Don't Lose Out, Work Out!

1. Ageing is Catabolism; Exercise is Anabolism.

In short, working out is a catabolic process that promotes anabolism.

Life involves breakdown. Every moment, our cells undergo catabolism, a process of breakdown or destruction, which is essentially ageing. This natural process leads to a decrease in fat-free mass (bones, muscles) and an increase in fat mass over time, ensuring space for future generations. Hormonal changes, like decreased insulin sensitivity, and the aging of involuntary systems like the heart and lungs also contribute to this decline.

Exercise reverses ageing. While catabolism is inevitable, regular physical exercise is a powerful tool to counter it by promoting anabolism – the process of building up bodily cells. A well-structured exercise plan can significantly reverse biological ageing, potentially by as much as 20 years in just 12 weeks. It signals to the body that muscles are being used, preventing their breakdown and atrophy.

Anabolism requires support. Exercise initiates the breakdown (catabolic) phase, but the subsequent repair and rebuilding (anabolic) phase is where the anti-ageing magic happens. This anabolic state, which burns more calories than the breakdown, is supported by:

• A nutrient-dense eating plan (not low-calorie diets)
• Good quality sleep (allowing anabolic hormones to surge)
• Healthy relationships (reducing stress-induced catabolism)

2. Metabolism: Breakdown + Build-up. Exercise promotes Build-up.

Because fat is an inert tissue, it doesn't demand calories from your body to maintain itself, it is easier for your body to keep it vs. keeping muscle.

Metabolism is change. Metabolism is the sum of catabolism (breakdown) and anabolism (build-up), constantly changing throughout life, generally decreasing with age. This decline is often linked to gaining fat mass and losing lean tissue like muscle, as fat requires less energy to maintain than muscle. This shift in body composition lowers your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Exercise boosts metabolism. Working out is a catabolic process that triggers a greater anabolic response. This repair and rebuilding process requires significant calories, often for up to 48 hours post-exercise, leading to increased calorie expenditure even at rest (after-burn). By increasing muscle mass relative to fat, exercise permanently raises your BMR.

More build-up, less fat. If the anabolic component of your metabolism is higher than the catabolic, your body will burn fat tissue to compensate for the energy deficiency. Conversely, if catabolism dominates, fat stores increase. Exercise is the most effective way to significantly increase the energy required for anabolism, ensuring fat is burned and reversing the breakdown process associated with ageing.

3. Exercise Myths Debunked: Spot Reduction, Running, Bulking Up, Sweating.

Yeah and if you go to the loo you will pee.

Spot reduction is a myth. The idea that you can target fat loss from a specific body part by exercising it intensely (like doing endless crunches for a flat stomach) is false. The "burn" felt during such exercises is due to lactic acid build-up in the muscle, not fat melting. Fat cannot contract or relax; it just sits there. Fat mobilization is a systemic process, not localized.

Running isn't inherently bad for knees. Running injuries, particularly to the knees, often occur not because of the act of running itself, but due to inadequate preparation. Running involves a "non-contact phase" where landing puts significant force (4-6x body weight) on joints. Without strengthening and stretching the muscles around weight-bearing joints (thighs, hips, ankles), you risk injury from the impact, whether running or even brisk walking.

Weight training won't automatically make you bulky. Gaining significant muscle mass ("bulking up") requires specific, intense training, diet, and often genetics – it doesn't happen by accident from just going to the gym. For women, hormonal differences make extreme bulking very difficult. Weight training builds muscle, which is metabolically active and helps burn fat, leading to a toned, lean look, not necessarily a bodybuilder physique.

Sweating doesn't melt fat or detox. Sweating is primarily the body's mechanism for thermoregulation – cooling down when core temperature rises during activity. It involves losing water, electrolytes, and some minerals, not fat or significant toxins. Exercising in excessively hot environments or wearing restrictive clothing to sweat more is counterproductive, as it diverts energy to cooling rather than muscle work and can lead to dehydration.

4. Understanding Energy Systems: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic and After-burn.

While aerobic exercises can use fat as fuel while exercising (in addition to carbs and proteins), anaerobic activities can burn fat for as long as 48 hours after exercise (called after-burn).

Body's fuel systems. The body uses three energy systems: aerobic (with oxygen) and two anaerobic (without oxygen - ATP-CP and Glycogen-Lactic Acid). The intensity of activity determines which system dominates.

• Aerobic: Low intensity, long duration (walking, long-distance running). Uses Type 1 (slow twitch) muscle fibers and can burn carbs, fat, and protein.
• Anaerobic: High intensity, short duration (sprinting, weightlifting). Uses Type 2 (fast twitch) muscle fibers and primarily burns stored ATP and glycogen (carbs).

The miracle of after-burn. Calories burned during exercise (Exercise Energy Expenditure - EEE) include both calories burned during the activity and calories burned after the activity. Anaerobic activity, despite burning fewer calories during the workout compared to aerobic, results in significantly higher "after-burn" or EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). This is the extra oxygen needed post-workout to restore the body to rest, repair tissues, and replenish fuel stores.

