, determined face 😈.
This is generally a good thing; we all can often benefit from getting up out of our couches and taking decisive action. But it can also be misapplied.
For example, if the goal you have set for yourself calls for 4 workouts per week, 2 strength-focused, 1 mobility focused, and 1 conditioning focused, and you get *so excited* you can’t help but do 8 workouts in the week (it will get you to your goal *twice* as fast right?). And because you like the flow state you achieve while running, you decide three of them are going to be 4-6 mile runs, and go heavier on the strength workouts than the plan called for, and skipped the mobility work because it’s kindof boring…
This is an example of when too much of a good thing can cause problems. And I do not believe it is just because people are flighty and inconsistent, though those are factors too. I do think it profoundly has something to do with our culture and understanding about what it takes to succeed at your personal health and fitness goals, and who are models of success often are.
I think you might be surprised by how little it takes to succeed, and how the pressure you feel to do more comes from a few popular myths that are holding you back:
- Intense cardio is required to stay healthy: False. Sufficient cardio is required to maintain basic heart health, and per the CDC can be achieved with 20-40 minutes of brisk walking (heart rate up above 100bpm) per day. This can even be spaced out throughout the day (e.g. 15 min walk x3). For a 50 year old, max heart rate is about 160-170 bpm (from the old 220-Age), so we’re talking about a 60-70% effort while walking here. That’s it.
- Cardio is required to lose weight: False. This will be a painful one to realize if you’re the type of person who is used to “sweating off” their pizza and donuts.
“A caloric deficit is required to lose weight” is the basic energy balance requirement, yes. But there is no rule about how that must be achieved, and it is not a very practical statement, but I’ll save going in depth on that for another time. Something you may not know: too much high-intensity exercise can blunt your ability to lose body fat by elevating your cortisol/stress hormones.
Your InBody scan shows no progress or that you are going backwards. Your performance at workouts gets worse. So you get frustrated and exercise more. Maybe you do some late night sessions to “squeeze one in,” which negatively impacts your sleep and stresses you out some more, and brings up this nagging knee pain that makes it hard to focus, which distracts you and with the sleep deficit makes you sloppy at your job and in trouble with your boss, so you’re on edge and fighting with your spouse/SO, so you quit your gym or fire your coach, get wasted and have a massive cheat meal, then sign up for a marathon the next morning…
This is a vicious cycle to say the least, and highlights the cultural thing I’m referring to: the cycle of “crime and punishment” is deeply embedded in us (in the USA) from an early age. If you do “good things” you acquire merit. If you do “bad things” you receive discipline.
This is an attractive model because it simplifies the world. But it is incomplete to say the least, and absolutely not a requirement for your health and longevity. You don’t have to suffer for it.
- A vast array of exercises and workout structures are needed to create “muscle confusion”: False. This is a parody of the CrossFit model, which — don’t get it twisted — can be an amazing tool for helping people achieve their goals when applied intelligently. I still practice and apply it to this day with clients and myself, but tailor what I mean by “CrossFit”, “Metcon”, “Functional”, and “Intensity” based on the person’s age, goals, exercise history, interests, etc. It is entirely subjective to say whether on any given day we are “doing CF” or not.
But I do think the CF model is particularly good when it is because of the psycho-social benefits afforded by variance and the community structure of gyms. Constant workout Novelty + Fun + Socialization/Community = something special for a certain type of person. But not everybody is wired this way, and your body certainly does not need a ton of variety or intensity to create positive adaptations. It is also tricky to get the intensity and volume formula right as we age: it is a moving target. Your mind might appreciate novelty, intensity, and volume at times. And at others just like to go for a walk and listen to music and, as part of a structured plan, not only is that “enough,” it is the right thing to do. We can do everything we need to with simple, effective, and predictable tools, and take what is useful from the CF model and apply it where appropriate.
The Grind is not the glam. The good life is good because it keeps you healthy, functionally independent, happy, and free for a long time. Next time we’ll break down what that means.
Coach Mauricio