Anaerobic drives fat loss. The slow segment of EPOC after intense anaerobic exercise can last 24-48 hours, meaning your body burns more calories (and fat) at rest for up to two days. While aerobic exercise burns fat during the activity, anaerobic training's prolonged after-burn effect is crucial for overall fat loss and improving body composition. Training both systems is essential for a wholesome workout plan.

5. Strength Training is Crucial for Metabolism, Anti-ageing, and Health.

Strength training is the only ‘medicine’ you need for all lifestyle disorders, including diabetes.

Strength training is non-negotiable. Strength training, using resistance to induce muscular contraction, is a highly effective way to train the anaerobic pathway. It's not just about building visible muscle; it's vital for preserving youth, vigor, muscle mass, strength, and bone density. It counters the loss of muscle strength that comes with age and inactivity.

Combating lifestyle diseases. Loss of muscle strength is a major precursor to insulin resistance and diabetes. Moderate strength training has been shown to be more effective than hypoglycaemic drugs in managing diabetes long-term by improving glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity. It also significantly benefits heart health by strengthening the left ventricle and improving blood circulation, and helps lower cholesterol levels.

Beyond the gym. Strength training doesn't require a gym; it's any activity that provides resistance for muscles to work against. Examples include:

• Panja ladao (arm wrestling)
• Pushing against a wall
• Carrying a baby or heavy objects
• Walking uphill
• Learning challenging yoga postures

Planned approach is key. To be effective, strength training must be planned, following principles like progressive overload (gradually increasing resistance, reps, or sets) and proper form. Random exercises or using very light weights for endless reps won't yield the same benefits as a structured program that challenges the anaerobic system.

6. Cardio Needs Strength for Heart Health, Performance, and Fat Burning.

The heart and lungs are infinitely stronger than the TBLJ.

Cardio benefits are real, but nuanced. Cardio exercise improves the cardio-respiratory system, lowering resting heart rate and increasing stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per beat), making the heart more efficient. This can potentially extend lifespan by reducing the total number of heartbeats over time. It also improves oxygen delivery and utilization (VO2 max).

Skeletal system is the limit. While the heart and lungs are incredibly resilient, the voluntary musculo-skeletal system – tendons, bones, ligaments, and joints (TBLJ) – is often the limiting factor in cardio performance, especially for sedentary or overweight individuals. Without adequate strength in the TBLJ, the impact forces of activities like running or even brisk walking can lead to injuries before significant cardio or fat-burning benefits are achieved.

Strength training enhances cardio. To make meaningful progress in cardio and improve heart health effectively, you must complement it with strength training. Strength training:

• Strengthens the TBLJ, allowing them to withstand higher impact and duration.
• Improves VO2 max and lactate threshold (the point where anaerobic metabolism kicks in), allowing you to sustain faster speeds aerobically.
• Trains the body to preferentially burn fat for aerobic activity, sparing glycogen for high-intensity bursts.

Periodization prevents burnout. Applying principles like periodization (cycling different types and intensities of exercise) and progressive overload to cardio prevents stagnation and injury. Simply doing the same walk or run at the same pace indefinitely ceases to be an effective stimulus for adaptation and improvement.

7. Yoga is a Way of Life, Not Just Asanas or a Quick Fix.

To be consumers of yoga, or students of yoga, the choice is yours.

Yoga's ancient wisdom. Yoga is a profound, holistic science with roots in ancient India, codified by sages like Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras (Ashtanga Yoga) and texts like Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It's traditionally a way of life aimed at spiritual evolution and self-realization, not merely physical exercise or a weight-loss tool. Asana practice is just one of eight limbs (Ashtanga) on this path, preceded by ethical restraints (Yama) and observances (Niyama).

Beyond physical postures. While asanas (postures) improve physical fitness parameters like strength, flexibility, and endurance, their deeper purpose is to discipline the body and senses, preparing one for higher practices like pranayama (breath control) and meditation (Dhyana). Reducing yoga to just physical postures or mixing it with other exercises for calorie burn misses its essence and potential.

Choosing an authentic practice. Be discerning when choosing a yoga school or teacher. Look for those who:

• Emphasize Yama and Niyama as foundational.
• Teach asanas as a step towards broader yogic science.
• Adapt practice to individual needs (age, health, season).
• Discourage fads like extreme diets or unrealistic environments (hot rooms, ice slabs).
• Focus on correct technique and inner experience over achieving perfect postures or specific physical outcomes (like weight loss or anti-wrinkle effects).

8. The 4 Principles of Exercising Right: Stimulate, Adapt, Recover, Regular.

Regularity doesn’t mean daily but only means keeping your date with your workout (even if it’s once a week) and no matter what, not pushing it to tomorrow, evening or next week, etc.

Principle 1: Stimulate (Progressive Overload). Every workout must be slightly more challenging than the last to force the body to adapt. This applies to all forms of exercise.

• Cardio: Increase distance, speed, incline, or resistance (but only one variable at a time, ideally not more than 10% weekly).
• Strength Training: Increase weight, reps, or sets (again, only one variable at a time).
• Yoga: Deepen penetration into postures, improve form, or progress to more challenging variations.

Principle 2: Adapt (SAID Principle). The body adapts specifically to the demands placed upon it. Training for strength increases strength; training for endurance increases endurance. Therefore, a well-rounded program must include variety, stimulating different energy systems and fitness parameters for overall fitness. Warm-ups should be specific to the planned workout.

Principle 3: Recover. Fitness gains, strength, and leanness are built during the recovery period after exercise, not during the workout itself. Recovery involves proper nutrition (pre and post-workout meals), adequate sleep, managing stress, and allowing sufficient rest between challenging sessions (e.g., 48 hours between strength training days). Skipping recovery negates the benefits and leads to exhaustion.

Principle 4: Regular. Consistency is paramount. Sticking to your planned workout schedule, even if it's only once or twice a week, is more effective than sporadic, intense sessions. The mind will offer excuses, but the intellect must override them. Inconsistency leads to the principle of reversibility – losing fitness gains within 2-8 weeks without stimuli.

9. Meal Timing Matters: Fueling Before and After Your Workout.

Eating right is more crucial for weight training than any other form of exercise, because weight training leads to maximum metabolic and biochemical changes in the body.

Pre-workout fuel. Eating before exercise provides the necessary fuel (primarily carbs) to sustain intensity and performance, preventing fatigue and hypoglycaemia.

• Morning workout: A fruit (local, seasonal) 15-20 mins before warm-up.
• Post-meal workout: Allow 60-100 mins after a wholesome meal.
• Evening workout: A fruit before leaving office.
• Avoid heavy meals or meat right before working out as they slow digestion and divert blood flow.

Post-workout recovery (The 4 R's). The 45-minute window immediately after exercise is critical for recovery and maximizing gains, especially after strength training.

• Rehydrate: Drink water.
• Replenish: Eat carbs (banana, boiled potato) to restore glycogen stores.
• Repair: Consume protein (whey protein shake is easily digested) to repair muscle tissue.
• Recover: Take antioxidants (vitamins, minerals) to combat free radicals and aid recovery.

Wholesome meals are key. Beyond the immediate pre/post window, regular, wholesome meals rich in local, seasonal carbs, proteins, and essential fats (like ghee and coconut) are vital. These support glycogen replenishment, muscle repair, and train the body to use fat efficiently during cardio. Avoiding carbs or fats hinders recovery and fat burning.

10. Physical Activity vs. Exercise: Both are Different and Important.

What you do for 23 hours of your day will always have a greater bearing than what you do for 1 hour in the day.

Sitting is the new smoking. Lack of general physical activity (PA) throughout the day is an independent risk factor for numerous lifestyle diseases, regardless of diet or exercise habits. Spending most of your day sitting or inactive significantly increases health risks. PA is simply moving more in daily life.

Exercise is structured training. Exercise is planned, structured physical activity aimed at improving specific fitness parameters (cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, body composition). It involves applying principles like progressive overload and periodization to stimulate adaptation.

Both are necessary. Increasing daily physical activity (taking stairs, walking short distances, doing household chores) is crucial for overall health and countering the negative effects of prolonged sitting. However, PA alone cannot replace the specific, targeted benefits of structured exercise, which is needed to reverse ageing, build strength, improve metabolism, and significantly reduce disease risk.

Don't confuse them. Doing household chores or walking around the office doesn't substitute for a planned strength training session or a challenging cardio workout. PA makes you fit enough to age gracefully, while exercise actively reverses the ageing process and builds higher levels of fitness.

11. Listen to Your Body and Science, Not Just Fads.

Exercise means indulging in activity after proper thought and analysis...

Information overload. The fitness world is rife with conflicting information, fads, and oversimplifications (like "sweating melts fat" or "running kills knees"). Much of this stems from misunderstanding basic exercise science and prioritizing quick fixes or superficial results over sustainable health.

Science provides the foundation. Understanding fundamental concepts like energy systems, after-burn, progressive overload, and the specific adaptations of the body is crucial for planning effective workouts. This knowledge empowers you to make informed choices, avoid counterproductive practices, and understand why certain approaches work.

Your body is the ultimate guide. While science provides principles, your body's response (measured through things like the Borg scale/RPE, training diary, or how you feel) is the most important feedback. Pay attention to signs of overtraining (dizziness, prolonged soreness, lack of progress) or boredom (lack of enjoyment, inconsistency), which indicate your plan needs adjustment based on your individual adaptation and recovery.

Avoid chasing numbers. Don't get fixated on arbitrary numbers like calories burned on a machine or weight on a scale. Focus on tangible improvements in fitness parameters (strength, endurance, flexibility), how your clothes fit, and how you feel. These are better indicators of improved body composition and overall health than body weight alone.

Last updated: May 3, 2025